Thursday November 7, 2013 (Vol. 38 No. 90))
V O I C E
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W H I T E
R O C K
A N D
S O U T H
S U R R E Y
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Honourable service: As the Semiahmoo Peninsula prepares to mark the sacrifice of veterans with ceremonies in the days ahead, organizers of the annual poppy campaign are urging residents to help young vets who have lost their benefits. i see page A12
Breach of trust admitted after drugs and other contraband found in inmates’ cells
Imprisonment sought for ex jail guard Sheila Reynolds Black Press
Sedrick Dang
Crown prosecutors have recommended a former prison guard spend four years in jail for accepting bribes to smuggle contraband to inmates at Surrey Pretrial Services Centre. The sentencing of Sedrick Dang, 26, began in Surrey Provincial Court on Monday. He pleaded guilty in July to breach of trust by a public officer and
accepting a bribe as an officer. The court heard this week that Dang was hired by B.C. Corrections in early 2011 and started work in March, following weeks of training. He worked at the Surrey jail, located in the same complex as the courthouse in the 14300-block of 57 Avenue, for about 18 months before his arrest in November 2012. An agreed statement of facts read by Crown prosecutor Alisia Adams said
there were seven known members of the United Nations (UN) gang in Surrey pretrial at the time Dang was accused of smuggling items into the jail. In September 2012, when a UN inmate’s cell was searched, it was discovered there was a hole cut into a desk. Inside, there were more than 200 white pills found, as well as a syringe and vials of steroids. A search of another cell found several
knives, two screwdrivers, a cellphone and charger, a computer memory stick, needles and dozens of pills and capsules. All the jail cells were then searched. In a third cell, there were three wrapped packages of a white substance and some marijuana. Inmates from the three cells where contraband was found were put into segregation, said Adams. i see page A4
Robinson remembered
Political, personal battles fought Kevin Diakiw Black Press
Evan Seal photo
Powertech Labs project engineer Sean Allan (left) helps Cloverdale resident Jim McGowan plug in his Nissan Leaf at the new high-speed site.
Fast-charge stations pave ‘green highway’
Surrey charged up over electric cars Jeff Nagel Black Press
A new fast-charging station for electric cars unveiled in Surrey Monday is the first to become operational in the Lower Mainland and forms part of the northern leg of a green highway stretching south to California. The Surrey Museum station at Highway 10 east of 176 Street in Cloverdale is one of 13 direct-current fast-charge stations being built in southern B.C. to offer electric-car users more places to quickly juice up the battery.
There are already hundreds of publicly usable standard-charge (Level 2) stations, but the DC Fast Charge sites need only 20 to 30 minutes for an 80 per cent charge, rather than four to eight hours. Officials say supercharge sites are key to combatting the “range anxiety” of being stranded with a dead battery that deters some people from buying all-electric cars. “Providing access to this technology is essential to moving consumers away from fossil-fuel reliance in favour of sustainable clean-energy alternatives,” Surrey Coun. Bruce Hayne said.
Lest we forget.
It’s unclear if drivers will eventually have to pay to use the fast-charge stations, but Hayne said the Surrey station will be free of charge “for the foreseeable future.” The Surrey Museum station is the first available charge point north of the U.S. border for electric-powered American motorists. There are only about 700 electric vehicles in B.C. but thousands more are expected in the years ahead. Like the site in Surrey, other fast-charge stations are being built in partnership with BC Hydro and local cities.
Gary Robinson has died. The long-time former Surrey councillor, who served from 1987 to 1999, passed away early Saturday morning. Robinson had been playing hockey – one of his many passions – for the Red Army team on Friday night, and then came home and went to sleep. He Gary Robinson former councillor never woke up. Cause of death is yet to be determined. He was 57. Robinson was a feisty force on council, serving with the Surrey Civic Electors under the mayoralty of Bob Bose and, later, Surrey Electors Team mayor Doug McCallum. He was known as one of the toughest opposition councillors in recent memory. Much like a hockey player, he would go head first into the corners and dig at the issues until they had been fully debated. i see page A4
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