Between the mayor’s approach and politically-motivated protesters, Surrey residents are being short changed and the work of city hall is jeopardized: Councillor Linda Annis 

Surrey, B.C. (June 2, 2022): Surrey First Councillor Linda Annis says “things definitely have to change at city hall” or the next four months are going to be a costly waste of time that jeopardizes the real work of city council, and certainly damages Surrey’s reputation.

Councillor Annis said moving council’s regular Monday meeting to Wednesday cost thousands of tax dollars and that’s not fair to the residents of Surrey. The mayor had the public sit outside the council chamber during last night’s meeting and admitted speakers only one at a time. In the end, council voted to consider a bylaw at the next council meeting that would allow council to hold virtually meetings going forward at its discretion. “I voted against that,” said Annis. “This paints a very sad picture of the city right now. Excluding the city’s taxpayers from speaking in person at public meetings is absolutely the wrong way to treat our residents and our democracy. Between the mayor’s disregard for Surrey residents, and the distractions created by the kinds of protests we’ve seen this week, Surrey City Hall isn’t looking or feeling good right about now. The mayor, the protesters and the people behind these politically-motivated disruptions need to stop and apologize to Surrey voters and taxpayers. Like Surrey voters, I can’t wait for October 15 so we can clear the air and get this city back on track.”

“I know how hard mayors like Dianne Watts, Linda Hepner and Bob Bose worked to build up the reputation of our city, and right now I think all their hard work is being dismantled by the mayor and politically staged protests,” Annis added. “Dragging the upcoming election campaign into city council chambers is like playing with fire and it needs to stop. The people of Surrey are being short changed by all of these theatrics, some of which we saw again last night. The mayor’s behaviour is definitely not leadership. These protests, which are being orchestrated as political spectacles, also deserve to be called out for what they are and the damage they do.”

“The work of the city needs to get done, the mayor and his criminal charges are a huge distraction, and so are these well-oiled and stage-managed demonstrations,” added Annis. “Like the people of Surrey, I don’t like it, and as a councillor I’m angry that the people’s business is being treated this way. Right about now, we definitely need more adults in this room.”