Surrey Events Calendar: January 1st to January 15th   Community: Winter Ice Palace Enjoy a seasonal skate around the old fashioned pond and get into the Christmas spirit! When and Where: January 1st to January 7| Cloverdale Arena Contact: 604-502-6410 Cost: $4.50/person; $3.25 for skate rentals; $1.75 for helmet rentals. Free admission for Recreation Pass holders. Christmas Tree Chipping and Bottle Drive Support a good cause and get your Christmas tree chipped at the same time at this annual Christmas Tree Chipping & Bottle Drive Location: Emmanuel Covenant Church, 17029 16 Ave or North Surrey Secondary , 15945 96 Ave Date & Time: January 6, 2018; 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM and January 7: 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM Contact: family@emmanuelcovenant.ca or akamckenna@shaw.ca Cost: Donation Christmas Train at Bear Creek Park Come ride the Christmas Train Bear Creek Park.  Visit with Santa and receive a candy cane, Christmas activity kit and enjoy a train ride through the Christmas forest.  Santa is at...

Surrey Events Calendar: December 16th to December 31st New Year's Party 2018 We are inviting you to a fantastic New Year's Party 2018 with great, live music by Music Variations and DJMusic! - Buffet dinner with specially created exclusive menu, champagne and scrumptious snack at midnight - Many great prizes to be won - Free parking - FUNtastic live and DJ music! Date and Time: Sun, 31 Dec 2017, 7:30 PM – Mon, 1 Jan 2018, 1:30 AM Location: Pacific Inn Resort & Conference Centre (1160 King George Hwy, Surrey) Contact: Cezary 778-987-3700 or Kamila 778-251-5425 Cost: $110 Holiday Happenings Breakfast with Santa Enjoy a delicious Christmas breakfast with Santa at a recreation centre near you! December 16th, 2017 | Various Locations and Times Cost: $8.00 per child, $4.00 per adult; Children ages 2 and under are free; Registration is required.   Pink Orchid Studio's Breakfast with Santa Come celebrate the joys of the season with a festive celebration...

Surrey Events Calendar: December 1st to December 15th Holiday Happenings Surrey Santa Parade Santa is coming to Surrey! Visit the Cloverdale Town Centre at 5 pm on Sunday, December 3 and celebrate the arrival of Santa with a magical evening and a lighted parade. A convoy of lighted Big Rigs will leave Cloverdale at 5:30 pm and will travel through Fleetwood on its way to City Centre for a display on University Boulevard just west of City Hall. The North Surrey Lions Club will be there selling hot dogs and snacks along with playing Christmas music. The Surrey Food Bank and Surrey Christmas Bureau will also be taking donations of food, toys, and cash. Location: Cloverdale Town Centre, 5748 176 St (Travels through Fleetwood to University Boulevard near City Hall) Date & Time: December 3, 2017; 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM Contact: Paul Orazietti cloverdalebia@telus.net Cost: Free Website: Surrey Santa Parade Breakfast with Santa Enjoy a delicious Christmas breakfast...

Surrey Events Calendar: November 13th to November 30th Community: Holiday Happenings Contact: 604-501-5100 Heart to Home Holiday Market Shop for one-of-a-kind gifts handmade by local artists for that one-of-a-kind person in your life! Enjoy warm cider and live music while you shop! Presented by Surrey Art Gallery Association. November 18 and 19, 2017 at 12 pm to 5 pm | Surrey Arts Centre Cost: Free! View Details Breakfast with Santa Enjoy a delicious Christmas breakfast with Santa at a recreation centre near you! December 2 to 16, 2017 | Various Locations and Times Cost: $8.00 per child, $4.00 per adult; Children ages 2 and under are free; Registration is required. View Details Vancouver Welsh Men's Choir: Sounds of Christmas Kick off the Christmas season with melodies and merriment at this annual Christmas concert! Running time: approximately 2 hours, including intermission. December 5, 2017 | Surrey Arts Centre Cost: $24 to $39 View...

18 years old Ibrahim Bolow moved to Canada with his family in 2010 and became a citizen in 2015. Before that, he was living in Somalia but was born in Saudi Arabia. Such a cultural diversity helped him to become who he is - a strong and kind person who cares about others. He speaks 3 languages: Arabic, English and Somali and planning to learn 3 more: French, German and Italian. That allows him to volunteer for different immigration services such as ISS (Immigrant Services Society of BC) and Engagement Immigration Program. He takes care of newcomers by being available as a friend and mentor, playing soccer with them, helping at the cooking club, and much more! The list of Ibrahim’s volunteering places goes on: he was contributing at the community capacity unit by breaking down the barriers between immigrants and police, and he also does boy scouting at the...

Surrey RCMP Diversity Outreach Unit is an unique and dedicated detachment created in order to engage more positive communication within Surrey community. The actual unit has existed in the mid 1990's but has been developed into a specific subdivision only in the last 2 years. The Unit collaborates with non profit and immigrant settlement agencies, Surrey School District, religious and cultural institutions, local First Nations and the Indigenous organizations. Diversity Outreach Unit participates in different activities and events. Those visits are regular, which helps building more trust and bring communities together. In 2017 the events included Vaisakhi (historical and religious festival), National Aboriginal Day, Pulling Together Canoe Journey (10 day paddling journey with the public service individuals and First Nations people), and Eid ul-Adha (Islamic festival to commemorate the willingness of Ibrahim to follow Allah's command to sacrifice his son). Pulling Together Canoe Journey was an incredible opportunity to partnered with...

Surrey events calendar: October 30th – November 6th Halloween activities: 55+ Halloween Activities Join us for a fun afternoon with live entertainment, light lunch, desserts and Halloween activities! Dress up in your best costume for a chance to win a prize. Guildford Recreation Centre Tuesday October 31 at 12:00pm to 1:45pm Cost: $10/Members, $15/Non-Members - Register with code # 4547477 Fleetwood Community Centre Tuesday, October 31 at 11:30 am to 1:30 pm Cost: $10/Members, $15/Non-Members - Register with code # 4561377 Bear Creek Haunted Forest Scream Train Each child who paid an admission will receive a treat to enjoy on the pumpkin express train as it travels through the decorated forest. As they depart from their adventure they will be given a child-size pumpkin to remember their day. (Adults and children under 2 years old do not receive pumpkins) Location: 13750 – 88th Avenue at King George Blvd. Surrey, BC When: October 31; 6.30...

Born in Belarus, living in Vienna, Austria for 9 years and finally moved to Vancouver, Canada, 30-years old Wioletta Woronik has truly proved that she deserves to be called a young successful immigrant. She has been studying International Management and Marketing at the University of Vienna and then working at the Austrian subsidiary of one of the largest Russian Oil companies LUKOIL for several years before arriving in Canada. She moved to Vancouver in order to begin her journey as a Marketing and Business Development Lead in a tech start-up and possibly launch her own business. Wiloletta believes that it's much easier to establish a company and find investors in Vancouver rather than in Europe as the legal process is cheaper and more simple to follow. Moreover, Vancouver was recently ranked as a top startup ecosystem in Canada and the 15th in the world so it's a blooming opportunity to start something new here. The...

Surrey events calendar: October 23rd - October 31st Halloween Activities   Sibling Rivals Halloween Ripper Join us at Ocean Park Hall on October 28th for the best Halloween Party in the ‘hood! Legion of Sound is proud to present for a special Halloween Ripper one of the peninsula’s own notorious bands – The Sibling Rivals, featuring White Rock legends Jim and Rice Honeywell. They will be playing a Halloween Ripper at Ocean Park Hall on Saturday, October 28th. Location: 1577 – 128  St., Surrey, BC Doors at 7:00 pm, Show starts at 8:30 pm Tickets: $20 CDN (19+ only, All drinks $5) Halloween Family Dance There will be music, crafts for the kids, and prizes for the best costumes. Dress up and gather your friends and family for some festive fun. Register in advance to book your spot! Fleetwood Community Centre Friday October 27 at 6:00pm to 8:30pm Cost: $5.00 - Dinner included! -...

Surrey Events Calendar: October 16th to October 22nd Halloween Activities   1. Halloween Family Dance There will be music, crafts for the kids, and prizes for the best costumes. Dress up and gather your friends and family for some festive fun. Register in advance to book your spot! Don Christian Recreation Centre Friday October 20 at 6pm to 9pm Cost: $3.50 per person; children under 2 years are free - Register with code # 4548955 Fleetwood Community Centre Friday October 27 at 6:00pm to 8:30pm Cost: $5.00 - Dinner included! - Register with code # 4553384 Register Here 2. Halloween Family Fun Halloween family fun afternoon with games, crafts and a costume parade and contest! Fraser Heights Recreation Centre Saturday October 14 at 6pm to 8pm Cost: $3.50 per person; free under 2 years - Register with code # 4551391 South Surrey Recreation & Arts Centre Sunday October 29 at 1 pm to...

You can now watch all episodes of 'Welcome to Surrey' Season One (above) online. 'Welcome to Surrey' is a TV show launched this summer on Storyhive with the premiere held in August at Surrey City Hall. Two friends - Kashif Pasta and Shyam Valera originally pitched the pilot for a competition organized by TELUS Storyhive but didn't win. Yet, it didn't stop them from developing a full 5-episode season which was noticed by TELUS Optic local arm. As Kashif states, " Storyhive and TELUS Optic since merged into one program, which is why we’re proud to still have that Storyhive logo on all our episodes." It all started from realizing that there were not so many (sometimes not at all) TV shows about people living in suburbs. With Surrey having mostly South Asians there such series had a big potential to be adored - they are so relatable "to the extent that a...

Shakti means strength. Shakti Wellness Day is an annual event filled with dance, yoga, workshops on mental and physical health and self care techniques. Come and join us for free! Light refreshments will be provided. What to expect: - Healthy breakfast, lunch and snacks - Yoga session - Inspiring talks and workshops on topics related to health and wellness, personal growth and practical tools for success - Variety of modalities to experience including massage, aromatherapy, vaastu - Booths can be booked for a nominal fee of $50 About Shakti Society: it's a non-profit organization dedicated to bring awareness among the public regarding women's rights and issues. Not only its workers fight for basic human rights like food and shelter, but also bigger problems like violence, bullying, and other social matters. As it's crucially important to be strong and empowered as a woman in today's world, this event may be a great tool...

Surrey events calendar: October 9th to October 15th Arts: A Tribute to Elvis Concert Direct from the UK Chris Connor and Canada's one and only Pete Paquette in a Tribute To Elvis in Concert with The Rockin' Royals Showband and the Tonettes. Location: Bell Performing Arts Centre, 6250 144 St Date & Time: October 10, 2017 (7:30 PM - 9:30 PM) Cost: Free Family Sunday Drop in and enjoy a fun-filled Family Sunday of artmaking, storytelling, and performances! Create art with exhibiting artists and art educators that explore the theme “Sensing the Land” in connection with our Ground Signals exhibition. Interactive dance performances await you at 1pm or 2:30pm. Everyone is welcome at this free event—children must be with an adult. Artmaking Activities Engage your senses as you step into Ground Signals featuring paintings, videos, sculptures, and audio recordings that reconsider our relationship to land and water. Weave a wearable book with Roxanne Charles whose large, collaborative installation of...

With the population of 525,220 people (in 2016) and expected growth up to 835,160 (in 2046), Surrey can easily become the future of BC. Bob Williams, an urban planner and former provincial MLA and cabinet minister, was giving a talk about it at Simon Fraser University. Williams is a president and chair of the Jim Green Foundation. He is an experienced civic leader and is currently on the management committee for 312 Main, Vancouver's Social and Economic Innovation Centre. Formerly, Bob worked as a Vancouver city councilor, and a provincial cabinet minister with Premier Dave Barrett. Bob's past career also included being a long time director of Vancity Credit Union, owning the Railway Club Bar, advising the Four Corners Bank, and establishing Robson Square and the modern Whistler Blackcomb. Here are some of the highlights of his talk: 1. Focus on building CBD (central business districts) and rethinking ground level opportunities and amenities there (humanizing the ground level). Providing...

On a sunny day of September 30th, 761 people showed up to ride or walk and raise money for refugees. A number of charities were participating such as Ratanak International, Respect4Women, The Refuge, and many more. The Canadian wide fundraising goal of $2,000,000 is 98% done! The top raising money team is Journey Home Community - they have raised $81,413.00. those money will be used to provide housing, resettlement assistance and relational support for refugee families seeking asylum in Vancouver. The event is held in September because its organizers believe, "It gives participants a very small taste of what it's like to be seeking refuge. It's designed to be challenging - both in distance traveled and weather endured." The routes included: 5 km walk 10 km walk 10 km ride 25 km ride 50 km ride I did the 5 km walk: 2,5 km one way, stopped at the snack station with orange juice...