On Tuesday Pulse Mornings welcomed Surrey First’s Tom Gill and Integrity Now’s Bruce Hayne for an hour long Mayors election debate.
Safe Surrey Coalition’s Doug McCallum declined Pulse FM’s invitation to the event.
To start the debate Host Ian Power asked the two candidates what happened to lead Hayne to quit the Surrey First Party and start his own.
“I’ve been with the party for the last decade and to continue to make sure that party is successful is what’s most important,” said Gill. “Councillor Hayne left the party because he was not going to be successful when it came to the leadership race we had at Surrey First. Bruce did not have the support of Surrey First members and that’s why he left.”
“I wouldn’t characterize if that way. We simply can’t be doing everything behind closed doors and I haven’t been at all pleased with the direction and leadership for a long time at Surrey First. I tried to work with my colleagues to turn the ship around but that ship wasn’t turning so I didn’t want any part of it.”
Next they were asked where they stand on LRT, Gill up to this point remaining steadfast on getting the project rolling while Hayne’s election platform includes pausing the project and taking the matter to the Translink Mayor’s table.
“We need 150 kilometers in totality,” said Gill. “When you contemplate our current skytrain is only 19 kilometres in total including both sides of the Fraser, we need a system that we can build further, we need a system that can transition with the city as we grow.”
“If it took us ten years to get the 27 kilometres funded for LRT I can’t imagine how long it would take to 150 funded,” argued Hayne. “What Surrey needs is an expansion of rapid transit. We need to get on the grid. LRT is simply not going to be able to provide the kind of movement we need that skytrain will.”
Gill then questioned Hayne on what he perceives as a sudden change of tone.
“You endorsed LRT not only on Twitter in 2016 but you also endorsed the last seven corporate reports that were ordered over the last seven years.”
“Let’s be clear those corporate reports come to council and we vote to receive them as information. Why wouldn’t I vote for new information?”
“But we spent the last ten years lobbying for LRT,” Gill fired back.
“And two successive mayors who lobbied for LRT and this is why we find ourselves where we are,” said Hayne. “We didn’t even consult the public and the public is very clear they don’t want LRT. Translinks own data shows LRT is a third choice behind Skytrain and bus rapid-transit in their 2012 analysis.”
The two also crossed views on combating crime and gangs in Surrey.
Gill says its imperative youth aren’t going down the wrong path, with part of Surrey First’s mandate to invest $30 million to go towards intervention and prevention youth programs.
Hayne agreed youth support programs are crucial but says more focus needs to be put on the street level drug trade and working with the province and Fraser Health to add more detox recovery beds to the city.
Listen to the full hour long debate, including Hayne and Gills thoughts on the best way to regulate cannabis stores in Surrey, below!