Candidate s Name: Doug McCallum

Transcription

1 Questions for Mayoral candidates Candidate s Name: Doug McCallum 1. Why are you running for Mayor? I have watched the current Mayor and Council favour political glamour projects over dealing with the priorities of residents. Public safety, respect for taxpayers, and improved transportation are issues that have been badly neglected for several years. The results of this inaction is what we now see in every community across Surrey. People are scared to walk in their own neighbourhoods. Adequate public transportation continues to be elusive for many residents. Excessive spending on projects like City Hall show little respect for the public purse or for improving services for residents. This is why I have a fire in my belly to run to once again become the Mayor of Surrey. I am determined to return to simple government that puts the needs of citizens first by taking immediate action. 2. People in Surrey have a sense of pride in place and in community what is your platform to help keep this momentum going? People do have a great sense of pride in Surrey, but a great deal of that is being threatened by the growing uncertainty of residents in public safety. If people do not feel safe and secure in their own neighbourhoods, then civic pride is at risk. My number one priority in ensuring that residents continue to feel proud of the dynamic community that we live in is to make Surrey residents once again feel safe, secure and confident. 3. In your opinion, what do you think is the most positive thing that has happened in Surrey? I believe that integration is Surrey's happiest and most lasting legacy. We are strong because of the diversity we enjoy in the community, and I truly believe that the great range of cultures, backgrounds and perspectives make Surrey the most dynamic community in BC. This is a significant source of happiness for all citizens, because we are a model for what how harmony and common ground can be a launching pad for greatness. 4. The Downtown Surrey Business Improvement Association had advocated for the past year for a professionally managed purpose-built shelter in Surrey. What is your commitment to make this happen? I am in full support of the shelter that the Downtown Surrey Business Improvement Association has advocated for, but I am not in support of the proposed location. I am of the belief that a shelter needs to be cognizant of the patterns of our homeless and transient population. A shelter must take

2 into account the location that will be the most effective in providing temporary shelter for those most in need, and therefore I strongly believe that a reconsideration of the proposed site is in order. 5. It is necessary for municipal leadership to insure there is affordable housing dispersed throughout the City. What strategies would you consider implementing? I believe that municipal governments must be involved in an intelligent way when it comes to creating greater affordable housing stock in the city. The simple fact is that cities lack the financial resources to build housing on our own, and so strategies must be creative, collaborative and aggressive when it comes to seeking out partnership. A few of the strategies that I favour to create more housing affordability include: Legal secondary suites Incentives for developers to create mixed-use housing options Leveraging city-owned land to initiate joint affordable housing development in conjunction with the provincial government 6. We know there is always a debate between perception and reality. Everyone wants a safe place to live and do business. What is your strategy to deal with the root causes of crime? I have committed to investing $4 million per year for 4 years into the development of a Crime Prevention through Social Development Community Strategy and an associated granting program for local organizations. The City of Surrey will work with the non-profit sector, various community organizations representing a variety of demographics and the RCMP to collaboratively craft the strategy. The granting program will be open to proposals from the community once a year for the duration of the 4-year commitment, and decided upon by a third-party panel that is comprised of community, academic and youth leaders. The City will then work closely with the successful organizations to set targets, monitor progress, and assess impact. Data will be compiled and publicly available through formalized reporting, and adjustments to objectives, priorities and needs will continue to evolve as the strategy progresses. 7. The Downtown Surrey Business Improvement Association has advocated for a Made-in-Surrey Community Court. What is your opinion? I believe that the time for Community Courts have come, and that the provincial government must finally fulfill on their promises to create a community court for Surrey, which has been talked about since 2006.

3 We have far more serious offenders to deal with in our provincial court system than those that are charged with minor crimes, or who are dealing with serious issues like homelessness or mental illness. A community court is a more appropriate way to not only deal with these types of offenses, but also set a clear path to turning around the lives of those caught up in the criminal world. 8. People in Surrey have stated loud and clear that crime needs to be addressed. What is your plan? I and the Safe Surrey Coalition have released a 6-point plan to improve Public Safety: 1) Introduce the Mayor s Integrated Public Safety Council 2) Establish Minimum Thresholds for Service Levels in Accordance with the RCMP Contract Accountability Provisions 3) Double the Amount of Officers on Patrol & Accelerate Hiring of 95 New RCMP Officers to ) Double the Amount of Bylaw Officers in the Community 5) Invest $4 million per year over 4 Years into a Crime Prevention through Social Development (CPSD) Community Strategy 6) Launch a Public Awareness Campaign & Encourage Involvement with the RCMP Public Crime Prevention Programs & the Surrey Crime Prevention Society (please visit safesurrey.ca/publicsafetyplatform for the complete proposals) 9. What are your priorities and what is your strategy to enhance relationships with provincial and federal governments to meet your priorities? I have four key priorities: public safety, transportation, fiscal responsibility and introducing the ward system. I believe that the key to working with the provincial and federal governments is to continually provide factual information and data in a way that demonstrates why a particular issue's importance goes beyond the borders of Surrey. We are the fastest growing municipality in BC, and are poised to become the province's largest city within a few decades. In the case of each and every one of my priorities, there are broader implications for inaction than just within our city - public safety and crime impacts the entire province, transportation needs must be considered on a regional basis and distributed based on need, and electoral reform through the wards system is something that can improve democracy for all British Columbians.

4 10. In response to the current City budget, what changes in staff at City Hall would you make to enhance your ability to meet your priorities? I have committed to not cutting any staff in City Hall. That being said, I believe that we can find millions of dollars in savings with regards to city expenditures, and that we must readjust priorities so that they better reflect the needs of the local community. This will require a reorganization in City Hall departments. As an example, I have committed to doubling the amount of bylaw officers in the City of Surrey and the way in which they are deployed, so the priority issues that they tackle will need to be updated with these additional staff resources. 11. How would you describe your leadership style? I believe that I am leader who emphasizes action over rhetoric. I think that those elected to represent the interests of the people cannot hide behind procedure or bureaucracy, but should rather implement the priorities and commitment they ran for office upon. I also have an open door policy. Citizens, staff, and other elected officials are always welcome when it comes to input, discussions and debates. I know that successful leaders listen to the best and brightest around them, and make sure that what they hear is incorporated into their plans. Finally, I am someone who is plain speaking and doesn't like to mince words. I don't believe in politics that avoid accountability, and I am a strong supporter of sharing my true beliefs and letting the electorate decide whether they support them or not. 12. Voter turnout in municipal elections is historically low do you think that a change to the ward system would heighten awareness in local issues ultimately increase voter turnout? I absolutely believe that introducing a ward system will help to improve engagement and voter turnout. It will give citizens more direct representation with elected Councillors that are directly responsible for a distinct area of the city. There is a reason why voter turnout is higher in provincial and federal elections. If you simplify the process and give residents more localized representation, they are far more likely to be involved in the democratic process. I have committed to fighting to introduce the ward system if elected. 13. Economic Development in the 21 st Century requires leaders to position the City globally learning and recruiting from the best. How do you plan to position Surrey to take care of business globally?

5 I believe that Surrey is well placed to be a leader in Canada in fostering greater international business linkages, if for nothing else because of our diverse population and business community that have networks across the globe. That being said, I don't believe that politicians require travel junkets around the world to build these types of economic relationships. I know that BC and more specifically Surrey is growing in profile as a place that international business is interested in being part of. Thus, it is crucial that we make use of technology, invite delegations to our city, and partner with the provincial and federal governments to attract investment. We are already interacting with business on a global scale, and now it is time to expand that reach with innovative and responsible strategies. 14. Innovation Boulevard is attracting the best and the brightest to our area. What are your plans for Innovation Boulevard to further job growth and attract business to the area? Continuing with the 2nd lowest business tax rate in Metro Vancouver is something I commit to, and I am also very interested in expanding the Business Outreach Program which has been instrumental in attracting businesses to a hub like Innovation Boulevard. Indirectly, however, I believe that it is just as important to improve the tangible issues that contribute to positive sentiments towards living and doing business in Surrey. In other words, ensuring that public safety is returned, freezing taxes for residents (something I have committed to doing for the first 2 years of my term), fighting for greater public transit investments and increasing support for recreation are all strategies that make Surrey attractive for businesses. Innovation Boulevard is a great start, but we must understand that a high quality of life will be a dramatic help in attracting all types of business and industries to Surrey. 15. We know we can expect over 1 million new residents to arrive in Metro Vancouver over the next 30 years, so we need to take the necessary action now by investing in our transportation system. As Mayor, what would you do on the Mayor s Council on Regional Transportation to ensure a positive vote for Surrey s requirements on the upcoming Referendum? As the Chair of Translink, I presided over the largest increase to transportation infrastructure in Canadian history. As mentioned above, I believe that the facts of Surrey's growth are unavoidable, and it requires an effective champion at the regional level to ensure that Surrey is at the top of the priority list for new transportation investment. The Mayor's Council is necessary, but it is equally important to ensure that the City of Surrey independently creates strong relationships and channels of communication with the provincial and federal governments. Mayors are all competing for limited dollars within the Translink sphere, and thus it is a system that is internally flawed.

6 Surrey has immediate needs, largely because no new major transportation infrastructure projects have been built here since We need to stand out from the rest of Metro Vancouver, because within a few decades, we will be the largest in the region. 16. Between SFU and KPU the number of seats available for post-secondary students is substantially lower than other areas. How would you address this inequity? I was instrumental in bringing SFU to Surrey when they were looking to expand. At that time, I knew that with such a young population, we needed to have greater post-secondary educational opportunities in the local area. SFU has proven to be a wonderful addition to not only our city centre, but also in allowing young people to study in the city in which they live. But the current situation is troubling: Kwantlen Polytechnic University and Simon Fraser University- Surrey together offer only 12.7 post-secondary spaces for every hundred year olds in the region. The rest of B.C. receives almost four times that level of access. There are opportunities to be had. The provincial government is spending millions of investment into trade programming and specialized training that will be crucial to future economic growth. It is important that the City of Surrey partners with our local post-secondary institutions to fight for additional capacity to accommodate our huge youth population. Furthermore, the City of Surrey can do more to recruit other educational institutions looking to expand their reach into Surrey. There are emerging fields with institutions that are growing rapidly (such as in the fields of software development, digital animation, industrial design) that are anxious to be courted by municipalities. Just as the Business Outreach Program is seeking out new businesses, educational institutions both here and across the country may look favourably on Surrey if outreach is premised on our population base, our incentives for doing business, and the local opportunities for growth. 17. How do you plan to address the overcrowding of schools in Surrey? I do not believe that it is the role of the Mayor to interfere into the affairs of the Surrey School Board, which has a long history of fighting on behalf of Surrey students. Overcrowding is a symptom of a lack of funding from the provincial government, and I am confident that our Trustees will continue to present our case for support of Surrey's youth, which represents the largest youth population in Metro Vancouver. 18. What is the role of the municipal government regarding social issues? Municipal governments are on the front lines of seeing the impacts of social issues, and so there is a huge role to play in tackling these problems. That being said, municipalities are also starved when it comes to revenue to pay for strategies to deal directly with such issues.

7 I see municipal governments in the role of being a front line project manager in directing multifaceted solutions that involve all levels of government and other key stakeholders. This requires ensuring that adequate funding is made available, that all partners are playing their role, and that long-term planning and sustainability are always considered. 19. Why do you think the City of Vancouver gets more money to address social problems than Surrey? What is your plan to insure we receive our fair share? I have a strong history as an advocate that successfully brought provincial and federal dollars into the City of Surrey for our priorities. The fact that Surrey is poised to become B.C.'s largest city by 2041 cannot be ignored. I believe that the provincial and federal government can only put their heads in the sand if local elected officials let them. We have 1,200 people that move to Surrey each and every month, and the associated needs that come with this influx must be continually vocalized to senior levels of government so we get our fair share. We have all the facts in our corner, and so what is now required is a voice that is strong, relentless and ready to fight for the residents of Surrey. This is exactly what I will do if I become Mayor. 20. Are you committed to a strong City Centre and the creation of a vibrant Downtown core? What is your strategy and commitment to business - arts culture technology and community in Downtown Surrey? My efforts to clean up the social and crime issues Whalley was encountering when I was Mayor laid the foundation for the current revitalization of the area as Surrey's City Centre. However, I do not support glamour projects like the $150 million City Hall that offers little benefit to citizens, nor do I support favouring the development of the area at the expense of other neighbourhoods. Recent history has seen great amounts of money and time invested into creating an aesthetic showcase for the City of Surrey. I am far more concerned about tackling the very real issues of areas such as Newton, for example, where vast improvements for infrastructure are vitally necessary. It is time to bring balance back to City Hall, where all neighbourhoods are treated equally.