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Thursday November 28, 2013
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Cities present four rail route options Hundreds attend meeting over proposed relocation of Surrey-White Rock tracks by Tracy Holmes IT WAS standing room only at Tuesday’s community
forum on railway safety, as more than 300 people packed the Pacific Inn in South Surrey to learn more about ongoing research into relocating the train tracks off the Semiahmoo Peninsula waterfront. Four possible options for realigning the tracks – including three that would move the line along routes east of 176 Street – were presented in what was described as an opportunity for public feedback. While the majority of attendees appeared to be in favour of relocating the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) tracks, the possible new routes did not sit well with everyone. Anna Dean said she was “seeing red” at the suggestion to move the Dianne Watts problem from one community to another. “We don’t want your problem in our neighbourhood,” Dean told a panel that included Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts, White Rock Mayor Wayne Baldwin and City of Surrey staff. “Whatever the alignment is, it will affect another neighbourhood.” See RAIL LINES / Page 3
EVAN SEAL / THE LEADER
The cost of electricity is going up. Both residential and commercial customers of BC Hydro learned Monday that a series of rate hikes is on the way.
Bracing for BC Hydro hikes 28% rate increase to cost Surrey School District $1 million over 3 years by Tom Fletcher THE FIRST of a series of BC Hydro rate
increases takes effect in April 2014, adding $8 a month to the average residential power bill. Rate increases of nine per cent next year and six per cent in 2015 are the highest of a series of increases over five years announced Monday by Energy Minister Bill Bennett. The B.C. Utilities Commission will
be directed to set rate increases that total up to 28 per cent over the next five years, then determine what rates are needed for the following five years, Bennett said. Commercial rates are going up the same amount. For the Surrey School District, the hikes will mean a hit of about $1 million over the next three years. Shawn Wilson, chair of Surrey’s Board of Education, said if the core student funding is increased by the
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