Scott Kristjanson Announces Candidacy for Mayor of White Rock

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White Rock, BC – October 14, 2025 — Former City Councillor Scott Kristjanson has officially announced his candidacy for Mayor of White Rock, pledging to restore accountability, transparency, and balance to City Hall — and to put residents and local businesses, not developers, first.

Kristjanson, who served on White Rock Council from 2018 to 2022, is known for his independent voice, technical expertise, and unwavering commitment to the community. He has a proven track record of keeping promises and standing up against excessive development that threatens White Rock’s small-town character.

“White Rock deserves a mayor who listens to residents and local businesses — not developers,” said Kristjanson.

“We need to fix what’s broken: improve our infrastructure, reduce red tape, and bring back common sense and accountability to City Hall. The Mayor of White Rock should get things done for residents and local businesses — not just do what developers want.”

As Mayor, Kristjanson says he will focus on practical solutions that deliver real value for taxpayers — improving infrastructure and city services rather than building more towers.

Actions That Matter

• Getting the Basics Right – Focus on the core responsibilities of local government and deliver them well. It’s not always flashy, but it’s what matters most.

• Reduced Heights & Slower Growth – Stick to the Official Community Plan (OCP) and keep White Rock livable. The city already has a strong tax base from existing towers — collecting over $29 million in taxes that go unspent each year, with reserves nearing $200 million. White Rock doesn’t need more towers — and certainly not a 25-storey “Community Hub” tower replacing City Hall.

• Improved Infrastructure – Upgrade water quality by connecting to Metro Vancouver’s water supply, and improve drainage and roads to better serve existing residents.

• Reduced Red Tape & Wait Times – Streamline approvals for renovations and new homes. It shouldn’t take years to get a permit.

• Fair Taxes, Real Value – End wasteful spending and focus on essential city services. With nearly $200 million in reserves, it’s time to put residents’ tax dollars to work.

• Safer Streets & Better Enforcement – Continue to invest in RCMP, Fire Services, and bylaw enforcement to keep our city safe.

• Shuttle Service to the Beach – Restore the beach shuttle to help customers, workers, and families access the waterfront.

• Real Solutions for Homelessness – Partner with the province and local agencies to provide compassionate, effective support to help people off the streets.

• Protect Our Trees & Environment – Enforce the Tree Protection Bylaw and strengthen environmental safeguards to preserve slopes, prevent erosion, and keep White Rock green and beautiful.

• Support Local Businesses & the BIA – Partner with the business community to revitalize storefronts and patios. City staff should help local businesses and contractors succeed — not stand in their way.

Kristjanson brings extensive experience in software engineering, project management, and computer science, as well as a deep understanding of the arts and public service through years of local volunteerism and community advocacy.

“I’m running for Mayor because I believe in White Rock — its people, its beauty, and its potential,” Kristjanson said.

“Together, we can restore trust at City Hall, strengthen our community, and keep White Rock the vibrant, welcoming city we all love. Let’s build a City Hall that helps us all succeed — not one that gets in our way.”

White Rock Doesn’t Need More Towers to Pay Its Bills

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Many residents believe White Rock must “keep growing” to afford city services. But that’s simply not true.

No one wants White Rock to stagnate — some growth is healthy — but we need to push back against plans for a Community Hub and multiple 30- and 40-storey towers along North Bluff.

Since 2006, more than 20 new towers and high-density developments have already been approved and built. They’ve brought in plenty of new tax dollars. In fact, White Rock is collecting far more than it spends.

In 2024, the City took in about $80 million, yet $29 million went unspent and was placed in “reserves.” That means 36% of every tax dollar you pay sits in a bank account instead of improving our roads, parks, or services.

Those reserves now total nearly $200 million, and the City Manager has said he wants to grow them to $1 billion — yes, one billion dollars — for a city of only 22,000 people. That’s excessive by any measure.

When I served on Council, I repeatedly called out these sky-high taxes and oversized reserves. I even moved to cut property taxes by 5% to give residents and small businesses some relief. Council rejected that — choosing instead to match Surrey’s tax increases. We can do better.

White Rock’s Reserves Over Time

  • 2010: $20M reserves on a $35M budget → 50% of budget
  • 2018: $35M reserves on a $44M budget → 80% of budget
  • 2024: $200M reserves on an $80M budget → 250% of budget
  • Future plan: Grow to $1 billion in reserves. Ouch.

A healthy reserve should be about 50% of the annual budget. We hit that goal in 2010 — but since then, taxes and reserves have skyrocketed, even after all those new towers expanded our tax base.

It’s time for taxpayers to get value for their money — through better services, not bloated bank accounts.

Imagine what $29 million could do for our city in 2024:

✅ Improve infrastructure
✅ Restore shuttle service from Uptown to the beach
✅ Support seniors and small businesses
✅ Reduce approval times and improve city services

A Transparency Problem

When I asked the City for detailed financial data for the past 10 years, I was told it was too difficult to provide.

Why?

There are only two possible explanations:

  1. The City doesn’t have the data readily available — which raises serious questions about how budgets are managed; or
  2. They have the data but won’t share it — which raises even more serious questions about transparency.

Either way, taxpayers deserve to know where their money is going.

What do you think?
Should White Rock keep building towers as described in the North Bluff Study and the 11 Pillars White Paper, while $200 million sits unused in reserves?
Or is it time for real transparency, improved services, and fair taxation?

Thank You, White Rock!

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The byelection is over, and while I came up just 88 votes short of a Council seat, I am deeply proud of the support I received from the people of White Rock. With a turnout of only 16.63%, every single vote truly mattered — and I am grateful to each resident who believed in me and my vision for our city.

Over the past weeks, I had the privilege of knocking on doors, speaking with residents, and listening to your hopes and concerns. I made many new friends, built strong connections with local businesses, and shared inspiring conversations with neighbors who love this city as much as I do.

I also gained the friendship and respect of many fellow candidates who put themselves forward to serve White Rock — congratulations to Anthony Manning and Susan Bains on your wins, and to everyone who stepped up for our community.

To my campaign team: thank you for your time, your energy, and your belief in me. But above all, thank you to the residents of White Rock — you are the heart of this campaign and of this city.

Though I won’t be at the Council table this term, I will continue to fight for White Rock, to advocate for our community, and to do everything I can to make our city stronger and more vibrant.

Now it’s time to collect the signs — and yes, we’ll bring them out again next year for the election in 2026. Until then, thank you very much for your support!

With gratitude,

Scott Kristjanson

White Rock By-Election Final Results

Does White Rock Need to Build More Towers to Expand Our Tax Base?

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There is a lot of misinformation out there that says White Rock is mandated to build more towers and that we need to do this to cover city costs and expand our tax base.

None of that it true!

White Rock has already built enough towers that were approved in 2016 to cover our regional growth targets past 2040. I know because I sat on the Metro Vancouver board when these targers were reviewed.

In addition, the Province’s Bill 43 and Bill 47 make it clear that the mandate for more towers do not apply to White Rock since we do not have any rapid transit such as sky train in White Rock. Only areas near sky trains are mandated to have towers approved. Bill 44 suggests that White Rock must approve multi-unit 4 story housing in single family neighbourhoods, but there is plenty of opportunity for cities to push back. Cities such as Port Coquitlam under Mayor Brad West have successfully done so. With the right people on City Council, White Rock can push back on Bill 44 too!

What about the need to expand our tax base?

No! That was already done by the push for towers in 2016.

  • In 2010, our unspent cash reserves were $20M or 50% of our annual budget
  • In 2018 when I was one Council, the reserves were up to $35M or about 80% of the budget
  • Today, the White Rock surplus is about $240M or about 400% of the annual budget
  • Taxpayers continue to get overtaxed even with the new towers and 30% of your taxes go unspent
  • City Staff have said that they want to increase this to $1B, but these funds are only for emergencies and other contingencies, and 50% of the annual budget is much more typical
  • What are they doing with this money besides getting very little interest in the bank

So why the push for more towers in White Rock?

  • Follow the money!
  • The new 30 and 40 story towers being pushed by Council is worth about $2.7B to real estate investors and developers.
  • The Mayor has said that she cannot stick to my version of the 2021 Official Community plan because developers cannot make money at 12 stories, and so they need at least 25 stories to make a profit! Shouldn’t the Mayor be more focussed on creating a better community for residents, visitors, and local businesses, rather than focusing on Developer profits?

The Mayor has said that she cannot stick to our version of the 2021 Official Community plan that reduced heights uptown to 12 stories because she claims that developers cannot make money at 12 stories, and so they need at least 25 stories to make a profit!

During the election, the Mayor promised voters that she would stick to the OCP 12. What happened to that promise?

Shouldn’t the Mayor and City Council be more focussed on creating a better community for residents, visitors, and local businesses, rather than focusing on Developer profits?

Building Permits Take Too Long

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It can take years to get simple approvals done for renovations or to build a single family home in White Rock, or to get a business renovation approved. That’s costs builders and businesses tens of thousands of dollars in delays, and costs city taxpayers due to extended approval times. We can do better.

The Mayor promised to fix this but it appears nothing has been fixed. Taxpayers deserve to get value for their money and that includes creating a faster and more taxpayer friendly approach to help people and businesses get their projects done quickly. It take years to get approvals in White Rock for simple approvals that takes weeks in Surrey..

The Fieldstone Bakery on Russell took over three years to get approved. In any other city, it would takes weeks, not years. Three Dogs ran into similar problems and delays.

Many home builders frequently have run into similar delays and hassles. Our Engineering department has some great staff but the current corporate culture is not focused on getting things done for the builders of single family homes. Towers can get approved in months it seems, but renovating a business or building a single family homes takes years.

I don’t blame poor city corporate culture and high turnover rates on staff. The Mayor and City Council sets the standard and is responsible for creating the kind of culture that wants to help taxpayers get projects done, not delay them and get in the way.

On Columbia, as an example, the builder was given formal approval to build a home that included a double paved parking pad on Columbia. The building spent tens of thousands of dollars to build a beautifully built parking pad to code as approved by city planning.

However, according to the builder, after it was built at great expense, the city engineering department changed it’s mind and demanded that the parking pad be removed. Council was notified of this, but that same day the City Engineering department drove down to the builders new home with several employees and backhoe, and ripped up the cement pad and the blocked it off so the new owner could not use it.

That was in 2019. The parking pad is still blocked off by the city in 2025. We need a Council that knows how to work together with staff, using continuous improvement techniques for process review and improvement, and create a corporate culture that helps taxpayers succeed. I know how to get it done based on my 40 years of experience in businesses using these techniques. Vote for Scott Kristjanson and I will work with staff and council and taxpayers to create a Can-Do corporate culture that works for taxpayers instead of getting in their way.

I have improved project completion time in business using Continuous Improvement techniques developed by Dr. Deming to reduce project times while also saving money and customer and employee satisfaction. We can do that at City Hall too Let’s fix this together.

The North Bluff Study is bad for White Rock and needs to be rejected!

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White Rock faces a new threat: proposals by the current council for over a dozen 30–40 storey high rises along 16th Ave in what they call the North Bluff Study, as well as other projects like the Community Hub. Once again, City Councilors are pushing for projects that will reshape our community forever. But with 2 seats up for election in this election, we can shift power back to the people of this community.

The North Bluff study has one goal: force hundreds of families out of affordable rentals so large out of town developers can build more million dollar condos.

The Area of the City Affected by the North Bluff Study to build 30 and 40 storey condos

The area highlighted by blue is included in the North Bluff study that hopes to replace the existing homes and rentals with condos and towers. Is this what you want for your city?

I talk about affordable housing and my first priority is to retain as much of the existing affordable rentals that we already have along North Bluff and the two blocks South of that.

On September 27, White Rock voters will decide: Do we stick to the Official Community Plan (4, 8, and 12 storeys) — or do we give developers the green light for more and higher towers?

I’m running for City Council to defend our community. If you live in White Rock, I ask for your vote. When I was on Council from 2018 to 2022, we spent three years in the public input process to find out was residents want and that was to reduce heights and density.

My motion in 2021, as supported by Council, reduced maximum heights from 24 stories down to 12. It can be done! Voters can have a say in the future of your city. I ask for your support once more so we can block the North Bluff Study and keep people in their homes.

Many candidates are funded by big money developers. Check out how many have large numbers of signs with many on newly developed building sites. They may not tell you that they are funded by developers, but many are.

Don’t be fooled.

Vote for someone with a long history of supporting our community, residents, and local businesses, not developers with deep pockets.

Vote for Scott Kristjanson.

White Rock Needs To Do More to Support Local Businesses

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As a city, White Rock needs to do more to help local businesses prosper. The Boat House closed on Sunday. Another local gem gone. So many good memories for so many visitors, residents, and staff.

On Sunday, Sept 21st, the lights went out on a large presence on the strip, The Boathouse Restaurant. A landmark restaurant that has lasted 44 years, boasted the best view on the strip and has hosted many special family events over the years.

Although many are excited to see what might go into this space next, for now the pretty lights on our corner will dim and they will be missed. Well done staff, good luck in your new adventures!

Coffee with Kristjanson

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Come meet me at Laura’s Coffee Corner at 15259 Pacific Ave, White Rock, BC V4B 1P8 every Wednesday morning from 9am to 11am.

What are Scott’s Priorities?

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While on City Council from 2018 to 2022:

  • Scott Kristjanson honoured 100% of his promises!
  • Moved to reduce OCP maximum building heights
  • I support local businesses! After the 2018 election, I worked with staff to get the West beach parking lot near Primos restaurant re-opened for the public. The previous Council had stood by while it had been closed for over 2 years during the construction at Memorial Park. It took me just a few days to get the parking lot reopened. Closed parking lots hurts local businesses and hurts tourism!
  • Urged council and staff to speed up service dellivery for simple renovations and single family home permits. It can take years in White Rock to get a permit. The same permit in other cities takes weeks.
  • Moved to support affordable housing for seniors by setting aside $4M in financing
  • Moved to reduce taxes since millions of tax dollars since in 2018 we had $35M in reserves and we now have over $240M sitting in reserves not being spent. In 2024, of the approximately $80M collected in taxes, $29M was never spent and were put in the bank as unneeded reserve funds. That’s about a third of your taxes gathering dust every year! We need fiscal responsibility!
  • Moved to measure taxpayer satisfaction with city services as a way to improve city services to be faster and more efficient. You cannot fix what you do not measure! The Mayor and Council did not support my motion. This needs to change! Taxpayers deserve value for money!
  • First to reach out to local restaurants during Covid and ask them what they needed from Council.
  • Moved to make it easier for residents, visitors, and restaurant staff to have easier car-free access to the beach by bringing back free shuttle services from uptown to the beach.

Too many highrises? Not enough infrastructure? Too much red tape? Taxes too high? More businesses closing? Years to get simple building permits approved?

When re-elected, Scott’s Priorities will continue to be:

  • Your voice for residents and local businesses.
  • It’s your City By The Sea, you should have your say!
  • Slow down excess development. Snub-the-Hub! Stick to the OCP. Excess develop has made traffic and parking difficult for so many!
  • Fiscal responsibility. Reduce red tape, consulting costs, and lower taxes!
  • Improve city services and infrastructure. Ensure taxpayers get value for their money!
  • Encourage active living by improving access to fitness centres, pools, pickleball, beach shuttles
  • Ensure public input on major projects is heard and listened to.
  • Protect the environment and trees,
  • Safe drinking water.

Scott Kristjanson running for Re-Election in the Sept 27th White Rock By-Election

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I am proud to announce that I am running in the upcoming by election on Sept 27th 2025 for a seat on White Rock City Council. Voting is at the White Rock Community Center. Every vote counts! If elected, I will support the issues most important to residents and local businesses, not developers with deep pockets!

Tired of politicians who promise to stick to the official community plan that limits heights, only for them to ignore those limits once elected? The current mayor and the majority on council have pushed for 25 and 30 story towers within our city and along North Bluff, completely in violation of the 2021 Official Community Plan (OCP) that we created last term.

We have a chance to change that through the upcoming by-election on September 27th. If we elect two more city councillors that honour their promises and their fiduciary duty to vote for what the voters of this city want, then your voices can be heard and we can push back on all this excessive development such as the 25 storey City Hub that was proposed at Russell and Johnston!

Vote for Scott Kristjanson. As a member of city council from 2018-2022, I kept all my election promises including making a successful motion that reduced maximum heights from 24 stories down to 12 based on three years of public consultation by our Council. I supported local businesses, the arts, and active living by supporting the new pickleball courts, and advocated for investing in our infrastructure such the need for a new ice plant at the Curling Rink.

During my last term as your White Rock city councillor:

  • Successfully moved to change the maximum heights to align with what residents asked for: to lower maximum heights and densities within uptown from a maximum of 24 stories down to 12 stories maximum.
  • Supported Marine Drive Businesses allowing them to serve customers on extended patios that reached out to the North Lane of Marine Drive, at a time when the province prevented them from serving customers inside during covid.
  • Voted for Clean and safe Drinking Water
  • Moved to reduce taxes and $29M of $80M White Rock tax dollars did not get spent last year. The rest of the council opposed reducing taxes.

My priorities continue to be:

  • Moratorium on more high rise development
  • Scrub the City Hub – a proposed 30 story high rise with millions paid by city taxes
  • Clean safe drinking water
  • Protect the environment, sea, and tree canopy
  • Support for indoor pickleball courts during winter and a new ice plant for the curling rink.
  • Address long waits for building single family homes and permit process for business Focus on infrastructure and city improvements that enhance our community.
  • Retain all existing older affordable homes and focus on housing affordability
  • Reduce taxes for businesses and homeowners. We pay 30% more taxes than Surrey and receive less services. That’s not right!
  • Clean up and enhance Marine Drive to make it more welcoming for families and tourists and a better draw for local businesses
  • Add a wharf to the pier as a place for families to rent boats, kayaks, swim and play
  • Improved beach access for those with mobility issues
  • Restore Shuttle Service to the beach to support local businesses and residents