TAP Gate - Who's to blame for botched Tsawwassen Area Plan?

Will Anyone Lose Their Job Over Failed TAP Bylaw?

Editorial by Elvis Glazier - It's pretty rare that I wait so long to jump on a story as juicy as the failed Tsawwassen Area Plan debacle. It's taken me this long for the ramifications of “TAP Gate” to sink in and I really wanted to see the media reaction and political spin before weighing in. The bombshell announcement by Delta Mayor Lois Jackson to end the public hearing was like watching bugs scramble as the rock was lifted exposing them to the elements. Of course in this analogy the bugs are Delta's mayor, councilors, chief administrative officer, and planning staff.

I freely admit that I have been quite critical of the planning process from the onset. Having attended almost every meeting open to the public I have watched this train wreck unfold into this complete failure that concluded with the mayor conceding defeat and stopping the bylaw dead in its tracks.

But now that it’s over the question that is on everyone's minds, especially in Tsawwassen is:

Will anyone lose their job for this waste of taxpayer time and money?

Let's examine the people involved:

Councilor Bruce McDonald, TAP Chairman?

Watching Councilor Bruce McDonald chair the TAP committee was every bit as entertaining as watching 'Mutiny on the Bounty'. His committee didn't really come to a consensus in the end and there were even threats of minority reports by factions with the committee. McDonald's Captain Bligh character played perfectly as he took every opportunity to push through Delta's agenda, even though there were definite concerns expressed by the committee and alarm bells raised by residents. It became very clear (to me) early on that this plan was being conceived in a vacuum without any semblance of public input. If I were a member of the TAP committee I would be calling for his resignation from council (or at least a promise not to run again) for allowing this to happen. Defiant to the bitter end, McDonald chastised "crusading citizen groups" for hi-jacking his committee by seeking nothing more than some public input in their community's area plan. I don't know how the man who fancied himself mayor is going to survive TAP-Gate unscathed. My prediction is this will be the end of McDonald's tenure. If it isn't then my faith in the electorate teeming with” crusading citizen groups” will hit an all time low.

Mayor Lois Jackson?

The Mayor espoused her epiphany and called an end to the public hearing curiously right before her former mayoral adversary Krista Englland was scheduled to speak. The real question is how did this bylaw get this far in the first place? Is the Mayor not familiar with a plan that has been almost two years in the making. How many terms does it take to gauge public sentiment? Perhaps the Mayor was more interested in selling softwood lumber to the tropics than dealing with an area plan in the city she's supposed to serve. Listening to the Mayor applaud herself for killing the flawed bylaw borders on the ridiculous. Perhaps the better question is, how many terms does it take before you become completely out of touch with your constituency? Terminating the public hearing robbed the public of finally giving this Mayor proper public input in a legal forum. Praising yourself for suppressing the public is a political skill-set that can only be honed over time. To then say publicly that the area plan is committee work and not council work just goes to show that this council doesn’t work. Jackson’s apparent lack of interest and leadership on this issue signals to me that it’s time for her to have a serious soul search before penning her name on any future nomination papers.

CAO George Harvie and Delta City Planning Staff?

Since it seems that Jackson has abdicated her responsibility as mayor because she's been too busy playing the head of Metro and it's far easier to just let the bureaucracy run the city, we need to examine what George Harvie’s role is in TAP Gate. What influence did Harvie have in hiring city planners Tom Leathem and Barry Konkin? They were brought in to Delta with a background of doing large development projects. It is no secret that there aren’t many spots that would be remotely suitable for Surrey type of developments. With the fight for the Southlands lost, they were really only left with the town center and the area under the power lines.

In fact, Leathem and Konkin are both on the record as saying that the plan was a staff driven document and all they wanted was some resident input. The problem for them, in retrospect, is they didn't know what to do once the citizens actually took over the process because that wasn't supposed to happen. For that fact alone the City of Delta needs to re-examine what our land use policy should look like and hire staff that reflects this vision.

Council?

I recently read a retraction in the Vancouver Province that read, "The Municipality of Delta has not endorsed a plan for multi-family properties under the controversial power lines." It may be true that the municipality didn't endorse the idea, but I don't believe the same can be said for Council. This area plan was almost two years in the making followed by first and second reading and still this council voted to send the bylaw to public hearing. That is an endorsement in my view. When ,during the first two readings, did someone speak up and denounce the bylaw for even suggesting the idea of building under the power lines? I heard Councilor Anne Pedersen make an attempt at discussing it but nothing with vigour and stature. No desk pounding, filibustering, or finger wagging. Pedersen and King were either powerless or unwilling to take on Mayor Jackson and her council of DIVA’s. They have the numbers and they run council with an iron fist. I will exclude newly anointed DIVA councilor Ian Paton Jr. from blame as he has just had the good fortune of joining council, but fellow DIVA members Robert Campbell and Scott Hamilton have run roughshod over this council with the help of McDonald.

I believe a good case could be made to get rid of any number of politicians and bureaucrats involved in TAP Gate. To see such an expensive process take so long and come up with a solution so far removed from the will of the people that the entire exercise is destroyed must not be allowed to go unpunished. Will TAP Gate be the rallying point for the electorate to demand drastic change with their municipal politicians? If the electorate decides to vote against wasteful spending and shutting out the public from civic process, then I believe Delta will follow the nationwide trend and demand change.

The only question now is who, besides the taxpayers of Delta, will pay?

Vicki Huntington Hosts Town Hall Meeting Tonight

November 8, 2010 - Town Hall meetings may not be a new political idea, but it’s a proven one, and it's happening in Tsawwassen tonight! Vicki Huntington's Delta South Constituency Association will be hosting a Town Hall meeting with BC's only elected independent MLA. The event begins tonight at 7PM at the Tsawwassen Longhouse near the South Delta Recreation Centre.

“It’s a great opportunity for people to met Vicki and ask the questions that matter to them,” said Association president Billy Mitchell. “It seemed like an appropriate time to invite everyone to come, and open up the evening to questions for our MLA. We hope to pack the place.”

The evening should be a quite lively with Mitchell, a local media personality and stand up comic moderating the event.

Huntington wrote herself into the history books last election when she successfully campaigned as an Independent in the May 12, 2009 provincial election defeating Liberal Attorney General Wally Oppal. Since then, others have departed from the Liberal ranks to become independents.

“I know we’re all looking forward to what Vicki has to say,” said Mitchell. “I’m sure her insight into provincial politics will be what the constituents of Delta South will want to hear about. A town hall meeting seemed like the way to bring it all together.”

Memberships in the Delta South Constituency Association will be available at the meeting.

“We look forward to seeing new members join the Association,” said Mitchell. “Before too long, we’ll be into another election, and we plan to have Vicki win again.”

BC Charities Not Receiving Fair Share fof Gaming Revenues

Attention: Editor

The Hon. Rich Coleman’s letter needs clarification and correction. The Burns Bog Conservation Society did not receive $120,000 between September 2008 and August 2010.  The Society received a letter dated September 8, 2008 for $90,000.00 for a three year period.

The Society is not the issue. The issue is that the BC government has not been honouring agreements made with the BC Association for Charitable Gaming, the UBCM and the BC Government on June 17, 1999. This agreement set in place the permanent revenue sharing formula for all three parties.

1.    Municipalities: per the 1999 White Paper on Gaming recommendation of 10% net revenues from community casinos, and 16.7% of the net of destination casinos (Delta has no destination or community casinos that I am aware of);
2.    Charities: 33.3% of net gaming revenues of community casinos.

The agreement was in two parts of the same whole. The Meekison Report, 2000, treated them as foundational and binding on the BC government.

In 1995, based on a Vancouver staff report on the White Paper on gaming, charities received $131 million (35% of the net) and in 2010 (per BC Lottery Corporation Annual Report) charities received $112.5M (10.42% of the net). The $120 million for 2011 does not come up to the agreed 33.3% in 1999.

In spite of a 292% increase in annual gaming revenue over 1995, the BC government shocked the entire charitable sector in 2009 by unilaterally cutting the share allocated to charities by tens of millions of dollars to $112.5 million or $18.5 million below the 1995 levels (not adjusted for inflation) in 2009.

In 1995 charities received 35% of gaming proceeds. In 1999 when they signed the MoA they were guaranteed 33.3% as a permanent share. The current BC government has stripped this to 10.43% of the proceeds.

The bottom line is the BC Government is reneging on its legal agreement with BC Charities and forcing them to either close or drastically cut their services to BC communities all over the province including Delta.

The BC Government owes BC charities $1,279,566,670.00 in accrued arrears, not including interest.

I look forward to the BC Government recommitting itself to honouring the MoA signed in 1999 and immediately restoring gaming funds to all BC charities. I cannot think of a better way for the BC Government to honour charities, the volunteers and staff who toil for the good of the community.

Sincerely,

Eliza Olson
Director
BCACG

Tsawwasen Area Plan Scrapped After Citizen Revolt

After two years of Tsawwassen Area Plan Committee meetings, Delta Council has decided to turn down the proposed Tsawwassen Area Plan. The plan, which involved untold hours of Delta planning and staff time, contentious public meetings, consultations, and costly surveys met with fierce opposition from the citizens of Tsawwassen and sparked an intense public hearing process that had no end in sight.

The public hearing for the proposed area plan took place on Oct 26 and 27 between 7 and 10 PM at the South Delta Rec Center. Each speaker was allowed 5 minutes to speak to the Area Plan and an additional 2-minutes of rebuttal time after everyone had been heard.

An overwhelming majority of the speakers spoke against the adoption of the plan. The Southlands retaining its agriculture designation was the only part of the plan that received endorsement, although many people requested that the council lobby the provincial government to return the land to the Agricultural Land Reserve.

With development of the Southlands off the chopping block, it became pretty obvious that Mayor Jackson and her council had grossly miscalculated the effect this plan would have on the community. It was the appearance of a vastly extended area of apartments, condos and town homes that proved to be the catalyst of an all-out citizens revolt. This rezoning of established single family neighbourhoods would have affected 600 single family homes. To those in attendance, Mayor Jackson's error became apparent as speaker after speaker took the podium to vocalize their outrage of the plan and their contempt for the council that tried to impose it without public consultation. The new plan would have also allowed for multi-family homes to built along the BC Hydro right of way and there was outrage that this was even considered, let alone be included in the new Tsawwassen Area Plan.

Residents affected by the arbitrary increase of multi-family zoning were united in their disapproval. Their emotional testimonies included tears, pleas, outrage and shock by many that the first they had been informed of the designation changes were when they received the brochure from Delta showing the proposed area plan.

Other issues raised were the exclusion of the Tsawwassen Golf and Country Club from the area plan as well as the lack of inclusion of plans for rapid and large development on the Tsawwassen First Nation lands and how those plans would effect Tsawwassen.

Additionally, there were questions raised about why there had been no discussion or information regarding Tsawwassen's role in the Metro Vancouver Watershed program and a number of speakers called for the resignations of city planning staff for creating this plan. Another day of hearings had to be scheduled as many people had yet to be heard by the end of day two. With Mayor Jackson not in attendance due to failing health, Councilor Robert Campbell put forth a motion to extend the hearings for another day.

It was at this newly scheduled meeting that the bomb was dropped, as Mayor Lois Jackson showed up and brought an end to the meeting. After thanking Delta staff and Councilor Bruce McDonald for all their time and effort, she announced that Delta had decided to withdraw the plan after hearing the overwhelming opposition from residents at the public hearing. She also announced that there will be a review of the process that took place.

The entire public hearing, including Thursday's stunning announcement, can be viewed on Delta Cable, a community access channel.

Tsawwassen Area Plan Public Hearing Held Over For One More Day

News Brief - After hearing testimony until 10pm last night the Tsawwassen Area Plan Public Hearing was adjourned to be continued today at 7PM at the South Delta Rec Centre. People who signed up last night will be heard first followed by people who sign up tonight. After people have had a chance to speak they may be heard a second time to rebut comments made. Speakers are limited to 5-minutes and rebutles to 2-minutes.

Delta Mayor and Council Take Beating TAP Hearing

Tsawwassen - The much anticipated Tsawwassen Area Plan (TAP) public hearing began last night at the South Delta Recreation center. Hundred gathered to voice there opinions on the proposed area plan that has been over two years in the making.

Throughout the process, the Southlands residential development plan had dominated the area plan. After numerous failed attempts to gauge public opinion on the matter, staff conducted an Ipsos Reid survey. The results showed that two-thirds of Tsawwassen residents opposed any development of the old Spetifore farmlands. It was this survey along with a vocal opposition by concerned citizens that predicated city staff to revise the TAP recommending that the Southlands retain its agricultural zoning.

Even with this recommendation many came out to see what would take place at the hearings. Dana Maslovat, one of the founders of Southlands the Facts thinks the plan is only the first step in protecting the land. "I think now that the Southlands is going to retain its agricultural designation council should make an application to the Agricultural Land Commission to have it returned to the Agricultural Land Reserve and settle this divisive issue once and for all."


Maslovat was the third person to address council on the proposed plan. and it was clear his sentiments were shared by the crowd.

Although a number of speakers addressed council and staff with their objections to the development of the Southlands, the majority in attendance were also very much opposed to practically every aspect of the TAP. Citizen after citizen took to the podium to announce their displeasure of the policies, and of the Mayor and council who sat there and nodded as they were drubbed over and over again with displeased constituents.

As Mayor Jackson and council listened to the citizens who spoke last night, it became apparent that public opinion is not reflected in the new TAP with respect to densification proposed for the surrounding area of the town center. The gorwth projections were challenged by the majority in attendance.

The theme of the evening became the obvious lack of community input when deciding where the proposed growth would be located. A large delegations from Camaro Drive and the Hylands owned the podium for the majority of the night, asking why council would consider a plan that would rezone their communities and force them to sell to developers. One gentleman talked about all the additions he had done to his home with permits purchased from the city, "Now I will have to leave my home and walk away from all the money I have invested." After a round of applause he added,"My land will only be worth lot value to a developer My home will be worthless."

It would appear the initial assumption that Tsawwassen requires new zoning options to allow for significant growth is not shared by the residents. It is obvious that the many citizens that attended the public meeting do not see large growth as necessary or wanted.

The last time the Tsawwassen Area Plan was put to the public it resulted in the longest public hearing in the history of the British Commonwealth. That was over 20-years ago when the Southlands was slated for development. From all accounts of people who had been in attendance two decades ago, this hearing was far more civilized.

The only conflict of the night was when former councilor and Hyland resident, Wendy Jeske filibustered well over her allotted 5-minutes (close to 15-minutes) while local activist Carol Vignale jumped up and down wildly in the back of the room screaming, "Boo, Boo," and going on to shout,"this is not democracy!" before storming out of the building in disgust. Jeske's impassioned, and extended, plea was well received by the audience and the Mayor herself didn't interrupt.

By the end of the evening close to 40 people had spoken with many more to be heard tonight.

Post Election Wrap Up | Part 1 - By The Numbers

Delta Voter Summary

The dust has settled, the election signs have been harvested, and the post election hangovers subsided. Now all the candidates can go back and examine what they did right and more importantly, what they did wrong. It's easy to say you ran the best possible campaign, but lets be truthful about the situation. In an election to fill one position, only one person ran the best possible campaign. In this election, Ian Paton Jr. holds that title.

What did Ian do right? What did the other candidates do wrong? Let's take a look at the numbers and see.

Delta - Total Votes Click on image to zoom in)

As you can see from the above chart, not only did Paton dominate the Ladner polls, he held his own with second place finishes in North and South Delta. Take a look at the following charts:

Chart 1 - Ladner | 4887 Votes | 28.32% Voter Turnout

Ladner - Total Votes Click on image to zoom in)

Chart 2 - South Delta | 5378 Votes | 33.51% Voter Turnout

South Delta - Total Votes Click on image to zoom in)

Chart 3 - North Delta | 6527 Votes | 18.67% Voter Turnout

North Delta - Total Votes Click on image to zoom in)

Almost 55% of Ladner voted for Paton compared to second place Sylvia Bishop with a meager 19%. In a town with the lowest voter turnout (by number of voters) that netted a lead of 1769 votes before counting North and South Delta. Hard numbers to overcome with so many people competing for a single vote in a by-election devoid of an all-encompassing wedge issue.

From 100 miles above the ground it's pretty easy to chalk the election up to the folks in Ladner wanting some local representation. The numbers seem to shout that fact out. How much did the "Send a Farmer Back to Council" message resound with the voters? Was campaign spending the big advantage? Hard questions to answer.

But what would happen if we take Ladner out? What if Maria DevRies didn't run? Would North Delta's voter turnout plummet without two South Asian candidates? What if there was only one?

In this multi-part series on the Delta By-election results we are going to examine the numbers closely and add a few scenarios and see how the numbers play out under various voting models.

Next Part 2 - Splitting the Vote - the DevRies Effect

Ian Paton Declared Winner

As the polls trickled in yesterday evening, it was easy to see early that Ian Paton was going to be the man to beat. His lead started the moment the advanced polls were announced but with many more polls to come in, anything could happen. Well that anything was an impressive sweep of all six Ladner polling stations and the advanced polls.

The East Delta auctioneer dominated Ladner taking 55% of the vote there. Outside of Ladner, Paton saw his support drop losing both Tsawwassen and North Delta to Sylvia Bishop but it wasn't enough to overcome the huge margins gained in Ladner.

Paton, who was endorsed by Mayor Lois Jackson's Delta Independent Voters Association, received 5,752 votes for almost 34 per cent of the popular vote, followed by Bishop with 4,630 votes and Maria DeVries in a distant third with 2,176 votes.

Post election recap and statistics to follow on the DeltaFreePress.com

By-Election Coming to a Close

Polls close in less than an hour and judging by the numbers I reported, it would seem that the voter turn out in the North is going to be less than stellar. Of course there was still four hours of voting left at the time.

Every hour the various polls report their numbers to city hall and at 5pm Holly Elementary was the most visited polling station having received over 800 ballots. "We're hoping to get over 1000 votes here today," said Sheryl, the PO for Holly Elementary.

The candidates will be heading down to Delta Municipal Hall to await the announcement of who will be the councilor to take over for the late George Hawksworth.

No matter what the outcome, with so many people heading to the polls democracy should be well served tonight. The candidates I spoke to have worked very hard to have their voices heard and they all have one thing in common. A hard working group of people that have supported them throughout this election. On a telephone conversation with potential candidate Sandeep Pandher, I asked him if he was coming down to city hall to await the results and his reply was, "I am going to come down to the Hall I need to be with the people, but I want to stay here at my house with the people that worked so hard on this campaign."

As we wait for the results, one can only hope that the excitement that this by-election has produced can somehow be maintained until next year when we all have to go to the polls again.

Peter Harms Vies for Southlands Vote

By Elvis Glazier - With only one day left in the by-election there seems to be quite a bit of confusion as to where the candidates stand on the issues. Especially when it comes to the most talked about and contentious issue in South Delta - The Southlands.

The confusion seems to have been rectified by the opponents to developing the old Spetifore Farmlands. In the most recent issue of the Delta Optimist the community groups, "Southlands the Facts" and "Save our Southlands" took out a half page ad asking that you vote for Sylvia Bishop. This choice isn't as clearly stated for the people who would like to see the development happen.

Of all the candidates asking for your vote, only one has come out and clearly put his support behind the Century Group's proposed development plan for the Southlands.

Local Tsawwassen businessman, Peter Harms, has openly supported the development proposal from the onset of his campaign, stating that he thoroughly reviewed the Century Group proposal and believes it's the right development for the community, providing much needed housing for seniors and young families as well as improving the soil quality on parts of the site to bring the land back into agricultural production.

"Southlands is a world class urban plan with integrated habitat aspects where people, land and wildlife, like cranes, ducks and sea birds, will live intimately together, serving, supporting and enjoying each other," said Harms, "I studied the plan that Hodgins developed and coming from Europe, I really enjoy that plan."

The Southlands property has been the most polarizing issue in Tsawwassen for close to three decades. For many it is the only deciding factor in this election. So, if you're casting your vote to prevent development on the Southlands, Sylvia Bishop is your choice.

If you count yourself in the camp that would like to see the Southlands developed, you really have only one choice and that is to Vote for Peter Harms.

Former Delta mayor backs Bishop

Delta, BC. A well known and respected name in civic politics has come out in support of Sylvia Bishop, candidate for Delta council in the September 18th by-election.

Former Delta mayor, Beth Johnson is backing Bishop.

“I have known Sylvia for a long time. I know her to be hard working, dedicated and equipped to take on the responsibility as a delta councilor. She will serve Delta well.”

Johnson says when Bishop first contacted her to discuss her bid for council, Johnson was thrilled to hear it. Citing a proven ability to work across political boundaries on politically sensitive issues, Johnson said Bishop was the right person for the job as chair of her Mayor’s Youth Task Force. “She has the ability to work with people of differing points of view and still move forward to reach a common goal. That makes her perfect for the job of councilor. Sylvia is articulate and intelligent, perfect for the job.”

Johnson first served as a Delta councilor from 1981 – 1987. She was elected mayor in 1990 and served for three terms before stepping down in 1999.

Winner Declared - Delta Free Press Candidate Challenge

Since announcing the candidate challenge, two question gets asked all the time. "Why are you doing this challenge?", and "Isn't endorsing a single candidate biased?"

The answer to the first question is easy. By-elections rarely inspire people to get out and vote. When you add to that, the general malaise of having an election cycle which spans the summer months, you get even less participation. The Delta Free Press Candidate Challenge was our attempt to inject some excitement into this less than exciting by-election and get the public more involved with the candidates.

As an inducement for candidate participation the winner will receive the following:

1. Editorial endorsement by the Delta Free Press
2. Free advertising on the Delta Free Press (for the duration of the election cycle and pursuant to election advertising rules.)
3. Prime lawn sign location on private land (which, as it turns out is in very short supply with the way signs are being knocked down on public land)
4. A campaign donation of $200
5. And (most importantly) my vote.

The second question regarding bias is even easier to answer, "Yes, it is absolutely biased." That's really the point of an editorial endorsement and I make no bones about it. I have chosen one candidate above all the others for reasons that affect me and the people I care for. I looked for personality, integrity, and trustworthiness as key factors and then I carefully analyzed each candidate. Who in the community was supporting them? What was there platform? Where did they publicly stand on the issues? I took all my research and distilled it down to what really mattered. Then I chose the absolute best person to represent Delta until the next general municipal election.

Initially the challenge was issued in the form of a questionnaire. What came as a shock was the resistance by the candidates as a whole to actually fill in a very generic online form. I took into account that many of the candidates may not be tech savvy and gave them low tech options as well, but to no avail. I'm not going to try and augur the reasons why some candidates chose to ignore the questionnaire. I can only guess that they either:

a) felt that the readers of Delta Free Press, which measures in the thousands since the by-election, wasn't their target audience, or
b) they didn't want their answers out in public fora to be picked apart and debated.

An act of cowardice? Maybe. But lets be honest with ourselves. Perhaps we expect too much of the people that would contend for the public's trust?

Fortunately, the field managed to cull itself, as it usually does. With only Kathleen E. Higgins and Sylvia Bishop choosing to answer the questions facing our community, this should have made my decision easier, but I will say without hesitation that both Higgins and Bishop are model candidates. I believe their ethics and integrity are above reproach and we would be so lucky to have four more candidates of their caliber in next year's election.

I don't want to go into too much detail about how I chose the winner as I intend to write an analysis of each candidate in future columns (consider yourselves warned). After weighing my choices, I have decided to endorse the candidate that I feel can bring the strongest voice to the council chamber, someone who will stand up for all of Delta's citizens, a shining beacon of righteousness to correct the faltering moral compass of our current mayor and council, a political warrior who wont sell the future of our children off to greenfield developers offering magic beans. It is for this reason that I am pleased to endorse...

Sylvia Bishop

Council Accepts Agricultural Designation of Southlands

At Monday’s Council Meeting, there was unanimous endorsement of the final report of the Tsawwassen Area Plan Committee (TAPC) and staff recommendation to draft a bylaw for the new TAP. This will be brought forward to the September 13th Council Meeting, with a date of October 26 & 27 set for a public hearing. The recommendation from Staff & the TAPC is to maintain the agricultural designation of the Southlands.

This follows an 8-1 vote in favour of agricultural designation from the final TAPC meeting, an Ipsos Reid survey showing clear majority support (62%) for maintaining the designation of the land as agricultural, and an earlier staff recommendation from Delta’s Chief Administrative Officer in June to maintain the agricultural designation.

“I’m glad that Council is respecting the will of the public,” stated Dana Maslovat, one of the organizers of Southlands the Facts, “We will stay vigilant to ensure the agricultural designation of the Southlands is maintained when they ratify Tsawwassen’s new Official Community Plan this fall.”

The potential re-designation of the Southlands agricultural land to accommodate a housing development is by far the most contentious component of the process undertaken to revise the existing Tsawwassen Area Plan. Any re-designation will change the Official Community Plan and open up the Southlands for a 1900 unit housing development by Century Holdings. This piece of farmland was the cause of the longest public hearing in Commonwealth history and a resident run plebiscite in 1989, which prevented a 2000 unit development that was proposed for the same property.

Signs Signs Everywhere There's Signs

Delta Election Signs - Ladner Trunk and Highway 17

By Elvis Glazier - It has been said that the land in Delta is so fertile that if you stick a toothpick in the ground there will be leaves on it by morning. As the summer break draws to an end, the crop of election signs are starting to fruit. They have been springing up everywhere. A colouful collage of election signs with bold names and catchy slogans to feed Delta voters.

Sign crews work quickly and diligently, often in the dark of night, jockeying for the best locations to entice the electorate. The hot spots in Delta's public areas fill up quickly leaving very little space for late-comers. Then, before you have time to blink, they're gone. Another election over and the landscape is returned to it's natural state.

This year crews are working doubly hard to keep their candidates signs up. Not only do the candidates have to comply with bylaw and engineering crews taking down their signs, this year there has been a rash of vandalism trashing the placards that line the city streets. The vandals don't seem to be as gentle with the signs as the engineering crews who lay them down and call the candidates.

Signs knocked over at Hwy 17 and Ladner Trunk

Earlier this week I had a chance to speak with Delta CAO George Harvie about the signs. "There are bylaws in place and each of candidate is provided with guidelines. We (the city) haven't done any sign removal yet but crews will be out," said Harvie before directing me the the city clerks office for more information. A call to city clerk Angila Bains gave me far more insght into the rules regarding the placement of election signs then any normal citizen should have. There are municipal bylaws that govern placement of signs on city land and deal with blocking views, especially at intersections, and placement in relation to other signs. Then there are provincial guidelines that deal with the provincial right of ways like Highway 17.

It's not uncommon to lose a few signs to vandalism during an election. The only difference is that this year the carnage seems to be far more prevalent, especially in the south, and no candidate is immune as all candidates have had their signs attacked. Many destroyed so badly they cannot be salvaged. And while no one knows who is responsible for these willful acts there have been a few stories of goodwill amongst the sign crews who have erected their rivals signs while doing their own. And while the candidates may disagree on many things there is still hope that, in the end, we can all work together.

Delta All Candidate Debate Wrap up

By Elvis Glazier - Last night people congregated at the Delta Town and Country to watch the debate between the candidates running in the upcoming by-election. Of the eight potential ballot choices only six candidates lined the table as Amy Ghuman Sara and Ray Robinson chose not to attend the televised event. The less than packed room included Delta Mayor Lois Jackson and councilors King, Hamilton, and Campbell.

The debate started out slowly with each of the candidates 1 minute opening statements. From left to right they took turns filling 60 seconds up with their introductions. It was pretty easy to determine right from the outset that this was not going to be the all out rough and tumble brawl that many people hope for. This was later reaffirmed by another member of the audience, "The candidates really have nothing to win here but (with a misstep) they can lose something."

Ten questions in total were asked on a wide variety of questions ranging from the obvious Southland's situation to what to do with John Oliver park in the aftermath of the White Caps pulling out. For the most part the candidates stuck to their platform policies with written scripts and the occasional rehearsed tag-line. That of course is with the exception of newcomer Peter Harms who seemed to be flying by the seat of his pants while wearing his signature Hawaiian shirt.

Without any real 'break through' moments I scored the debate question by question on content and delivery. This is how I scored it, feel free to comment.

Question 1 - The Southlands
Sylvia Bishop 0.5
Kathleen Higgins 0.5

Question 2 - Scott Road Revitalization
Kathleen Higgins 0.5
Sandeep Pandher 0.5
(* video replay moment when Sandeep slams the current councillors for neglecting this issue)

Question 3 - John Oliver Park
Sylvia Bishop 1.0 - This was a break out answer. Her year round multi use facility with a focus on cricket and field hockey was outstanding.
(* Video replay - Liked Ian Paton's comment about the Rugby club tearing down the old barn)

Question 4 - Safety in North Delta
Kathleen Higgins 0.5 - A walking community is a safe community.
Sylvia Bishop 0.5 - The Delta Police Force is the envy of the province.

Question 5 - Relationships with Surrounding Municipalities
Ian Paton 1.0 - There is nothing we can learn from Richmond or Surrey
(* Video replay - "I'll throw myself in front of the bulldozers" Talking about the development plans for the Tsawwassen First Nations Land. I was waiting for someone else to say, "I'll throw him in front of the bulldozers too!")

Question 6 - Greener Community
Sandeep Pandher 0.5
Kathleen Higgins 0.5

Question 7 - Affordable Housing in South Delta
Kathleen Higgins 0.5 - Large strata homes
Sandeep Pandher 0.5
(* video replay - Sandeep had a great line. "Maybe we don't want affordable housing."

Question 8 - Terminal 2 at Delta Port
Sylvia Bishop 1.0

Question 9 - Philosophy on developing farmland
Ian Paton 0.5
Sylvia Bishop 0.5
(Kathleen almost made a good comment on the swapping of ALR land for northern pastures)

Question 10 - Changes to Development Plans
Sylvia Bishop 0.5 - Hard line on anything but minor changes.
Sandeep Pandher 0.5 - Need better transparency.
(* video replay - Sandeep's slam against the Mayor when talking about policy we need a better choice tha, "If the Mayor wants it, Let's do it!")

The final scores:

1st Place - Sylvia Bishop (4.0 points)
2nd Place - Kathleen Higgins (2½ points)
3rd Place - Sandeep Pandher (2.0 points)
4th Place - Ian Paton (1½ ponts)
5th Place - Maria DeVries (0 points but gets the edge for content)
6th Place - Peter Harms

Does any of this matter? Probably not. It was interesting to see these candidates in action. It is likely we will be hearing these names for the next year or two. The only ranking that matters in this race takes place on September 18th.

The closing arguments were better than the opening with the butterflies of these relative newcomers to the political venue long gone. Bishop talked about her values, DeVries about Independance, Higgins sold herself as an inovative environmentalist, Pandher the pragmatic planner, Paton the farmer with experience. As each candidate took their last moments to get their respective messages out I couldn't help but think, "Does that shirt come with batteries Peter?"

All Candidates Meeting Tonight

It's an eight candidate 'Battle Royal' at the Delta Town and Country Inn tonight. The people vying for your vote will have an opportunity to duke it out in a public forum. The event is hosted by the South Delta Leader in partnership with the Delta Chamber of Commerce and Delta TV.

Each candidate will weigh in with an opening statement and then questions will be asked by a moderator. With eight people on stage it should be organized pandemonium as each city council hopeful fights for their political future. The show starts promptly at 7pm and ends at 9 sharp.

With two hours shared between eight people will there be a chance for anyone to claim victory? Only time will tell and the clock will be ticking...

Committee Votes 8 to 1 to Protect Southlands From Developer

By Elvis Glazier - The Tsawwassen Area Plan committee has recommended that Delta’s municipal council retain the current agricultural designation on the Spetifore Farmlands now known as the Southlands and adopt it as such into the official community plan. The committee met yesterday evening for a final discussion on how the recommendations in their report would be presented to city council.

The meeting had to be diverted to the main council chambers to accommodate the influx of people wishing to attend. The contentious nature of the proposed Southlands development has been a rallying point for the battle hardened citizens of Tsawwassen. Land developer, Sean Hodgins was in attendance as the committee deliberated over the parcel of land that his family has held for over 20 years.

A unanimous consensus couldn’t be reached as one member of the committee spoke out against maintaining the current agriculture zoning. Helen Kettle, who served on the Century Groups community planning team, was alone in voicing her concern that people in favour of the development weren’t being represented in the document. In the end it was agreed that staff would add a disclaimer to the policy statement:

“The Southlands: The existing Tsawwassen Area Plan has policies related specifically to the lands known as the “Southlands”. It is recommended that the existing land use designation of AGR be retained for these lands. (added)A consensus on this policy issue was not reached among Committee members.”

"While it is certainly a positive step forward, it is unfortunate that a single dissension results in a statement about a lack of consensus,” said Dana Maslovat, co-founder and spokesperson of the group Southlands the Facts. “Another section of the TAP was not unanimously supported but no statement about lack of consensus was put into the Committee report."

The Tsawwassen Area Plan Committee may have one more gathering prior to being struck but their heavy lifting is done. The document will now be prepared by staff and presented to Delta council on August 30th for ratification. It is expected that the public hearings will take place sometime in the early fall.

Meet Sylvia Bishop

As part of the 2010 Delta Free Press Candidate Challenge each candidate was asked to fill out and return a questionnaire covering some of the issues and questions that the citizens of Delta are facing right now. There are eight candidates vying for a single seat in the upcoming by-election. Here is the second set of answers returned.

Name: Sylvia Bishop

Why are you running for city council?

I have lived in Delta for over 40 years and have seen a lot of changes, some good and some not so good. I am concerned about the lack of open vigorous debate at council, the direction of land use policies and the preservation of Delta's unique characteristics.


What do you feel you offer the citizens of Delta?

Integrity. Commitment. Energy. I have been outspoken on the issues people care about, such as the preservation of the Southlands farmland and the South Fraser Perimeter Road. Together with many other Delta residents, I worked to collect signatures for the anti-HST campaign. I am a hard worker, willing to pitch in and do what it takes.

What do you feel is the biggest issue facing:

North Delta?

The destruction of the Sunbury/Annieville neighbourhood because of the construction of the South Fraser Perimeter Road cannot be underestimated. People I have talked to worry about increased traffic volumes in their neighbourhoods and the lack of adequate upgrading of infrastructure, particularly in the northern portion of North Delta.


Ladner?

The potential developments announced by the Tsawwassen First Nations will impact the neighborhoods immediately adjoining the Tsawwassenlands. Ladner's unique historic downtown core must be preserved in the face of pressure to increase density and height.


Tsawwassen?

The potential development of the Southlands is the single most important issue for Tsawwassen. The land should be returned to the ALR and at the very least, retain its agricultural zoning. The increased population and traffic development would bring, would forever change the community. The pressure on infrastructure and protective services such as policing and fire fighting would make us all vulnerable.


Delta as a whole?

Anticipated population growth in Metro Vancouver means Delta will see increased pressure to accommodate our 'fair share'. We must have the right development, in the right place, at the right time for the right reasons.

Further, Delta's many resources: its people, its location, its land must be considered in an overall plan to advance our assets while retaining our unique character.

Tsawwassen Area Plan

Tsawwassen is currently in the midst of an area plan review. As your first order of business as a city councilor it is likely you will have to vote on an updated plan. The most contentious issue in the Tsawwassen Area Plan is the proposed development of the Southlands by the Century Group.

Do you support some residential development of the Southlands? * (Required)

NO

As a councilor would you vote to rezone this property from its current agricultural designation to allow residential/commercial development on the property? * (Required)

NO


Explain:

It's farmland. Agrologists agree with the right irrigation, drainage and soil amendments it could be Class 1 or 2 farmland. When farmers own land, it's farmed. When developers own land, it lays fallow until people think it is of no use. We need local farmland for food security, sustainability and to support a new generation of farmers.

What is your view of the South Fraser Perimeter Road?

* (Required)

It is backward thinking. It is a 1950's model of transportation and relies on fossil fuels. It is also the wrong route as it destroys wildlife habitats and established neighborhoods together with farmland and forests.

We must address truck and container traffic volumes in another way. A different route was proposed but ignored.

We should be using forward thinking modes of transport such as electrifying railways, barging and fuel efficient vehicles.

In Region Waste to Energy

Mayor Lois Jackson has gone on record supporting an in region waste to energy facility be built in Delta.

Do you support development of a waste to energy incinerator in the Delta region? * (Required)

NO

Explain:

We should be aiming for zero waste and working with the manufacturing sector to change packaging. We have not achieved maximum recycling curb site pickup as in other areas of Metro Vancouver. I am not convinced the science of waste to energy incineration and the particulites created are harmless. Our air shed is already polluted as it makes its way up the Fraser Valley.

Personal

What is your favorite food? Halibut, local potatoes and Westham Island strawberries for dessert


What is your favorite movie? The Replacements


What is your favorite place in Delta?

My home and garden. The backyard is an oasis of privacy. I love to garden so there are an abundance of shrubs and flowers blooming throughout the seasons. We have fruit trees and berry bushes to harvest. All the neighborhood cats come by for a bite to eat.

What is the last book you read?

The Omnivore's Dilemna

Who is the one person who you admire most?

My mother

Why?

Annasusanna, Susie for short, left her native Germany and followed her new husband to start a new life in Vancouver. She hardly could speak english and arrived with little money or possessions. With sheer determination she built a wonderful life together with my dad. She would be the first to admit a little luck helped along the way. The lessons of making something from nothing, frugality and strong work ethic are not lost on me. She had a great sense of humour and was the life of the party.

Optional

Who are the major contributors to your campaign?

I am. Followed by many friends and concerned fellow citizens who believe in me. My campaign relies on many people making donations instead of a few large donors representing special interests.

If you don't win in this by-election do you plan to run in the general election in 2011?

YES

Meet Kathleen E. Higgins

As part of the 2010 Delta Free Press Candidate Challenge each candidate was asked to fill out and return a questionnaire covering some of the issues and questions that the citizens of Delta are facing right now. There are eight candidates vying for a single seat in the upcoming by-election. Here is the first set of answers returned.

Name: Kathleen E. Higgins

Why are you running for city council?

I'm running for Delta Council because I believe I can help Delta face its present challenges. I am convinced that, by making wiser use of existing residential land in Delta, we can better protect farmland and natural areas, attract more first time home buyers to Delta and increase our tax base, so that Delta can more easily pay for services and infrastructure.

What do you feel you offer the citizens of Delta?

I offer the citizens of Delta my expertise, dedication and new ideas. My 2009 submission to the Delta Housing Task Force could be the beginning of a trend toward building smaller homes on smaller lots-- renewing Delta, both visually and demographically. I've lived in Delta for over 35 years. My husband and I have raised our family here. I've worked as a lawyer, a journalist, and a community activist. At present I'm the office manager for 3 of my older children, the award-winning country music band, The Higgins. I have a history degree and a law degree. I understand the challenges facing Delta and am convinced I can help Delta meet those challenges.

What do you feel is the biggest issue facing:

North Delta?

Lack of affordable housing is an important issue for North Delta. Large single family homes and new luxury townhomes are beyond the reach of most first time buyers. People want more choices in affordable housing than just small apartments and secondary rental suites. Allowing empty-nesters to turn their large empty homes into strata title homes, as has been allowed in Shaunessy and North Vancouver, is worth considering for Delta. Encouraging home owners to replace aging ranchers with 3 smaller homes, rather than one large home, is worth considering, especially if one of the 3 is a maintenance-free retiree's unit. To protect farmland and natural areas and to increase Delta's tax base, Delta needs to explore new ideas for home ownership.

Ladner?

There are many issues facing Ladner. Declining school enrollment that lead to school closures is one. To address this challenge we need to attract young families to Ladner with innovative home ownership options. The truck traffic from the Delta Port expansion is another issue that impacts Ladner. The disruption of farmland around Ladner as the South Fraser Perimeter Road is built on the present route is an important issue. If Southlands is approved, the extra traffic that would be generated would negatively affect Ladner residents. The need for funding from other levels of government to carry out dredging in Ladner Harbour is an important issue. The need to renew the downtown core in Ladner is also an important issue.

Tsawwassen?

The Southlands issue is the biggest challenge facing Tsawwassen at present. I am in favour of putting Southlands back into the Agricultural Land Reserve. The negative impact of Delta Port Expansion is another issue. Declining school enrollment is another important issue and, as in North Delta and Ladner, I would propose encouraging the building of smaller homes on smaller lots as one way of attracting more young families to Tsawwassen. If large lots could be subdivided by the owners themselves rather than by developers, this would allow the owners to sell part of their lot at a more reasonable price. It would allow retirees to sell part of their lot to their grown children, and still remain in their own neighbourhood as they age.


Delta as a whole?

Other levels of government have not paid sufficient attention to preserving quality of life in Delta. Mega-projects from higher levels of government like the Delta Port Expansion and the South Fraser Perimeter Road show that Delta is seen more as a transition point, rather than a respected community. Delta needs to make its voice heard to other levels of government. Delta needs to use its existing residential land more wisely and create smaller homes on smaller lots in order to attract more young families to Delta, to keep retirees in Delta and to increase its tax base.

Tsawwassen Area Plan

Tsawwassen is currently in the midst of an area plan review. As your first order of business as a city councilor it is likely you will have to vote on an updated plan. The most contentious issue in the Tsawwassen Area Plan is the proposed development of the Southlands by the Century Group.

Do you support some residential development of the Southlands? * (Required)

NO

As a councilor would you vote to rezone this property from its current agricultural designation to allow residential/commercial development on the property? * (Required)

NO


Explain:

I favour putting Southlands back into the Agricultural Land Reserve. It would be an extremely negative precedent to allow this prime agricultural land to be turned into residential land. It's better to use existing residential land in Delta more wisely, gradually increasing the number of home owners by building smaller, more modest homes on smaller lots and subdividing large lots, where appropriate, than to allow the huge development of Southlands to proceed.
South Fraser Perimeter Road
The provincial government has officially announced the construction of the South Fraser Perimeter Road. This 40 kilometer four lane highway will cut through Delta connecting Delta Port with Highway 1.

What is your view of the South Fraser Perimeter Road?

* (Required)

I favour using trains and/or barges to move container traffic out of Delta rather than using trucks to transport container traffic and building the Sough Fraser Perimeter Road. If the highway for trucks is to be built, however, there are at least two other routes that could be used, which would not impact Delta farmland and Burns' Bog so negatively. I would promote the tunnel option or the Hoover Naas Option in Delta Council and try to highlight the negative environmental and social factors of the present SFPR route.

In Region Waste to Energy

Mayor Lois Jackson has gone on record supporting an in region waste to energy facility be built in Delta.

Do you support development of a waste to energy incinerator in the Delta region? * (Required)

YES

Explain:

In studying the science of energy from waste, there seems to be much less air pollution and leeching involved with an energy from waste plant located in Delta or Gold River, compared to filling thousands of trucks with garbage so that the garbage can be driven hundreds of miles to a large dump, such as at Cache Creek. I do support vigorous recycling policies and the eventual goal of zero waste. Until then, however, if waste can produce jobs, relatively clean energy and revenue for Delta instead of costing millions of dollars every year, we should consider the advantages of energy from waste.

Personal

What is your favorite food? Everything except squid

What is your favorite movie? Lord of the Rings

What is your favorite place in Delta?

I don't have just one favorite place. The beaches, dykes, farms, parks, Nature Reserve and forests in Delta are all wonderful. We took our children to Centennial Beach so many times while they were growing up, so that is definitely one of my favorites. Watershed Park could be an international tourist destination if more people realized how beautiful it is. I remember taking our children to Deas Island Park when they were little to pick black berries; it's a wonderful place for a family picnic. Delta could become an eco-tourist destination with just a little more promotion.

What is the last book you read?

To Africa with a Dream

Who is the one person who you admire most?

Olga Marlin

Why?

In the late 1950s, just before Kenya gained its independence, Olga Marlin was one of several women who moved to Kenya with the goal of starting the first Kenyan inter-racial and interdenominational school. Olga showed generosity, strength and solidarity with the poor when she left everything behind in her own country of Ireland in order to help people in a developing country. I admire her big heart.

Optional

Who are the major contributors to your campaign?

The contributors to my campaign are friends and neighbours. They were moved to donate to my campaign because they liked my 2009 Delta Housing Task Force submission and believe my ideas can help make wiser use of existing residential land, create affordable home ownership options for first time buyers, give more housing options to retirees, and generally help improve Delta.

If you don't win in this by-election do you plan to run in the general election in 2011?

MAYBE

Delta By-Election Candidate Challenge Begins

Eight candidates will be vying for the City of Delta council seat left vacant by the late George Hawksworth. A steady stream of candidates filed their nomination papers with the city clerk's office over the last two weeks. The final candidate waited until the last moment to complete her paperwork. The nominations are not official until the until the 23rd of August. The candidates have until the 20th to withdraw and challenges can be made against nominations until the 17th. Although the nominations aren't technically official until the city clerk makes her declaration on the 23rd the campaign is underway.

The eight candidates consist of Sylvia Bishop, Sandeep Pandher, Kathleen Higgins, Amy Ghuman Sara, Maria Devries, Ray Robinson, Ian Paton, and Peter Harms.

Thus begins the 2010 Delta Free Press Challenge. As the candidates campaign for your votes, we have decided to add some excitement to what is typically a lack-luster event. I have chosen to vet the candidates in three steps.

1. A questionnaire was made available earlier today to all the candidates to fill out (results will be published as they arrive)
2. An interview of each candidate to drill down their platforms and get to know the person.
3. On August 24th, at the all candidates meeting, candidates will be judged on their performance.

Right after the debate I will announce a winner.

The winner of the challenge will be presented a $200 campaign donation, a prime lawn sign location, free advertising and an editorial endorsement from the Delta Free Press.

And if that isn't enough, the winner will also receive my vote.

Elvis Glazier
Editor-in-chief