Puil had already pissed off a lot of people before Translink came along. He and his wife made life for the Maritime Museum at Kitslano miserable.

That's just a small demographic in Vancouver, with the 3 month bus strike he pissed off the whole city! But my point stands, with RAV and escalating taxes, TransLink & the GVRD have pissed off the whole region!

Sorry, but just to add, I have read that the GVRD has just given a 19% pay rise to senior bureaucrats! I guess I'm 19% more pissed off!

A few comments

1. Could be that Surrey voters are in the mood for a change. But the SCC/NDP'ers have their work cut out for them, because the areas of Surrey that consistently have the biggest turnouts aren't NDP-friendly.

2. I'm disappointed at the weight given Kennedy Stewart's opinions. As a failed NDP candidate, what else would he say?

3. Good to see the Tyee covering this contest. Within the next 10 years, Surrey's population will pass Vancouver's (it already has a much bigger school district).

4. It's too bad that no one from the ethnic community has ever been elected. Both major parties have nominated ethnic candidates in the past and they fail to get elected. Sadly, there are a lot of non-Indo-C voters that won't vote for an Indo-C candidate, regardless of their policitcal label at the local level. That's partly because of simple racism, of course; but another major reason is that the machinations inside the Indo-C community have put off a lot of voters who would otherwise consider casing a ballot for an Indo-C candidate.

Some of the Congress Party antics are very embarrassing.

The sooner Surrey gets rid of Mccallum the better. Everytime I drive through Surrey I have to shake my head at their planning decisions. They are on their way to making Surrey even more ugly than Calgary, and that is no easy feat!

For the love of god get rid of that lying, scumsucking bugger. I remember once I witnessed a mugging on the skytrain... I saw the whole thing, the guy was on the train, pulled a heroin needle and held these two tourist hostage for their DVD player. I talked to a reporter about it.
When the article came out, McCallum denied it all happen except that some tourists were harrassed... I couldn't believe it... I saw the whole thing, so did about 20 other people... and he just lied, made it all up. Just like the Mayor in "Jaws."

And his son can't kick a field goal to save his arse

Correct me if I'm wrong but was'nt there a federal govt. feasibility study that the provincial liberals tried to bury a couple of years ago? And in that study was it not the conclusion that the rav line would in all likelyhood become a white-elephant which would never pay for itseld and burden taxpayers for many years?

October 11, 2005

ROBBINS Sce Research (1998)
robbinssceresearch.com

For immediate Release

Question #1-In your opinion how would you rate Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum’s performance as Chair of Translink? Good-23%; Fair-35%; Poor-42%

Question #2-Are you in favour of parking stall taxes for Surrey? Yes-28%; No-63%; Don’t Care-09%

Question #3-Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum is seeking another term in office. Do you intend to support Mayor Doug McCallum for another term? Yes-37%; No-51%; Undecided-12%

Question #4-Longtime Surrey City councilor Dianne Watts is largely expected to challenge Doug McCallum to the Mayor’s Chair. If she decides to run do you intend to support Dianne Watts for Mayor over incumbent Doug McCallum? Yes-41%; No-43%; Undecided-16%.

Commentary-As Chair of Translink Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum possessed a great deal of power within the GVRD. This role did not ingratiate him to Surrey voters according to this poll. Translink’s most recent decision to go ahead with parking stall taxes has also not helped his popularity.

Three-term city councilor Dianne Watts is (now) challenging Mayor Doug McCallum in this year’s civic election. She is slightly more popular than McCallum now (she was even in a ROBBINS poll published two years ago). However she is less well known than Doug McCallum and in a year where the word ‘change’ is being used in Surrey, this should work to her advantage. Statistical score: McCallum (47.7%; Dianne Watts-52.3%)

Insight-Doug McCallum is less well liked by female voters than male voters. Some male supporters however do not understand that his role as Translink’s Chair is a political one. Specifically, some respondents who think Doug McCallum’s performance with Translink was “Good” will not support him for Mayor, because “they think he should just concentrate on the one job.”

Mayor McCallum’s biggest advantages are his extensive political leadership experience, and the fact he knows Surrey well. His experience as Chair of Translink may hurt his re-election, but he has become a very powerful politician. His disadvantages are that he has been at the job a long time, (for many Surrey residents too long). He is dismissive of anyone who disagrees with him, which makes him an annoying political personality.

Many male voters (respondents) are not as familiar with Surrey city councillor Dianne Watts. She is bright, knows the issues surrounding Surrey politics and is extremely photogenic. Ms. Watt’s political upside is all blue sky. She is attractive, articulate, compassionate, and considered by her peers to be forthright and honest. Her downside is her organization has not done enough to get her name out, and when you are as talented and attractive as she is, this is just an inexcusable mistake, particularly when your opponent is pretty short on charisma.

This is a digit dialing of 205 “dedicated municipal voters” in the City of Surrey, British Columbia between October 4th and 11th, 2005. This poll features a margin of error of 4.75%, 18 times out of 20 @96% competency level.

Glen P. Robbins

(604) 942-3757
-30-

As a resident of Surrey, I am looking forward to being able to vote out SET. In response to Chris, I have the same feelings when I drive around my community. At one time we had an OCP (official community plan). SET and McCallum have pretty much gutted it during their tenure in office. Interestingly enough it would be amended without neighborhoods even knowing that it was done until a bull dozer showed up to wreak havoc. We do not even want to mention the overall lack of decent transit services in Surrey despite the fact that McCallum in chair of the Translink Board. I suspect that he has forgotten his primary responsibility is to represent our, Surrey's, interests at the board.

As well, in response to Martin, who feels that minority groups are not represented on council smacks of racism. To my knowledge, there have been very few ethnic minorities who have put their names forward to run locally, they all seem to want to run provincially and federally where they have been very successful in getting elected. Personally, I would like to see a much greater representation on council from minority and ethnic groups. So as far as I can see racism isn't really a factor that you seem to think it is. It really boils down to folks in those communities being willing to put their names forward to run for office.

Of course when only 20-25% of the registered voters get out to vote municipally......and yes we do vote faithfully in every election and yes we are colour blind when it comes to the candidates, it has no bearing on who we vote for. Now if we could get a gay candidate elected in Surrey, that would truly show that the city is maturing.

Jesterjogger:

Re your question, you are completely right! As a long time resident of Delta, I shake my head at the upcoming Surrey fiasco, poor transit, ghettos, soon to be slum housing. McCallum has been pointsman, while all this is happening. As one planner from the USA said to me recently
"We used to look up to the GVRD as a model, but not today. Everything that was good, you haven't done and everything bad, you have done! It's all very sad."

The sad thing is that 15 years ago Surrey had so much promise. They could have developed it into a beautiful place. It is now quickly becoming the "inner city" of the Lower Mainland. Neglect and poor thought have created a terrible environment. I know many families that bought in Surrey, couldn't stand it, and moved to another community in less than two years. Mccallum and SET must have sold themselves to the developers and they couldn't have cared less about livibility. Surrey can stand as an example as to how not to plan regional and city development. What a shame.

With Surrey's population exceeding Vancouver's by about 2010, how about this as a new motto:

"Welcome to Vancouver, gateway to Surrey"

The slums of Surrey, goes to show you what greed and a little corruption can do for what could have been a beautiful vibrant multi cultural city instead of ghetto development and strip malls, god I hate driving through Surrey.

Those big ugly houses are enough to turn anyone off. We took some of the most fertile farm land in B.C. and paved it, not to smart.

This is incisive reportage? Stewart has a "feeling" that Surrey will swing left? And if it does in the future, he figures that ensure that RAV would have been scrapped in the past? Too weird. Then Cadman figures 'burb commuters pollute Vancouver's air? Meteorologists will tell you the winds almost always blow the other way, hence Abbotsford, Chilliwack and Hope gets Vancouver's bad air from motorists, cruise ships etc., where it's trapped by the mountains, while Vancouver gets sea breezes. And Bose thinks people are fed up with Doug and the slugs? That's a non-partisan opinion, right?

actually I think Vancouver is getting the pollution from cruise ships cars trucks ferries etc from the Island which is growing like Surrey in more ways than one. Oh and don't forget Seattle and area on occasion.

I personally think they should be charging people more to drive, to get more cars off the road. It upsets me that it takes more than an hour at times to get from Georgia and Jervis to Park Royal, where I work part time by car (or even by bus!). It upsets me that it can take more than an hour to get from downtown to Richmond during the day, and even longer during rush hour, whereas it used to take on average 20 - 30 minutes. Even by bus it takes forever now, compared to five years ago, before the transit strike.

I personally wish they'd revisit the per car charge of a few years ago. A combined charge of vehicle type usage (for pleasure / work / etc.) and how much mileage you clock each year would be a good route. But they should take into consideration people who absolutely need to drive for their jobs (like taxis), and some kind of discount for people who participate in carpooling.

They should put tolls on the bridges, so that all the people from the burbs who come downtown everyday can help pay to improve Vancouver roads which are in very poor condition compared to Surrey roads, which for the most part are wide, smooth and flat and in very good condition.

Finally, public transit should be cheaper. In 1990, a 3 zone ticket cost under $2.00, now it’s just under $5 and it’ll probably go to $5 in the spring. I think they should scrap this zone system for a flat rate that allows you to go anywhere in the system for a specific length of time. Say $2 for 2 hours for everyone, anywhere, anytime. You could still have day passes, and monthly bus passes, and the annually subsidized passes for people in need, etc. Easy to remember rates, that is affordable for everyone, could encourage much more usage. Ideally, rapid transit should be able to take you anywhere in the city. I’d love to be able to hop onto skytrain to get over to Park Royal and West and North Vancouver from downtown, it’d probably be extremely fast compared to trying to drive over either of the two narrow spans. And it’d be great if someday, the skytrain going to Richmond were to continue, down into say Steveston, back to Riverport area, and down through Delta, and into White Rock, wrapping along into Langley and back up into North Surrey where it connects to the current Expo line, forming a circle that would allow users to travel anywhere in the lower mainland, quickly and easily. Yeah, it’d cost an arm and a leg to build, but so what? Making it easier for people to travel, while helping decrease the toll on the environment and decrease the toll on people’s patience for getting from point A to B would be a good thing.

It’s getting more and more nutty out there on our roads, and more sound alternatives need to be brought forward fast - especially with the increased residential development that is occurring throughout the entire lower mainland. I mean, I remember when South Surrey had trees – now it seems everywhere you look is houses, houses, houses and oh, more cars!

I probably sound like a left-wing nutjob here, but this is what I see. A lot more needs to be done!

Steveleenow, you're no nutjob, you make a ton of sense. I absolutely agree with every point you make. Rapid transit is the only way to get anywhere fast and to get people out of cars - unless of course, they're tradespeople who carry heavy tools etc.

steveleenow,

Bang on.

However, you can only charge people more to drive once you have a public transit system that allows people to get place to place within a very similar length of time. In fact, public transit should ultimately beat the private automobile before you can justify charging people more for their car usuage. Otherwise, you are going to create a messay bureaucracy that people will ulitmately rebel against.

Per car charges suck. They simply punish people. If public transit is more efficient, people will use it.

However, the money has to be invested in public transit now before we can get to that point. Maybe we can let a few of our roads fall into disrepair and put the money into public transit. There have been a few roads that were in reasonable condition, but they repaved who stretches, because it was ulitmately cheaper per square meter in the long run. I think we need to revisit some of those desicions.

So, maybe we need to bite the bullet and pay for that public transit. However, I am sure that the truckers will be happy if we can remove some commuters of the road for them. Therefore businesses big and small will save huge $ on shipping. And then, wont they savings ulitmately trickle down to everyone?

Who knows?

Enough rambling, build rapid transit! Now!

Its about time someone wrote about this. McCallum is a loser and mark my words, when Campbell's time is done, he will be vying for the head of the BC Liberal party.