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October 7, 2015 ❖ www.CloverdaleReporter.com ❖
Stuck in traffic, feeling the pinch 7207797
Riding profile: Cloverdale-Langley City
CANADA VOTES!
Transit is key
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Dean Drysdale (C)
Rebecca Smith (NDP)
Moore vowed last week Ottawa will respect Surrey’s light rail choice, echoing Conservative Dean Drysdale’s stance. Drysdale, a 51-year-old instructor at Kwantlen Polytechnic University and businessman who has run federally before in Quebec, told The Reporter the Conservatives have pledged to be a partner to the province and municipalities on transit, supporting – but not guiding – local priorities. The former two-time Langley Township councillor sees the role of MP as ensuring the area gets its fair share of federal funding for transit infrastructure, which he admits was lacking historically. To NDP candidate Rebecca Smith, the transit issue is just one area of many where the federal government in the past 22 years, first under the Liberals and more
INDEPENDENT
Cloverdale-Langley City takes in two historic town centres. The southwest boundary stretches to Sullivan south of the Serpentine River.
recently the Conservatives, has fallen short of their commitment to voters by cutting payments to provinces. The 44-year-old Cloverdale resident says the NDP have pledged $1.2 billion, every year, for 20 years, to fund transit investments across Canada, a pledge Smith has no qualms with. “People want infrastructure support and we can’t ignore it,” she said. “Our party has stated, straight up, we’re not about cutting things, we’re about being a transparent, reliable partner.” The riding’s Green Party candidate, Scott Anderson, a construction manager with Bosa Construction, says he’d work to secure federal funding for a light-rail line between Chilliwack and Surrey. Anderson told Black Press a diesel train running along the existing
LIVING
live life $2,275
Interurban right of way would cost $500 million, he said, compared to the billions spent on the Canada Line and pledged to build the Evergreen Line.
Financial pressures Even more top-of-mind than transit in the riding, according to Aldag, are financial worries – something Aldag has heard expressed behind nearly every doorstep. “Absolutely the top issue is financial,” he said. “It’s wages not keeping on top of the cost of living. It’s the housing costs in the Lower Mainland. And a lot of parents are saying they’re not sure that their kids are going to have the same opportunities that we did growing up,” he says. See VIOLENT CRIME / Page 7
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By Jennifer Lang candidate John Aldag, a Langley Predictions are plenty, but no- father of three who’s worked with body really knows how Clover- Parks Canada for 32 years, at times dale-Langley City will vote until criss-crossing the country and, the ballots are counted on election more recently, the Lower Mainland, as family and work commitday. It’s a new riding. With new ments pulled his family in various boundaries and no incumbent MP, directions. He’s on leave from his federal it’s anybody’s race to win, in theory. civil service job as a historic sites Cloverdale-Langley City is carved out of the northern half of manager while campaigning. Knocking on 26,000 doors the former White Rock-South Suracross the riding, he’s heard from rey-Cloverdale riding many residents who are represented by Consercommuting up to three vative MP Russ Hiebert, plus a strip of Langley On Oct. 19, voters hours a day to jobs in centres – wasted Township, along with will chose the other time that comes at the the municipal boundaries of Langley City, also new riding’s first- expense of families and previous Conservative ever Member of communities. “I’d like to see more territory, represented by Parliament. jobs in the valley, south Mark Warawa. of the Fraser, or let’s The riding also pulls make it fast to get home, in the Clayton section so people can volunof Fleetwood-Port Kells, teer, teach classes, or clean ditches held by incumbent Conservative – whatever it is – rather than sitNina Grewal. The riding is an unusual piece ting in traffic listening to an audio of geography in that it spans three book,” he said. The City of Surrey’s push for a different municipalities and takes in two important local downtowns new, 17-kilometre light rail line – historic Cloverdale and Langley from the City Centre SkyTrain City. It stretches as far west as Sulli- terminus through Cloverdale to van, following the south side of the Langley City would finally put the riding on the rapid transit grid. Serpentine River. All major parties have indicated Between middle class concerns they would deliver a federal oneabout paying bills and mortgages, saving for retirement and caring third share of the $2.1-billion Surfor aging parents, families are deal- rey LRT plan. The Conservatives ing with the reality of rapidly den- recently announced their direct sifying neighbourhoods through- commitment of up to $700 million as part of Ottawa’s one-third conout the riding. Townhomes and condos are tribution. Post TransLink referendum, sprouting steadily, particularly in where the region’s share would areas such as Clayton. come from will remain unresolved after Oct. 19. Critics are also arguing whether That population growth also the City of Surrey’s preferred opmeans increased traffic and de- tion – running light rail through mand for transit alternatives to Cloverdale to Langley versus an elevated SkyTrain, or express buses driving. “We need to get people mov- – would be best. Federal Industry Minister James ing more efficiently,” says Liberal