Community Board
RCMP in Surrey and Mayor McCallum
Photo: Rafal Gerszak / The Globe and Mail
I am a retired RCMP member with 39 years experience. I have policed Surrey in a command role, have been a past resident of Surrey and have also served with the Delta Police Department. So I guess it is okay for me to have an opinion on the topic.
I served as the Surrey RCMP Operations Officer from July 1999 to July 2001 and occasionally the Acting Officer in Charge of Surrey Detachment. Those were back in the days when Mayor McCallum was Mayor the first time. You know, before he was voted out.
We had quite a ride of it back in the day when dealing with him. If the walls could only speak.
I have read and listened to his rhetoric and untruths about the RCMP and to this point have remained silent.
In Macleans magazine, they note McCallum believes Surrey long ago outgrew the RCMP, which has policed the city since 1951. He says residents are prepared to pay a bit more for a municipal force, allowing enough officers who are fully invested in the community to be hired and trained for urban policing.
Wow, a bit more. That is an understatement and while the exact cost of the transition is still not clear, I would urge City of Surrey residents to persist in getting an accurate dollar figure from their Mayor and Council. The devil will be in the details.
“The RCMP are trained to do mostly rural policing in Canada. They still are controlled by Ottawa.” (Doug McCallum). Another bogus statement and those in Surrey have heard their past and current OIC’s (Chiefs) comment on this claim. The statement is further shown to be bovine skat in that if McCallum thought the RCMP were not suited for municipal policing, why on earth would he then be so intent and reliant on hiring as many RCMP members as he can to create his own SPD?
Do your homework folks and check the course training standard for the BC Justice Institute Police Program against the RCMP Cadet Training Program Course Training Standard. JIBC trains police officers for large and small departments in BC, as does the RCMP for large and small detachments across Canada.
I have heard comments attributed to McCallum that he wants police officers who are invested in and connected to the community. When I was in Surrey I served on local boards of governance, my wife taught in the Surrey School District and our kids went to school in Surrey and later worked in Surrey. When little Heather Thomas was abducted in Cloverdale, where we lived, I was out on my own time looking for her. Is that the connection or investment he was looking for?
And what about the several members of the RCMP who have given their lives while serving the citizens of Surrey. Is that not invested or connected to the community enough for the Mayor?
We have heard figures of only 20% of VPD members live within the City of Vancouver. Surely that does not make the other 80% not invested or connected. And please don’t get me wrong. This is not an us and they situation, but rather about facts as they do matter.
I have often wondered what it was that put the RCMP in McCallum’s cross hairs? I thought maybe it was related to a speeding ticket on the Crescent Beach road where the the officer signed it with “Surrey RCMP Traffic Section”. McCallum directed the RCMP to close down the traffic section and move them to other duties. The Chief of the day told him that was not going to happen. McCallum persisted.
At the time, the Surrey Traffic Section consisted of about 25 members engaged in traffic enforcement and accident investigation. Not every police officer likes doing traffic work, and it is important to have a component of your police service engaged in directed traffic law enforcement. Mayor McCallum did not agree. There was a small conference at about the same time at the Guildford Sheraton. The main speaker was the Chief of Toronto Metro Police, Julian Fantino. Mayor McCallum attended as a guest. During a Q&A Mayor McCallum stood up and said that his Chief had guys wasting time on traffic duty when they were needed elsewhere in his view. Fantino responded…Mr. Mayor, traffic law enforcement is critical to a policing service and integral to safe homes and safe communities and that he did not agree with the Mayor’s position. Mayor McCallum sat down and that was the end of cancelling the traffic section.
We sent out a press release one afternoon to the effect that there had been a very bad injury MVA at the intersection of 184th and #10 Hwy and that traffic was not moving. Mayor McCallum called over and asked what was the purpose in sending out this negative to Surrey news release. It was explained to him that it was to alert motorists via the media that traffic was not moving and to stay clear and pick another route. He hung up.
Or then there was the time his office called after a press release was issued about a bad guy that was dangerous to the public peace and told us not to send those out as it made Surrey look bad. We tried to explain the necessity in warning the public and we continued to send them out. Yes, safe homes and safe communities.
Maybe he remained mad over this debacle. If you do some research, you will find that in 2000 or 2001, the following unfolded. Mayor McCallum was at a sporting event in Surrey. Some local seniors had parked in a manner in which access to a fire hydrant was blocked. As we learned. a Surrey Bylaw Officer pulled up and was in the process of ticketing the offending vehicles. As the story went, the Mayor stepped in and openly challenged the Bylaw Officer and told him to back down. A RCMP member was nearby. heard this and piped up that the Mayor should leave the Bylaw Officer to do his job. There was some verbal back and forth.
The RCMP member was so annoyed, he actually filed a self generated police report. Further, he made a copy of the report in his frustration and in while still in his uniform drove to the office of the Surrey Now/Leader in his police car, walked in, said nothing and dropped a copy of the report on the receptionist’s desk. They published a story in the newspaper and the Mayor was upset. He complained and we followed up at our end and had to administer informal discipline to the RCMP member for failing to safeguard a police report.
In our dealings with him back then, it was always about the power. control and the ability to influence. There was a Public Safety Committee, but in my view he just paid it lip service and gave directions and exercised decisions from the hip either personally or via his CAO.
He would sometimes come into Public Safety Committee meetings, stand there and make statements and quasi directions and then leave. No decorum and no discussion. The PSC Chairperson would just look over and shake her head.
He must figure that when he has his hands on the entire police force as the Chair of the Police Board that it will be all “sunshine, wide roads and shallow ditches” with everything going his way. I truly believe he wants all of the “launch codes” to himself.
VPD have a big traffic unit…I wonder if SPD will as well (me laughing).
Alistair Macintyre
RCMP Assistant Commissioner (Retired)
INDIAN SUMMER FESTIVAL: 11th EDITION LINEUP AND DATES ANNOUNCED
Festival to feature five weeks of online and hybrid events from June 17 to July 17, 2021
Vancouver, BC (May 20, 2021) – Indian Summer Festival, Vancouver’s ‘festival for the curious mind,’ marks its 11th anniversary with five weeks of ten carefully curated events. Most events will stream on digital channels with premieres at 7:00 pm PDT every Thursday and Saturday from June 17 to July 17 (except July 1st). This year’s festival includes door-delivered food and special gift boxes, bringing a delicious and delightful tangible element to them. Two special projects allow for Covid-safe hybrid experiences with digital and in-person components. For event details, access and ticketing, please visit indiansummerfest.ca
Early bird pricing for the Limited Edition ISF2021 Premium Pass is $285, which provides access to all ISF2021 digital events, including the Opening Party with amazing performances, exclusive access to the chatroulette afterparty, food from Vij’s, and wine from Volcanic Hills all delivered to Lower Mainland residences, and a special artist-curated Punjabi Market Premium Gift Box. Early bird pricing is valid until May 31; regular price is $325. A Digital Pass to access all online events at the festival (without the tangible elements) is $50. Individual tickets to all ISF2021 events are available on a sliding scale of no fee, $10 or $20, as the festival understands that this is a difficult time for many.
“For this 11th year for the 2021 Indian Summer Festival, we thought that our theme should be “Shapeshifting,” says Sirish Rao, Indian Summer Festival’s Artistic Director. “It’s something that we’ve all had to do in the last year, and shapeshifters have existed in almost every culture.”
“For ISF2021, we have created ten distinct events for all of us to experience music, performing arts and literary discussions so we can experience the true transformative power of the arts. The arts give us levity, solace and help us make sense of our predicament and imagine our futures.”
“As with most of us working in arts and culture, we’ve become very creative this year with ways that our audience can experience Indian Summer Festival,” adds Rao, “From premium passes that include door-delivered dinner and wine, to digital passes to access shows, we’ve become our own Shapeshifters to deliver an innovative digital and hybrid experience.”
This year, the festival offers live digital event premieres (where audiences can interact through chat functionality) with an on-demand digital platform that makes it possible for events to be viewable until the end of the festival. The festival sees a stunning global cast of talent from beatboxers to tabla maestros, novelists and actors.
2021 Indian Summer Festival event schedule includes:
Date: Thursday, June 17, 2021, 7pm PDT
Event: Indian Summer Festival Opening Party – Metamorphosis featuring Laydy Jams, Shamik Bilgi, Her Tribal Roots and Kamal Pandya. Sponsored by Concord Pacific.
Hosted by ISF’s Sirish Rao and CBC’s Anita Bathe, opening night features brilliant, beautiful performances by some of Vancouver’s finest talents.
ISF2021 Premium Pass Holders get exclusive access to an online afterparty where they’ll be paired with other ISF friends and artists for multiple one-on-one conversations and performances, and a special box of goodies, featuring a meal for two by Vikram Vij paired with a bottle of wine from Volcanic Hills.
Date: Saturday, June 19, 2021, 7pm PDT
Event: Anoushka Shankar – The Musical Journey of a Shapeshifter. Sponsored by Nature’s Path.
An evening of music and stories with genre-defying musician and seven-time Grammy Award nominee Anoushka Shankar, who unveils a very special project for Indian Summer Festival.
Date: Wednesday, June 23 – Saturday, July 3, 2021
Event: VOX Infold. Produced in partnership with Vancouver Jazz Festival and LOBE Studios.
Address: Lobe Spatial Sound Studio, 713 East Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC
This special project is a rare chance to experience the music of powerhouse vocal ensemble Vox Infold in the form of an immersive sound experience. Presented at the groundbreaking Lobe Spatial Sound Studio and using Lobe’s 4DSOUND system, this is music not just as sound but as a profound experience of space and dimension. Consider it a healing sound bath. Advance booking required and experienced as an individual or in a ‘household bubble.’ Book your slot online at https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/voxinfold-tickets-150267575363
Date: Thursday, June 24, 2021, 7pm PDT
Flames and Portals – Literary discussion with Kamila Shamsie and Mohsin Hamid, Moderated by Sirish Rao. Presented by SFU Library.
In 2017, two of the most exciting writers of our times – Kamila Shamsie and Mohsin Hamid – published novels that have proved to be uncannily accurate about the direction the world would take. They warned of the future of nationalism, the tightening of political and social borders, and how our realities can become unrecognizable overnight. ISF meets them four years later to talk about their prescient works.
Date: Saturday, June 26, 2021, 7pm PDT
Event: Zakir Hussain – Alone Together – Zakir Hussain, featuring Mickey Hart and Rakesh Chaurasia. Sponsored by Odlum Brown.
An intimate evening with the tabla maestro, this online concert features Zakir Hussain performing solo and joined virtually by special guests collaborating in real-time from different parts of the world – Grateful Dead legend Mickey Hart and bansuri virtuoso Rakesh Chaurasia. The concert is preceded by a special interview with the maestro.
Date: Saturday, July 3, 2021
Event: Walking Tour of Punjabi Market
Presented by RBC.
Guests are invited to take a self-guided walking tour of the Punjabi Market using their own mobile device. The audio tour, narrated by artists, shop owners and community members, will give an insight into the past, present and vibrant future of this significant Vancouver neighbourhood.
Punjabi Market Premium Gift Box
Specially curated by artists Minahil Bukhari and Mustaali Raj for ISF2021, the Punjabi Market Premium Gift Box features gorgeous items hand-picked from Vancouver’s vibrant Punjabi Market. At a cost of $125, including taxes and shipping, the gift box will be delivered to your door via Canada Post to Canadian addresses only. Available for order here:
https://www.goelevent.com/IndianSummer/e/PunjabiMarketBox
Date: Thursday, July 8, 2021, 7pm PDT
Ancient Futures – Musical Inheritances – Ruby Singh, Khari Wendell McClelland and PIQSIQ.
Supported by TELUS.
Documentary premiere on the music project Jhalaak, followed by a conversation with some of Canada’s most innovative musical voices.
Date: Saturday, July 10, 2021, 7pm PDT
Event: Knives and Sugar – Avni Doshi with Souvankham Thammavongsa, moderated by Anna Ling Kaye.
A meeting of two of the most electrifying literary voices of recent times, one joining from Dubai and the other from Toronto – meet for the first time on ISF’s virtual stage.
Date: Thursday, July 15, 2021, 7pm PDT
Event: Transcendence by Anosh Irani feat. Lois Anderson, Munish Sharma and Laara Sadiq.
From the three-time Governor General’s Literary Award finalist and two-time Dora
Award-winning playwright comes a new work that sits in the exciting space between theatre and
film.
Date: Saturday, July 17, 2021, 7pm PDT
Event: Indian Summer Festival Finale – A Night at the Orpheum- musical performance by Naadaleela Ensemble and Mohamed Assani & Friends.
ISF’s 11th edition ends with a grand, one-night-only finale performed at the historic Orpheum Theatre and delivered digitally to your living room. This double-bill features internationally recognized musicians and features the worldwide premiere of two new musical works.
About Indian Summer Festival
Established in 2011, Indian Summer Festival is a multi-disciplinary arts festival produced by Indian Summer Arts Society, a not-for-profit charitable arts organization based in Vancouver, Canada, on the unceded Coast Salish territories of the Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), Səl̓ílwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), and xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations. This year’s festival runs from June 17th to July 17, 2021. Its mission is to offer daring, multi-arts events that bring together diverse artists, audiences, and artists in a global dialogue and citizenship spirit.
For monthly festival highlights, full event lineup and access to events, please visit indiansummerfest.ca
Follow us on:
Twitter: @IndianSummerCND
Facebook: @IndianSummerCanada
Instagram: @indiansumerfestival
Youtube: Indian Summer Festival Canada
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#liveoffthefloor concerts feature Surrey bands with nowhere else to play
The Longest Intermission – Getting musicians back into the swing of performing their new music and fans a chance to experience it.
With the support of the Province of British Columbia and the City of Surrey , Penmar Community Arts Society (Penmar), is launching The Longest Intermission, a virtual concert mini-series featuring local bands recorded live off the floor in Ocean Park Community Hall.
Since covid has shut down live music for over a year, bands have struggled to make a living, but continue to create and put out new material. The Longest Intermission gives bands the chance to rehearse in preparation for a return to touring and share it with fans through livestreaming.
Each band receives a copy of the professionally produced audio and video files that they can use to promote themselves and apply for other performance opportunities, both during and post covid. Each performance will be marketed to fans and potential fans throughout BC and livestreamed as a special event.
The Longest Intermission features two bands – Sleepy Gonzales and Brass Camel – all musicians that originated from Surrey or still live there.
The rehearsal will be produced, marketed and streamed as two virtual special events by Penmar with Partner Tradable Bits , who has sponsored us with use of their state-of-the-art marketing and streaming platform as a way to support emerging musicians.
The project received additional support from Long & McQuade (White Rock) that supplied lights for the production, Face The Music that is sponsoring each band with a video marketing package, and Music Lottery who is also providing financial support.
The goal with these special events is to work with the bands to promote their latest music which they created while unable to perform during covid. We are able to stream into communities that the bands are currently unable to tour to, with an opportunity of reaching new audiences.
Live from the Floor special event broadcasts take place on May 1st and May 8th and will feature a video of the Ocean Park Hall performance and a chance to interact with the bands.
Accessible for everyone. Registration is required and there are free tickets available and paid options to support the musicians in this series and bringing back live!
Event Information and link to register – https://bit.ly/2Q71JHG
Sleepy Gonzales video “aliens exist” – https://bit.ly/32cr8SP
Brass Camel video “Pressure Cooker” – https://bit.ly/3uRhK3r
Contact:
Dione Costanzo
Event and Marketing Specialist
Operations Manager, Penmar Community Arts Society
Office – 604-535-1162
Cell – 604-817-1526
Canadian musicians have a great opportunity to get radio play right here in Vancouver. Mary Kirk of Durham Radio has applied for a Vancouver license. With a new, local radio station artists will have a greater range of options to be heard, played, and paid for their music.
Durham Radio needs our help to get their application accepted. I’m reaching out to all musicians to send a letter of support for Durham Radio’s application.
Here is a message from Mary and Doug Kirk:
Dear members of our Wave artist family,
We at Durham Radio Inc. have applied for a new FM license to broadcast The Wave on 98.3FM in the heart of Vancouver, Canada’s second-largest English-speaking market and a perfect backdrop for Canada’s Smoothest Groove!
Our application was publicly posted Monday, March 22nd on the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission’s site (CRTC). In order to be successful, we now need huge public support, especially from our wonderful Wave family of artists. We hope you will add your own letter of support, documenting your past experiences with The Wave and with us personally, emphasizing our commitment to our artists, especially our Canadian vocalists and instrumentalists. If you have a personal story that will illustrate the impact the Wave has had on your career in the music industry, we would so appreciate your sharing it with the Commission.
Please begin your letter with a clear statement of support for our application. Then explain why you think that our “Smooth Groove” format would be a welcome addition to the Vancouver market. You may have some thoughts beyond the obvious arguments that we’ll be adding diversity of choice for listeners and a new fresh sound, primarily from artists who do not get played on any other stations in Canada. Our dedication to live music around town and major show production will of course continue, once attending concerts is allowed again!
We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your efforts to make “Vancouver’s Smoothest Groove” a reality! Our West Coast Wave will play an even balance of instrumental and vocal music and will be 40% Canadian in content. We are eager to get all our artists back on FM radio in Canada and introduced them to so many new fans.
With your help, we hope to be able to report on a favourable CRTC decision by late summer.
To mail your support: CRTC, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0N2 To fax your support please send to 819-994-0218 for further instructions contact Cat Levan at catlevan.music@gmail.com. www.wave.fm
Many thanks for your support,
Cat Levan
Community Board
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Community Board
2009 successful fight to keep road out of Bear Creek Park breached by present Safe Surrey Councillors
The Mayor and Council, City of Surrey, B.C., at meeting Monday, February 22/21, passed 5-4—an amendment to the 10-year plan and project #7065 (84th Avenue through Bear Creek Park)—to be fast-tracked to give 84th Avenue extension through Bear Creek Park a 2-year priority.
Clrs Pettigrew, Locke, Hundial and Annis questions:
- the successful 2009 community fight to keep 84th Avenue from going through the south end of Bear Creek Park
- community opposition in the past to the environmental impact on the two Class A red-listed salmonid creeks (“Bear Creek” at about 13720 and “King Creek” at about 13800)
7 shows you didn’t know were filmed in Surrey
Surrey’s Sullivan Heights Secondary opens new expansion for incoming students
This Surrey cafe offers a delicious Bombay brunch
6 events you need to attend in Surrey: Aug. 6-14
