Riding in focus: Surrey-Whalley pages 10-11
Leader named best community newspaper in B.C.-Yukon page 4
Tuesday April 23, 2013
Serving Surrey and North Delta www.surreyleader.com
Colourful crowds Crowds pack the streets near 128 Street and 84 Avenue during Saturday’s annual Vaisakhi parade in Surrey, where police say attendance matched the record 200,000-person turnout from last year. Police say it was a peaceful crowd, adding there were no arrests. There were 39 reports of missing children, who were quickly returned to their caregivers. Traffic was heavy, but no one was hurt in any accidents. BOAZ JOSEPH / THE LEADER
‘Mr. Surrey’ named 2013 Good Citizen Cloverdale’s Bill Reid honoured by mayor and council for his extensive contributions to the community
by Jennifer Lang
HIS NAME is Bill Reid, but to many, he’s known as “Mr. Surrey”
and the unofficial mayor of Cloverdale, where at 78, he remains at the centre of business and community life. And Wednesday night he was singled out for a fitting tribute from the city he’s served for five decades. Reid has been named Good Citizen of the Year by Mayor Dianne Watts and Surrey council. The honour was announced at the city’s annual volunteer services celebration. Reid, who was too ill to attend the event, was recognized for his contributions as a politician, service club member and as business community leader. “Bill Reid has been tirelessly serving our community for over five decades,” Watts said. “He has demonstrated an exceptional
commitment to our city and has spent most of his life working to enhance our business environment.” The Good Citizen recipient is chosen by council and is presented to a Surrey resident who has performed outstanding service for the community. Reid, executive director of the Cloverdale District Chamber of Commerce, is a tireless promoter and booster who’s fond of describing Cloverdale as the “centre of the universe.” Well-known for his list of contacts in governBill Reid ment, business and the community, Reid remains an active force, recently lobbying Surrey council on behalf of the Cloverdale Chamber of Commerce over a controversial casino proposal for South Surrey. Reid’s other recent chamber initiatives include an ongoing anti-
graffiti campaign in Clayton Heights. He’s served as president of the White Rock/Surrey Chamber of Commerce, was vice-president of the Cloverdale Business Improvement Association, and is a past governor for B.C. Kinsmen Clubs. He sits on the Cloverdale Rodeo and Exhibition Association board of directors, the Surrey Heritage Society, and the Fraser Valley Heritage Railway Society. Reid and his wife Marion moved to Surrey in 1960. He owned a car dealership and served eight years on Delta council. Reid represented Surrey as a Social Credit MLA from 1983 to 1986, and Surrey-White Rock-Cloverdale from 1986 to 1991. He was B.C.’s tourism minister during Expo ’86.
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