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One of the most important ways SCC wants to work together with Surrey citizens is through local referenda.

We have a civic election coming up on November 19. What better time to get citizen feedback than when we’re having an election anyway?

The issue of wards comes up every election in Surrey and every time the current council shoots it down because the  current at-large system favours their re-election chances.

But there are all sorts of issues Surrey voters might like a voice on.

Surrey First wants a 10,000 events centre for indoor rodeos in Cloverdale. We think it’s better to build it in the Whalley city centre, where it’s on the Skytrain line, to attract AHL and major junior hockey, major concerts, trade shows and conventions. All of these uses would be better served in Whalley.

But why not ask voters when we’re having an election anyway?

We should ask voters about their transit preferrences – whether Surrey commuters want simply more bus routes, light rail transit (which SCC favours), or expensive Skytrain additions which take 20 years or more to complete. We say, let the voters tell Translink, not the politicians.

Surrey had great voter turnout in 1988 when it asked citizens if they wanted to dedicate large parcels of land as urban forest parks. Maybe we could have a referendum on park dedication and parkland acquisition so we can avoid another fiasco like Bear Creek Park, where the current council came within a whisker of plowing a four-lane 84 Avenue right through the heart of Surrey’s flagship park.

There are many issues local voters should have a say on: Wards, transit options, park dedication, the location of an events centre, whether we should use the existing city hall lands for a new hospital, to name a few.

Just as an aside… When Surrey residents were polled, 58 per cent were in favour of wards, 25 per cent were opposed, and the rest were undecided. That’s better than a two-to-one margin. Let’s put this question to the test once and for all.

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