As we’re now in the infancy of the Year 2020, it should not be lost on any of us the symbolism of 20/20 also being the ideal standard for visual acuity and clarity.
We hope this new year brings with it clarity of communication and a sharper sense of collaboration between our city council members.
Of course, politics would not be politics without friction and opposing views, but this council’s first full year, which we’ve now consigned to history, was unduly marred by infighting and bad blood among a majority that, ironically, started out as a coalition.
The burden to repair the dysfunction presently afflicting council lies squarely on the shoulders of Mayor Doug McCallum.
We therefore urge him to adopt a more respectful attitude toward his fellow duly-elected council mates – at the very least, to entertain the opinions and input offered by those whom he had habitually dismissed over the past 12 months.
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On the provincial front, we’d like to hear more – meaning, anything – from our local MLAs, and in particular the governing NDP, concerning the public safety debate that continues to rage in this city over its transition from the RCMP to a new city police force, and the hiring freeze on police and firefighters in Surrey in 2020. Surrey’s MLAs appear to be missing in action on this file.
Federally, it’s also our hope that our prime minister does nothing in 2020 to further embarrass Canada. His performance thus far – with his vaudevillian trip to India, black-face scenarios, and getting caught gossiping about other world leaders – has not been encouraging, to say the least.
It is also our wish that the City of Surrey sees to it that fewer trees are felled in 2020.
Let’s make this a year we can all be proud of.
– Now-Leader
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