Thursday May 16, 2013 (Vol. 38 No. 40)
V O I C E
O F
W H I T E
R O C K
A N D
S O U T H
Still undefeated: With an eye on a national championship, the Surrey Eagles are a perfect 3-0 at the RBC Cup, after scoring back-to-back wins this week. › see page 37
S U R R E Y
w w w. p e a c e a r c h n e w s . c o m
Mayor criticized for ‘discounting’ pro-development residents who opposed highrises in the past
You have to consider source: Baldwin Tracy Holmes Staff Reporter
White Rock’s mayor took a strong stand Monday against a highrise proposed for Vidal Street, criticizing public support for the project as “greatly diminished” by those who spoke in favour. “Everyone is entitled to see the light,” Wayne Baldwin said, after giving up his role as meeting chair to comment.
Baldwin was referring to support heard at an April 29 public hearing from residents who, in the past, have stood firmly opposed to height and density in the city. While the residents gave a “well-organized” presentation, “(we) need to do more than count for and against,” Baldwin said. “You also have to consider the source.” Baldwin’s comments preceded narrow votes by council to give third reading to
official community plan and zoning amendments that will, if given final approval at a later meeting, facilitate construction of a 12-storey, 109-unit project at 1467-1519 Vidal St. The same vote result – with Baldwin and Couns. Helen Fathers and Al Campbell opposed – was given for third reading of an also-necessary land-use contract discharge bylaw. The mayor’s stance was later criticized dur-
ing question period, when former councillor Margaret Woods described his comments regarding project supporters as “disconcerting.” Woods questioned how council could make a good decision when half of the feedback was to be ignored, but she was cut short when her questions turned to accusations of bullying and intimidation. › see page 8
Siblings at film fest
Cannes-do attitude Sarah Massah Staff Reporter
Would you want to know when you would take your last breath? In the short film, Mayfly, produced, written and directed by brothers Brandon and Jordan Willetts, that is the question asked by scientists who discover a way to determine when each person on earth will die. The thoughtprovoking film was exactly what the brothers – born Brandon Willetts and raised on the Peninsula – aimed to create. What they didn’t expect was having their film accepted into the Short Film Corner at France’s prestigious Jordan Willetts Cannes Film Festival, which opened yesterday. “It’s super exciting. There will be lots of workshops and you can speak to distributors, all of which we don’t have experience with,” Brandon told Peace Arch News last Friday before boarding a flight to the Mediterranean the next day. › see page 4
Surrey-Cloverdale
Surrey-White Rock
Surrey-Panorama
Stephanie Cadieux (BC Liberal) 16,392 60.05% Harry Kooner (NDP) 8,120 29.75% Howard Wu (Conservative) 1,922 7.04% Matt William Begley 862 3.16% Total votes: 27,296 (52.7% preliminary turnout)
Gordon Hogg (BC Liberal) 13,743 58.58% Susan Keeping (NDP) 6,406 27.31% Don Pitcairn (Green) 2,047 8.73% Elizabeth Pagtakhan (Conservative) 1,168 4.98% Jim Laurence (BC Party) 96 0.41% Total votes: 23,460 (59.0% preliminary turnout)
Marvin Hunt (BC Liberal) 12,874 54.28% Amrik Mahil (NDP) 8,515 35.90% Sara Sharma (Green) 1,317 5.55% Kevin Rakhra (Conservative) 946 3.99% Ali Zaidi 65 0.27% Total votes: 23,717 (53.3% preliminary turnout)
Many surprised as New Democrats fail to topple majority government
‘Orange’ crushed as BC Liberals win Tracy Holmes, Melissa Smalley & Jeff Nagel Staff Reporters
BC Liberal candidates on the Semiahmoo Peninsula had plenty to celebrate Tuesday night, after soundly winning seats in all three ridings as well as a majority government provincewide. Surrey-White Rock incumbent Gordon Hogg arrived at his campaign office just before 9 p.m. to raucous applause from supporters who had spent the previous hour glued to TV news reports once the polls closed.
“It’s looking good – we did it,” constituency assistant Verna Logan told Hogg, during a congratulatory hug. In the tally as of Wednesday afternoon, Hogg had 58.58 per cent of the vote, while NDP candidate Susan Keeping came in second with 27.31 per cent. Tuesday night, Hogg said he was “heartened” by the results, admitting there had been some concern as to how to reach out to a growing community during a “good campaign” by the
NDP. Watching the results at her White Rock campaign office, Keeping told supporters, “at least we had fun.” “I respect it, what can you do?” she said, noting the voter turnout seemed unusually low. In Surrey-Panorama, BC Liberal and current Surrey Coun. Marvin Hunt won with 54.28 per cent of the vote, followed by BC NDP’s Amrik Mahil with 35.90 per cent. › see page 5
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