After decades of debate, Surrey has decided to permit homeowners to have one secondary suite in all single-family homes in the city, following an Ipsos Reid telephone poll in which 63 per cent of those surveyed supported the idea.The move, which received unanimous approval at city council Monday night, brings Surrey’s secondary suite policy into line with that of most municipalities in Metro Vancouver. Delta is expected to go ahead with a similar policy.Up until now, Surrey has allowed secondary suites only in predetermined zones in the city, mostly in Newton. Yet the city has its share of illegal suites, which are estimated to number as high as 19,000. Surrey Coun. Judy Villeneuve, who chairs the city’s social planning committee, said the illegal suites have provided affordable housing in the city, as well as mortgage help for new homeowners. Legalizing the suites, she said, will allow homeowners to offer accommodation to extended families or renters, while ensuring they provide parking spaces and pay their fair share for utilities and taxes.Homes with secondary suites result in added costs to the city’s water, sewer, and garbage services. “Ha... MORE >

In an effort to establish a long-term vision for White Rock’s commercial areas, the city plans to pitch in up to $20,000 for a business needs and priorities assessment.Council approved the funding – which will come out of the economic reserve and be matched by the White Rock Business Improvement Association – at its Monday meeting, subject to the approval of a grant from the BC Real Estate Foundation.According to a report, staff based the funding formula off a 50 per cent contribution from the real estate foundation, with the total cost of the project being $80,000.The report cited key components that should be included in the study, such as targeting the upper and lower town centre and East and West Beach as four distinct commercial areas; identifying opportunities and limitations for retail, office, accommodation and service commercial uses in each area; and reviewing parking in the four areas, with added emphasis on waterfront pay parking, leading to a long-term parking business plan.The purpose of the study would also be to identify the target market and long-term redevelopment and revitalization for the four areas, as well as make recommendations on form and character fo... MORE >

It started in chaos and ended in a consensus. An annual general meeting of the White Rock Business Improvement Association Monday evening at the Elks Hall began as a stormy shouting match but emerged as an orderly proceeding. This was largely due to the intervention of professional “registered parliamentarian” – or parliamentary expert – John Noonan, employed by the BIA to run the meeting according to Roberts’ Rules of Order, per the Society Act. BIA executive director Russ Davies said Noonan’s hiring had been within the organization’s approved budget for its AGM and renewal process, though he wouldn’t reveal the exact cost. Long-time BIA critic Larry Anschell – whose group of members registered in Victoria last summer as the BIA’s board of directors on record – peppered the meeting with questions and statements throughout the evening. However, voting members (94, including proxy votes), proceeded to adopt resolutions to renew the BIA for another 10 years, formal... MORE >

Winds gusting 80 to 100 km/h overnight Sunday knocked out power to thousands of residents throughout the Lower Mainland. And while pockets around the Semiahmoo Peninsula were not immune – the largest group left in the dark numbered nearly 2,000 customers – most in White Rock and South Surrey came out unscathed. “It doesn’t look very hard hit,” BC Hydro’s Dag Sharman said. “I don’t see very many (outages) there.” A downed tree knocked out power to 1,873 White Rock, South Surrey and south Langley residents Monday morning. The affected area was bounded by 24 Avenue, Finlay Street, 0 Avenue and 200 Street. Small pockets were also out along 171 and 172 Streets, and 1 Avenue. At its peak, between 7 and 8 a.m., more than 58,000 customers were out. The count included 9,613 in the Fraser Valley West region, which includes White Rock, South Surrey, Delta and Richmond. The latest winds did leave some seaside mess for city workers. White Rock dire... MORE >

Games gridlock is the big fear for many locals as the 2010 Olympics loom.You don't need to flee the city or spend two weeks hiding at home.But getting around during the Olympics is best done with planning, thought and plenty of patience.So herewith is our guide to getting around to help you enjoy the Games instead of spending too much of it stuck in traffic.First, the good news.If you live in one of Metro Vancouver's suburbs and don't have to commute into Vancouver for work, traffic won't be too bad.Motorists should be able to drive within their own communities to work, shopping and other everyday trips without hitting much more than normal congestion.There won't be any of the road and bridge closures, Olympic-only lanes or parking restrictions that will constrict traffic in Vancouver.If you're a regular transit user, expect buses to be busier than normal as Games-goers ride to local live sites or to SkyTrain to avoid driving downtown.If the system is overwhelmed, you may see your already-full bus roll by without stopping.TransLink aims to ensure those pass-ups don't happen.An extra 160 roving buses are at the ready to roll into action wherever they're needed most.At least 10 are i... MORE >

Some City of Surrey staff may eventually be heading to Haiti as part of a rebuilding effort, Mayor Dianne Watts is suggesting. The Caribbean country was levelled Jan. 12 in a 7.0 magnitude earthquake with an epicentre just outside the capital city of Port-au-Prince. Estimates put the number of dead at between 100,000 and 200,000. All institutions – including hospitals, schools, government buildings and prisons – were badly damaged. Watts is heading to Ottawa this week as part of the big cities mayors conference, and she'll offer the expertise of some city staff to reconstruction efforts being co-ordinated by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM). She said Tuesday staff would most likely come from planning and engineering departments. The FCM will make the determination as to what might be needed. The offer of help will come after search and recovery efforts are over. “Once the humanitarian work is in place, Haiti is going to have to be rebuilt, and that’s going to req... MORE >