“I don’t think they have an accurate understanding of the city of Surrey, whatsoever… I think it’s way off track… People are moving here for a reason. Surrey has leapt forward.”

Among the contributing factors to the low rating were crime and housing affordability, which both scored poorly in Surrey, and in fact most of BC. The survey also included culture, health, and household income. The top ten cities were:

1. Ottawa-Gatineau
2. Kingston
3. Burlington
4. Fredericton
5. Moncton
6. Repentigny
7. Brandon
8. Victoria
9. Winnipeg
10. Lévis

The growing controversy over the rankings does bring to a light a very serious debate about the quality of life of Surrey and its status among Canadian cities. While there are certainly those who choose to move to South Surrey or Cloverdale for large, quaint properties, or Newton, to join the growing South Asian community, there is also a significant population who move here not by choice, but due to circumstances. Many families live in Surrey because they cannot afford the housing in Vancouver, Richmond, Burnaby, or the North Shore. Just because they are moving here, doesn’t mean they actually want to be here.

More after the jump!

The comments on the CBC story reflect this reality:

VanDecker: “146th out of 179 ? I don’t believe it either. Seriously, how could there be 33 cities which are worse than Surrey?”

boxcarbilly: “I see no reason to dispute this”

JohnnyMan: “I moved to BC at the start of 2007. I moved from the East Coast because of a job. The job was based in Burnaby. My wife and I started looking for a place to live. All my new colleagues warned me to stay away from Surrey because of the high crime rate. I was told that Surrey was the car-theft capital of North America. I bought a house in Maple Ridge.”

freeman97: “I heard that the narcotics industry was recession proof. Doesn’t that count?”

natureshand: “Whats not to love with all the pan handlers,crackheads,homeless, and big monster houses with no yards.”

grantdude: “Judy Villeneuve is hilarious. Does she REALLY think people live in Surrey because it’s a great place to live? Uh, NO, it’s because people can’t afford to live in Vancouver.”

SUNLOVER: “Surrey came in at 146 out of 179 communities??? I really have to think there is some bias in Moneysense rankings to give such a good ranking to Surrey.”

kobayashee maru: “when you advertise that the city is the cultural capital of canada and everyone on the street knows that the only culture surrey can boast of is the drug culture seen all around……no wonder it ranks low.”

CheekMonk: “Growing population in Surrey is not an indication that people think Surrey is a great place to live. Because if given the chance, people would rather live in downtown, vancouver, burnaby or richmond. Only cause people are price out of those cities, that they have no choice but settle on Surrey. Besides, the only people moving to Surrey are pimps, thieves and drug dealers. Only fair they move close to where their clients are.”

Munchhousen: “I just can’t imagine how bad 33 other cities must be.”

poloboy: “Every single person that I know who moved to Surrey from other parts of the Lower mainland have regretted it. The lucky ones were able to sell their houses and move out again. thumbs up to Moneysense for calling it as it is.”

Ikaris: “Surrey sadly has a generalized atmosphere of crime, drugs and prostitution. It also has ethnic islands of neighborhoods in which more than 90% of the inhabitants come from one culture. It is NOT an integrated society. A few areas would be nice to live in, however driving through the scum zones to get place is depressing. Worrying about your children stepping on junkie needles or getting raped by the animals makes it unlivable by many.”

Terry Marshall: “Judy, Judy, Judy. Of course the city of Surrey is debauched. You live in the affluence of the gated communities of White Rock and Panorama Ridge. Everybody wears the rose-colored glasses of community in those segregated areas. Maybe you should rent a townhouse in Newton or Whalley to receive a fair and balanced look at how the other half do live and then the survey will take on some “reality”.”

robercarter: “Surrey has always been a ‘hole’ since I grew up in Vancouver in the 60′s. Despite all the PR & spin put forward by Surrey Mayor, nothing much has changed. Surrey is still a ‘hole’, just a lot more people live there. Sorry…..”

Eastside Mary: “I am not surprised that Surrey ranks low. I do not know many people who want to live there. I also know some who do and pretend they live elsewhere. I work with someone from South Surrey who always claims she lives in White Rock. I would rather live in a tiny place in Vancouver than one of those “starter castles” or cheapo condo’s in Surrey any day.”

Your thoughts?

The new Surrey City Hall will be an important public landmark within the new City Centre, it will be a catalyst for growth in the downtown and it will be an important destination for the citizens of, and visitors to, the City of Surrey.

One of the options that was developed for assessment purposes by Kasian/Moriyama & Teshima Architects. The Gateway Option builds on Surrey as a gateway to Canada and the Pacific and perhaps more importantly a gateway to a prosperous future. Design of the actual City Hall building and Plaza is currently underway. The design presents a strong architectural statement that is powerful and iconic symbolizing a strong and stable government but that is also welcoming, inviting people to witness and participate in the process of government and to enjoy the events and activities of the Civic Plaza.

How Surrey accommodates an exploding population and ramps up development has enormous repercussions, not only for the young families and new immigrants living here, but also for many similarly amorphous suburbs in North America struggling to discover or create magnetic centres of their own.

The other, written by local reporter Frances Bula, provides readers with a quick bio on Mayor Dianne Watts:

The woman at the helm of Surrey’s makeover fools people with her classic suburban look – big house, husband and two kids, big blond hair, figure-hugging outfits.

But Dianne Watts has a much more complex background than what shows on the surface. It includes ditching a domineering stepfather, an abusive early marriage and small-town life in B.C.’s Okanagan Valley to roam around the world for years, a period during which she developed a long-term attachment to Buddhism.

The City of Surrey, an official partner with the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, will play host to the biggest games-time celebration south of the Fraser. The Surrey 2010 Celebration Site is a 13 day FREE winter festival featuring live entertainment, live Games broadcasts, arts performances and on site activities.

The Surrey 2010 Celebration Site is situated at Holland Park, a 24 acre urban oasis in the heart of the Surrey’s business district. It will offer the opportunity to share the Olympic spirit with the community while watching live Games coverage on four massive video screens. The screens will be located throughout the site, including indoors under a 30,000 square foot mega tent. Visitors will also enjoy an array of international food vendors and global entertainment that will celebrate Surrey’s cultural diversity.

“The 2010 games is an opportunity to think globally, show your community spirit and create a lasting legacy for our community,” says Mayor Dianne Watts.

The Celebration Site will also host world renowned talent on two stages including Sam Roberts, 54-40, Randy Bachman, Tokyo Police Club, WinterSleep, Hot Hot Heat, Serena Ryder, Jully Black, KS Makhan, Dan Mangan, Doc Walker, Irish Descendants, Alex Cuba, Jim Byrnes & the Sojourners, Hey Rosetta, Five Alarm Funk, and Delhi 2 Dublin.

Canada’s RCMP Musical Ride will also be a permanent fixture onsite to dazzle spectators with two daily choreographed equestrian performances.

Guests to the Surrey 2010 Celebration Site can also participate in FREE on-site activities such as mingling with the 2010 mascots, zipping down one of the runs at the Sliding Zone, gliding around the outdoor Skating Rink and tossing a few rocks at the Curling Zone.

[via Surrey 2010]

The City of Surrey will host the 2012 B.C. Summer Games.

“A factor was the great track record Surrey has had with other events the city has hosted, as well as the great facilities that exist here,” said Surrey-White Rock MLA Gordon Hogg after making the announcement Wednesday afternoon at the Surrey Sports and Leisure.

The B.C. Summer Games, staged every second year, feature elite athletes in the nine-18 age group. The average age of an athlete is in the 13-15 year-old range, and competitors qualify through a series of zone competitions throughout the province.

The four-day competition will feature roughly 4,100 athletes, and will require an equal number of volunteers, and is expected to create an economic impact of roughly $2.4 million.

Surrey, which hosted the 1989 B.C. Summer Games, won a bidding process to be named host for 2012. The B.C. Games Society will provide a base funding of $600,000 to the host community, which in turn will form a Board of Directors to oversee up to 150 volunteer people need to chair various committees.

[via the Surrey Leader]

The design and construction management contract was awarded to CEI Architect Planning Interiors in late June. The site was rezoned in early September. With plans to seek public input before construction, and such a tight schedule, we should expect to see mockups very, very soon.

During the Surrey Mayor’s State of the City address, while discussing transportation in BC’s second largest city, Dianne Watts said:

“I for one am a firm believer that instead of SkyTrain expansion in Surrey we should be looking at At Grade Rail. At Grade Rail is significantly cheaper, easier to build and much more aesthetically pleasing than Sky Train. Surrey cannot wait until 2020 for improved rail transit. At Grade Rail can be completed much faster. I have great confidence in the potential of At Grade Rail, and I am currently having City staff analyze this option so that we can move it forward.”

This is a terrific move on the part of the Mayor. It great to know that she understands the added qualities that LRT presents to Surrey over SkyTrain – not just cost efficiency per km, but also aspects like the streetscape asthetics.

While I understand the reasoning for SkyTrain to UBC and to Coquitlam, I am a vehement supporter of the development of a new rail transit network based on LRT. Surrey is in the perfect position to be the beginning spot for this new network and will set the city apart from the North of Fraser’s transportation planning of the past few decades. It’s saying “We will chart our own path, learn from your mistakes, and build the best rail transit we can”. And that rail transit will be based on LRT!

Hopefully Surrey City Council will take a nod from Vancouver, and continue to push forward on the Heritage Rail Project. It would be a fantastic business case for LRT South of the Fraser if we can have a demonstration up and running in the next few years!

Good job Dianne! You just got my vote for November!

City-wide Initiatives

• Crime Reduction Strategy:
  • $450,000 towards the implementation of the Surrey Justice Centre Community Court,
  • $375,000 towards 10 “Community Safety Officers” (whatever the heck those are),
  • $300,000 towards CCTV cameras in various areas in the city (can somebody say privacy issue?)
• Healthcare:
  • $2,500,000 towards the rezoning, building permit, and development permit of the new SMH Emergency Care Centre,
• Sustainability:
  • $200,000 towards a new Sustainability Office, including such staff positions as Sustainability Manager, an Environmental Technologist, and an Economic Researcher,
• Social Plan:
  • $60,000 towards Community School Partnerships,
  • $75,000 towards the Coordinator for School Partnership Program,
  • $50,000 towards Outreach and Volunteer Support,
  • $45,000 towards additional Sunday Library openings,
  • $51,000 towards Diversity Outreach Programs,
• “Community Beautification”:
  • $408,000 towards street landscaping, including 5,149 trees

Major Capital Projects

• Cloverdale Multi Purpose Centre:
  • $22,600,000 for a new 45,000 square foot multi-purpose centre in Cloverdale. The design and construction of this facility will commence in 2008. Although the Plan shows that the funding for this project is spread over three years, it is expected that the project would be complete by late 2009
  • Art Space
  • $1,500,000 for the construction of additional art space in the City
• Repairs at the Cloverdale Recreation Centre
  • $400,000 for urgent building envelope repairs to the Cloverdale Recreation Centre
• Seniors Spaces
  • $375,000 expansion of Bear Creek Pavilion for senior’s use
  • $100,000 for conversion of the current Community Policing Office at Fleetwood Community Centre to senior’s space
• Civic Squares
  • $1,900,000 towards the construction of civic squares in the City
• Artificial Turf Fields
  • Construction of two artificial turf fields in 2008. One will be at Hjorth Road Park in Guildford.
• Parks
  • $800,000 towards a field house and additional parking at Hjorth Road Park for the artificial turf field
  • $200,000 towards the study of the reintroduction of small community parks
• RCMP
  • Money towards additional police space in the City as the force grows in size
• Cloverdale Main Street Upgrade
  • $1,000,000 towards urban landscape improvements to “Main Street” (aka: 176 St.) in Downtown Cloverdale, in conjunction with the Cloverdale Town Centre Master Plan from 2000. The upgrades will include enhancements to sidewalks, streetlighting, boulevard landscaping, street furniture, and various frontage and building façade upgrades.

Grants

• $75,000 for the Fraser Valley Heritage Railway Society
• $29,000 for the Graffiti Removal Program in conjunction with the Surrey Crime Prevention Society

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.