The Editor,
Re: “McCallum insists First Nations are treated ‘better in Surrey literally than anywhere,” the Now-Leader, Jan. 21.
The Safe Surrey Coalition members show they do not work for the residents of Surrey but only for their own political clique by voting down any motion brought forward by other members of council, regardless of its merit.
The 5-4 rejection of First Nations acknowledgement before Surrey council meetings is a prime example of this school-yard behavior. First Nations were acknowledged after the last civic election when the mayor and council were sworn in, so why not now?
As a Surrey resident, it is embarrassing to realize that the City of White Rock acknowledges the Semiahmoo people before each council meeting as a show of respect and reconciliation. The little seaside town of White Rock can do this neighbourly gesture but the big city of Surrey cannot?
CUPE 402, which represents all of Surrey’s unionized employees, has been acknowledging historical indigenous communities at their union meetings for years. So union leaders do this but our elected leaders fail to follow their example?
The same kind of games were played by the last White Rock mayor and council, who would not admit that their historic pier was the longest in Canada, simply because it was endorsed by Dave Chesney, a common sense councillor. Well, their little gang was booted out, Chesney is still on council, and “Canada’s Longest Pier” is now carved into the end of this iconic structure.
Mayor Doug McCallum and his SSC cohorts should look at White Rock and realize that this kind of control-freak agenda led to the previous mayor and White Rock Coalition getting decimated at the polls.
If SSC members keep up this kind of senseless behaviour, expect history to repeat itself, only this time the house cleaning will happen at Surrey city hall.
Don Pitcairn, Surrey
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