Wednesday September 30, 2015 (Vol. 40 No. 78)
V O I C E
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W H I T E
R O C K
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S O U T H
S U R R E Y
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Diving in: After years of planning, construction, criticism and debate, South Surrey’s Grandview Aquatic Centre is set to open its doors in January. i see page 11
Investigation ‘frustrated’ by motorist who ran down two joggers: judge
One-year ban for hit-and-run driver Alex Browne Staff Reporter
The driver who knocked down two women joggers at a South Surrey intersection on a rainy evening in 2012 – and left the scene without identifying himself to police as the driver – has received a nine-month conditional sentence, with a year’s prohibition on driving a vehicle. At Surrey Provincial Court Monday, Judge James Sutherland told Barry Christiansen that he must serve the first month of his sentence confined to his home at all times and the first two Barry Christiansen to six months confined to home with a 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew. He must also perform 150 hours of community work service. He must report to a supervisor throughout the sentence, and any exemption to his sentence conditions, related to attending meetings for work purposes, must have prior written permission, Sutherland said. The 56-year-old – a former executive with Envision Financial – entered a guilty plea Friday on two charges of “failing to stop at an accident scene involving bodily harm.” i see page 8
Alex Browne photo
Victims Shelley Lammers and Nola Carlson reflect on testimony Friday at the sentencing hearing of driver Barry Christiansen at Surrey courthouse.
Hearing interrupted as White Rock council awaits RCMP officers, who leave without intervention
Mayor calls in police to eject former councillor Melissa Smalley Staff Reporter
Melissa Smalley photo
An officer watches Margaret Woods speak.
A heated public meeting at White Rock City Hall took a tense turn Monday evening, when RCMP officers were called to council chambers and asked to remove a resident, who ultimately was allowed to stay. The meeting was in regards to a property at 13690 Marine Dr., where the owner was seeking approval for a height variance on the home from 7.7 metres to 9.95 metres, to minimize the impact on trees on the property, specifically a large western red cedar.
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Resident Margaret Woods, who spoke twice at the meeting, questioned the proponent’s reasoning for asking for additional height, saying she believed he was not really concerned about the welfare of the tree. “The proponent is disingenuously appealing to your heart strings when he says he wants to protect this giant red cedar,” Woods said, noting there was no guarantee the tree would survive once construction began. After her initial five-minute allotment was up – and after several other speakers both for and against the variance permit – Woods
spoke for a second time, again questioning the proponent’s motives. “Does the proponent think he’s somehow more deserving than the rest of us?” Woods asked. “How dare he ask for a variance so outrageous as this?” Coun. Lynne Sinclair interrupted Woods, calling on Mayor Wayne Baldwin to restore order. “I am becoming more and more uncomfortable with the tone and accusatory comments that are being made,” Sinclair said. i see page 4
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Sunday, Oct. 4 11 am - 2 pm ce Spiral Dance 1471 Stayte Rd. ck White Rock