We are always talking about how bullying needs to stop in Canada. We see brave women standing up to the accused CBC host Jian Ghomeshi and saying “enough!” after what may have been years of serial abuse, bullying, and rape. While the courts will decide the truth of it all, we feel pride that these women have stood up to this bully and exposed his alleged actions for the vile crime that they are. It takes just one brave soul to stand up to a bully and then they crumble. But all too often, the victim does not report the crime. All too often, the victim is vilified as someone whose actions have provoked or even deserved the bullying. All too often victims of bullying stand alone unsupported while the bully receives no punishment and repeats his crimes for years unchecked until that first brave soul, in this case Air Force Captain Lucy DeCoutere, decided to speak publicly about her ordeal and put a stop to the abuse by saying “Enough!” to the Bullies!

With the CBC Ghomeshi story fresh in our minds, I read about another case of serial bullying right here in White Rock. I read how that Mayoral Candidate David Bradshaw had been dragged through the mud for political gain by Mayor Baldwin in a “moment of anger and outrage”. It is clear that David Bradshaw worked in a toxic work environment at the BCTF. It is clear that he had trouble dealing with that stress resulting in depression and anxiety. But as in the case of Captain Lucy DeCoutere, he deserves our support and understanding, not a smear campaign.

Once again, we saw a victim of bullying is being dragged through the mud, this time by our own Mayor and perhaps others who were eager to discredit him. That someone would provide his personal and confidential work and health report to the CBC speaks volumes about how toxic that work environment must have been.

Having worked in High Tech through the good years and bad, I have seen hundreds of people, myself included, work through years of such a toxic work environment. I have seen grown men cry, employees burst out in anger, and much worse. You cannot judge them without having first lived in their shoes. I have. I was strong, but many are not. What defines character is not how we choose to deal with the emotional impact of an unjust firing, what defines our character is how we pick up the pieces and move on. In David’s case, he choose to stand up to the bullies in City Hall by saying “Enough!”. As with DeCoutere, we should be proud of David for standing up to the bullies and support him. David has my support and he deserves yours.

Read about it in the Peace Arch News here. The Mayor apologized for his a “moment of anger and outrage” but was it sincere? Was it a mistake or a well thought out and deliberate smear campaign? Decide for yourself if our Mayor has the true integrity to admit when he was wrong, or is he is just another bully with power who said that he was sorry, not because of what he did, but because he got caught?

The Mayor has his election Victory, but we all lose whenever a bully wins.

We have been told that City Hall insiders say that TWENTY TWO new towers are sitting in White Rock City Hall at various stages of planning currently on-hold pending the outcome of this election. Five towers have been approved to be built as soon as the market demand is there, including the one outside of the Town Center and another near the hospital.

If that rumor is true, then 22 Towers are worth as much as $2 Billion dollars in potential Condo sales and that means at least $100M in total profits to developers, $50M to real-estate companies, and over $1B in construction contracts!

You bet the Pro-Development Candidates are well funded! No wonder Keven O’Leary says that White Rock is THE hot place to invest if you have big money! No wonder advertisements for our Condos go all the way to China!

Not bad for a little 2 square mile town. That is not bad unless you want to be able to buy a single family home here. Then it’s bad. By zoning for high density, we make lots too attractive for developers and we lose our established base of single family homes at reasonable prices. Many older homes are sold for their lot alone, with the house being torn down to build two or more homes instead and double the original price. That’s no way to build a community.

There is nothing wrong with creating towers if that is what residents want. But the Pro-Development candidates should inform residents what voting for them will do to our little City by the Sea! They don’t!

If these candidates believe that increased density is SO good for White Rock whether “people want it or not”, why don’t they list their Pro-Development voting record in their Campaign Materials? Strange.

Mayor Baldwin and the Majority of Candidates in the White Rock Coalition either Vote Pro-Density, make money through rental properties, and/or own a business related to real-estate.

Here is the list of Pro-Density Candidates based on their voting record or business:

Mayor Baldwin – Voted for White Rock Muffler, Evergreen, Vidal*
Grant Meyer – Voted for White Rock Muffler, Evergreen, Vidal
Bill Lawrence – Voted for White Rock Muffler, Evergreen, Vidal
Cliff Annable – Supported Bosa and is a real-estate speculator
Megan Knight – Notary Republic

Mayor Baldwin was also a strong advocate for approving the Bosa Towers as CAO despite thousands of residents being opposed to it and who signed a petition with Democracy Direct to block it.

Who are my favorite picks for City Council?
David Bradshaw for Mayor

For Council:
Dennis Lypka, Helen Fathers, Margaret Woods, David Chesney, Ross Haugland, and Pattie Petrala.

These are our picks, but please do you own research, ask the candidates lots of questions and vote smart. Do not be fooled by Campaigns, look at how the Candidate votes!

We have heard time and again that increased density is needed to help lower our taxes and improve our businesses. Yet our taxes are the highest of any similar sized city by a large margin and 50% higher than Surrey’s taxes. And our local businesses are being crippled by excessive business taxes that are even higher, and by pay parking, and by having to operate their business in poorly maintained rented shops owned by real estate speculators who hold onto the property without maintaining them while waiting to develop another tower there. Density is hurting residents and business while helping developers get rich and the politicians that they support get elected.

The White Rock Coalition says that its first key priority is “Preserving Our Community”, yet look at what projects Coalition members Grant Meyer, Bill Lawrence, and Cliff Annable have supported in the past.

Candidates who have supported these high density developments despite strong resident opposition are:
Mayor Baldwin – Voted for White Rock Muffler, Evergreen, Vidal*, supported Bosa
Grant Meyer – Voted for White Rock Muffler, Evergreen, Vidal
Bill Lawrence – Voted for White Rock Muffler, Evergreen, Vidal
Cliff Annable – Supported Bosa and is a real-estate speculator

None of their campaign material talks about supporting densification.

There is nothing wrong with supporting densification if that is what you say you support. If you are elected because residents want more density, then more Density should happen. That is great so long as the people know who they are voting for, and the politicians have the integrity to admit it.

Integrity means saying what you do, and doing what you say.

In fact, the record shows that each of the incumbent candidates above received campaign contributions from developers in 2011. That seems inconsistent with their campaign materials too. Strange.

Integrity means saying what you do, and doing what you say. Mayor Baldwin said he opposed Vidal, but his actions ensure it passed.

A politician’s actions must match his public statements.
Without that, there is no integrity.

Your vote matters! Tell your friends and Vote for a Change!

*Note – Mayor Baldwin publicly claimed to oppose the Vidal Street 12-Storey Mega-Condo but his actions on Oct 21st say otherwise and resulted in Vidal being approved because he voted to delay the vote.

Council was to vote on the Vidal development on Oct 21st and because Grant Meyer was not present, the Mayor could have immediately defeated this proposed development that night by creating a 3-3 tie with both Helen Fathers and Al Campbell also opposed. But what did Mayor Baldwin actually do? He delayed the vote until the next Council meeting to ensure that Grant Meyer would be there to vote FOR the development1!

By delaying the vote, Mayor Baldwin could safely vote against Vidal publicly, knowing that Grant’s vote would ensure that it still passed. Mayor Baldwin claimed that he wanted to turn down the project, but ensured that it received final approval from council by delaying the vote. And this is exactly what happened at the next Council meeting.

Vote Smart this Saturday on November 15th.
Vote for a Change.

Candidates who have supported high density developments despite strong resident opposition are:
– Mayor Baldwin – Voted for White Rock Muffler, Evergreen, Vidal*
– Wayne Baldwin – Strongly Supported the Bosa Towers as White Rock CAO
– Grant Meyer – Voted for White Rock Muffler, Evergreen, Vidal
– Bill Lawrence – Voted for White Rock Muffler, Evergreen, Vidal
– Cliff Annable – Supported Bosa and is a real-estate speculator

Vote Smart this Saturday on November 15th.
Vote for a Change.

*Note:
Mayor Baldwin publicly claimed to oppose the Vidal Street 12-Storey Mega-Condo but his actions on Oct 21st ensured that it passed.

Council was to vote on the Vidal development on Oct 21st and because Grant Meyer was not present, the Mayor could have immediately defeated this proposed development that night by creating a 3-3 tie with both Helen Fathers and Al Campbell also opposed. But what did Mayor Baldwin actually do? He delayed the vote until the next Council meeting to ensure that Grant Meyer would be there to vote FOR the development1!

Then, at the next council meeting, Mayor Baldwin could safely vote against Vidal, knowing that Grant’s vote would ensure that it passed.

The Mayor discussed this point with me privately following the Nov 10th All Candidates meeting. He said that IF he had voted against the project on Oct 21st and it failed, then Grant Meyer could have later appealed that vote and forced another vote. The end result would be no worse and it could possible have been better if Grant Meyer lost the appeal.

But we do not believe that such an appeal process exists. There have been plenty of votes with absent councilors in the past in White Rock and no appeals.

However, even if this appeal process actually existed as the Mayor says it does, then it is still Mayor Baldwin’s fiduciary responsibility to act and vote according to his beliefs, and so it was his responsibility to vote against Vidal on Oct 21st in keeping with his publicly stated position.

And IF such an appeal process exists, which I doubt, then it would be up to Councillor Grant Meyer to publicly go through that appeal process as part of his fiduciary responsibility to the voters.

If a Mayor chooses to vote FOR supporting a project that he publicly says he opposes, just for the sake of avoiding a possible appeal, then that Mayor is not a strong enough leader to be the Mayor in my opinion. Process should never stand in the way of a Mayor doing the right thing for the voters.

Sorry Mayor Baldwin, I just do not buy that story.

The Mayor is a strong leader, so he must have voted with his own beliefs about the Vidal project, but that would mean his beliefs do not match what he says in public.

And if that is true, then that would mean a lack of integrity.

White Rock All Candidate’s Meeting – Nov 10th

White Rock Community Center 7:30 pm
(Just 5 days before the Nov 15th election!)
Plenty of opportunity for residents to ask questions this time!

White Rock Community Centre
15154 Russell Avenue (Miramar “A”)
Monday, November 10th, 2014
7:30 – 9:30 pm

Please bring plenty of questions, but also let’s remember that these candidates deserve our thanks and respect for offering to represent us on council.

Read more about it in the Peace Arch News by clicking here.
You can read the agenda here.

Our City by the Sea is under attack. By our own city council, lead by Mayor Baldwin and the majority of City Councillors and funded by Greedy Developers who seems to be immune to following the OCP rules and city bylaws. Now Mayor Baldwin has hand-picked a slate of Pro-Development candidates.

Nov 11th Correction: Mayor Baldwin has denied any involvement with the White Rock Pro-Development Coalition. They may have similar goals and campaigns, but Mayor Baldwin denies that he has any connection to the Coalition. Readers should decide for themselves if there is a connection. Our apologies for drawing this conclusion.

Notice that councillors Helen Fathers and Alan Campbell are excluded. Mr. Baldwin does not want anyone on Council that he cannot control and who will not put developer’s interests above White Rock citizens. For me, this is an endorsement for both Helen and Al.

While Mr. Baldwin has been Mayor, and previously as CAO at City Hall, a large number of publicly opposed and unsuitable high-density developments have been passed by the Mayor and City Council. All of the following developments were opposed by residents and neighbours, but were approved by council anyway.

• Bosa Towers – Mr. Baldwin helped push through this very unpopular development and even helped finance the project using your tax dollars to provide the project with a low-interest short-term mortgage worth several million dollars. Under Jean Kromm’s leadership over 3000 household signed a petition against this development. The Citizen’s strong opposition to this project was ignored by City Council and the Bosa Towers started White Rock’s downward high-density demise. Read more about this in this 2006 newspaper article here.
• White Rock Muffler Shop – Over Height and opposed by vast majority of residents. Mayor “the Boss” Baldwin says “Because I am the Boss” and if you do not like it, there will be an election Nov 15th 2014
• Evergreen Baptist Care Facility Expansion – Passed despite impact on neighbours and patients. Read more here and here
• 12-Story Mega Condo at Mariner’s Reach on Vidal Street
• Carriage Home Fiasco at Thrift and Finlay
• The Sausalito – City allows building to exceed height restrictions despite neighbour objections
• Bishop Hill Planning Fiasco costs resident tens of thousands in lost home value
• Upcoming: Council to give EPCOR $13 Million Land Bonaza
• TWELVE New 24-Story Mega-Towers Planned for City Center

So with all this development and increased density, why are White Rock Taxes so High? Some people argue that increasing density is a good thing for White Rock and that adding more people will lower our taxes. Nothing could be further from the truth! White Rock has been increasing its density for over a decade now. Let’s see how its working out for our taxes!

Here’s a graph that compares White Rock’s taxes to similar BC Cities. Notice how our taxes are WAY higher! Higher density means Higher Taxes. Check out Pitt Meadows for example. White Rock has about the same population as Pitt Meadows, but the average taxes paid by homeowners in White Rock is DOUBLE what residents in Pitt Meadows pay! And White Rock’s density is TWICE the density of Surrey. Are our taxes lower? Not at all! Our taxes are about 50% higher than Surrey for residents, and 300% higher for businesses. That’s not right!

Increased density increases taxes, lowers your property values, and raises your taxes. Increased density brings increased crime, congestion, and over-crowds our schools. Increased density raises costs for everyone and makes single family housing an unobtainable dream for new families and senior citizens on fixed incomes. Do we really want a city where all the children are raised in condo towers and where are seniors can no longer afford to own their own backyard garden? I do not think so.

Why are housing prices so out of line with average incomes in White Rock? Why is housing so unaffordable? Why do they keep building Condos here in White Rock when the majority sit empty? There are global factors involved that are making it attractive for developers to cram this city with huge empty towers, while making White Rock unaffordable for new families to buy a single family home. City Council is ignoring this important issue and are blinded by their greed for Developer Campaign Contributions. Increased Density hurts our city, kills local business, and drives prices and taxes up. Read more here.

Prosperity is possible without towers. Check out how good city councils with strong vision helped this small Italian town prosper through natural beauty and tourism rather than nasty towers by clicking here.
White Rock could do this too! If White Rock elects a City Council with a vision for the Future.

Why are housing prices so out of line with average incomes in White Rock? Why is housing so unaffordable? Why do they keep building Condos here in White Rock when the majority sit empty? There are global factors involved that are making it attractive for developers to cram this city with huge empty towers, while making White Rock unaffordable for new families to buy a single family home.

City Council is ignoring this important issue and are blinded by their greed for Developer Campaign Contributions. Increased Density hurts our city, kills local business, and drives prices and taxes up.

White Rockers are struggling and choking over the cost of housing. But sensitivities around race have stifled an important debate about how much foreign home ownership is impacting the city. We must tackle foreign home ownership problem head on according to former Crown Prosecuter and anti-Casino advocate Sandy Garossino

Read the article by Sandy Garossino details here. Then vote for a City Council that says NO to excessive density. Vote for the People who live here, not the Developers who do not.

White Rock has at last started to measure the impact of Coal Trains on our air quality.
Why does it take the city so long to take positive action?

The Mayor and Council are able to change the OCP in the blink of an eye, but they sure drag their feet when it comes to doing something positive for the community!

Here is a picture of the Mobile Air Monitoring Unit (MAMU) courtesy of the Save The West Beach Boat Launch Facebook page.

Delta performed a similar study last year and found significant air pollution from the monitoring station located near the tracks. In addition, Washington State University professor Dr. Jaffe released a detailed assessment of health risks associated with living near coal trains. You can read more about that study here.

So while we wait for this latest study from the White Rock Waterfront, what do we already know about pollution from all these passing coal trains? Lots!

We already know how much coal dust gets put into our air and ocean using BNSF’s own data. This new study will just confirm it. Here is the data: 2100 pounds of coal dust flies off of the train and into our lungs and our sea and onto our homes every day.

Here’s the math:
Each car loses about 500 pounds on its 1100 mile journey from Wyoming to the coast (this is data that BNSF provides). Now let’s do the math. If we lose 500 pounds of coal (by weight) every 1100 miles, then that means that each loaded coal car releases about half a pound of coal dust per mile.

There are about 120 cars per train, and we expect at least 10 coal trains per day. That works out to 600 pounds of coal dust released per mile per day, which is 100 tons of coal dust released into the air per mile each year.

A trip around the Semiahmoo Peninsula is about 11 miles, so over 1000 tons of coal dust will land on the peninsula each year from the coal trains.

For White Rock alone with about 4 miles of track, we can expect about 2100 pounds of Coal Dust deposited on Our City by the Sea every day. That works our to be about 400 tons per year coating our streets and homes and lungs. That’s not good for tourism, its not good for business, and it certainly is not good for our health.

I am in favor of moving the trains. This is vital for our health and to avoid potential disasters with derailments. Unfortunately, I am not sure that I can trust Mayor Baldwin to do anything about it.

The recent fiasco with the fences and the boat launch tell me City Hall is not on the right track. On Monday, I asked Mayor Baldwin if they could re-instate the access tunnels to the beach under the tracks. These tunnels used to be there and got filled in. It was an cheap and easy solution to our beach access problems.

The Mayor’s response to my question: He said it could not be done. But then he lied to me about why they cannot re-instate the under-track tunnel access to the beach.

When I asked him on Monday’s council meeting to re-instate the tunnels, Mayor Baldwin claimed that it was no longer feasible because of “Rising Ocean Levels”.

Being a researcher, I did the research. It wasn’t hard. Ocean levels ARE rising… but only 3mm/year. Mayor Baldwin was making an excuse on why they could not implement this easy and cheap fix. And this excuse is a very bad one. It is insulting that he does not think the public is smart enough to check.

He claimed that due to raising sea levels, the tunnels could no longer be built. However, this is nonsense. The tides are so much more significant that global rises in sea levels. And we have lived with these tides in White Rock for over 100 years! If we built the tunnels today, it would take another 100 years before sea levels when up ONE foot, and 1000 years before the tunnel would be unusable at low tide (when it would be used by the public). I could live with any improvements that would last ONLY 1000 years! If only they would starting MAKING improvements with our tax dollars.

Of course, Mayor Baldwin might not of lied. He may have really believed what he was saying about rising tides. Being wrong is not the same thing as telling a lie. If Mayor Baldwin truly did not know what he was saying was blatantly wrong, do we really want a Mayor who does not check his facts and makes decisions based on the kind of headlines one might read in the National Enquirer? Residents of our little city by the sea deserve better. Much better.

I found it interesting that his “5-year-plan” would cover both Mayor Baldwin’s current term and next. So if nothing happens in that time, he can still milk it for getting elected in the next term. Meanwhile, we have fences and mesh and no access to West Beach. If you know how to work Ottawa, things can move very fast indeed. Just ask BNSF.

Winter is Coming! And so is the Election. Vote smart.

Read the Peace Arch News article here

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