Moving back to virtual-only council meetings, instead of in-person, sums up Doug McCallum’s four years as mayor: Councillor Linda Annis

 Surrey, B.C. (June 13, 2022): Surrey First Councillor Linda Annis says if Doug McCallum and his four councillors vote to return regular council meetings to virtual, instead of in-person, it will be the best example yet of how their four years at city hall was spent distancing themselves from the people of Surrey.

Led by the mayor, city council voted at last week’s council meeting to put the idea on the agenda for tonight’s meeting. Annis was the only one to vote against bringing back virtual meetings.

“The only reason to return to virtual meetings is to keep the public at arm’s length,” said Annis. “The citizens of Surrey are just an annoyance to the mayor and his four councillors, so it will not be a surprise if they vote to end this term with virtual meetings instead of allowing the public to attend in-person. It would sum up their entire approach over four years and the people of Surrey deserve better.” 

“I will not support a return to virtual council meetings, particularly as we head into the last few council meetings before the October election,” said Annis. “We need to show the people of Surrey that we welcome them and their opinions at city hall. If we wrap up our four years here with virtual meetings, instead of in-person sessions, we are sending a terrible signal about democracy in our city. At a virtual meeting, it’s too easy for the mayor to cut off and ignore speakers and that’s not how we should end our four-year term. City hall is the place where the people’s business is conducted, and they should be allowed to join us in person.”