Initiatives raised by three city councillors were dismissed by Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum’s ruling team on Monday night.
And all but one of the initiatives were voted down with no reasons given as to why.
Steven Pettigrew raised a motion he hoped would be widely accepted, to have bylaws review their staffing levels and roles bylaw officers played.
He said the motion could lay the groundwork for any support the city’s transition to a new Surrey Police department might need.
When Pettigrew was finished explaining the motion, the mayor called for a vote, and without saying why, all of Safe Surrey Coalition (SSC), including Couns. Laurie Guerra, Doug Elford, Mandeep Nagra and Allison Patton voted against it.
Next, Coun. Brenda Locke requested a more public and transparent approach to budgeting. She wanted to initiate town hall meetings to explain budget approaches and get feedback from the public.
Again, with no discussion, the matter was voted down by SSC councillors.
The motion called
Coun. Jack Hundial
for the city to work with the provincial government to ensure seniors could remain in their communities.
He noted that the Ministry of Health provides $500,000 for cities to develop age-friendly assessments and projects.
“The question is, how can we as a city, better address the growing aging population in Surrey in the unique needs of aging close to home initatives?” Hundial asks.
Coun. Laurie Guerra said she won’t be supporting it.
“Not because I don’t think it’s a good idea, but because, I think we’re already addressing this,” Guerra said. “The city already has an age-friendly plan for seniors.”
A vote was called and it was defeated.
The meeting was adjourned, and the mayor left through a side door, amid media calls for comment.
Hundial said after the meeting, that while he’s disappointed, it won’t slow him down.
“I’m going to keep advocating for the community, and advocating for the people who put me here,” Hundial said.