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Surrey works to shift from suburb to business hub with trade mission, ex-presidents

February 3rd, 2011 · 22 Comments

Mayor Dianne Watts has been on a mission to remake Surrey in image and in reality since she was elected in 2005, from burb to big city in all ways.

The business mission to India in the latest of a series of public events designed to bolster Surrey as a business centre. But no one should make the mistake of thinking it’s anything but hard work to achieve that. Surrey was first an agricultural community and then a bedroom suburb for decades, where politicians were happy to coast on a simple tidal wave of residential development.

Residential development still dominates Surrey’s economy. Of the $1 billion in building permits issued last year, only a fifth of that was for commercial or industrial space.

As my story notes, people were impressed with the level of pre-planning that has gone into Surrey’s mission to India. But the mayor is being careful not to say this is going to turn Surrey into some kind of international hub of financial dynamism. It’s all about nurturing the businesses already there — a cautious and probably more realistic goal.

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  • Roger Kemble

    Good for Mayor Dianne.

    Instead of passively awaiting off-shore cash to slurp up Surrey’s real estate she’s off out there into the wide, wide world to bring a bit of wealth home . . .

    Phew! Good job she didn’t go with the Liberals . .

  • Max

    I wonder what it is like to have a mayor with real ‘vision’……

  • Morry

    Maybe the offshore wealth can help build even bigger Monster Homes that the City seems unable to stop. Bylaws? What me Worry?

  • gmgw

    @Max, #2:
    “I wonder what it is like to have a mayor with real ‘vision’……”

    A good many people in Surrey are wondering the same thing after however-many-years-it-is of the reign of the Empress Dianne…
    Anyone who thinks that Dubya’s impending visit to Surrey constitutes a Great Good Thing probably also thinks that the US “won” in Iraq. If Spuzzum could afford his exorbitant fee, he’d happily speak there as well. As for Clinton, I’m surprised he hasn’t bought a condo here, he’s in these parts so often. Even I’ve seen him in the flesh twice, and not because I wanted to.

    gmgw

  • Max

    @ gmgw:

    It took a bit to figure out what point you were trying to make.

    Watts got in with an 87% vote last go around. She is in the top 10 list of best Mayors internationally.

    Be happy and be proud.

    I gather from your statement you are against Bush and Clinton coming to speak . I am far from a Bush fan – by any stretch of the imagination.

    However, Clinton has done more for the greater good since he left politics and I would think he would be interesting to listen to.

    Hey, our Mayor, Robertson and a bunch of Vancouver council members went on a junket to China back in the early fall. I’ve yet to read on how it has benefited Vancouver in any which way. But then again, they also went on a taxpayer paid trip to New York and Magee refuses to tell us who he dined with on the taxpayer’s dime.

    If myself and or others pulled that crap with our employers, we would be fired.

  • Newtonian

    Two cops in front of my house shaking down three punks who were on a vandalism rampage.
    Just a normal day in paradise. There is a lot of work to do out here yet folks.

  • gmgw

    @Max:
    Please. I’m not “against Bush & Clinton coming to speak”. I really couldn’t care less if they do. Now that they’re both safely out of office, they can’t do anywhere near as much damage as they did when they were in. I’m simply not impressed that they are coming, and I’m bemused by those who think that their pending appearance in Surrey confers some kind of exalted status on that sorry-assed municipality. Man, how small-town can you get? Bush & Clinton have each gone from being disastrous Presidents to speechifying whores on the lucrative international rubber-chicken circuit. If you can meet their price, they’d probably be happy to put in an appearance at your next backyard barbecue, separately or together, and maybe they’d even be willing to hang around as long as the beer holds out. I’m sure it would impress the hell out of your neighbours. In the meantime, please spare me another pro-Surrey speech. I’ve seen more of Surrey and its various types of politics over the past thirty years, often at first hand, than I care to remember; and I remain no fonder of the place than I was when I first encountered it. Best I can say is that it’s progressed some since the Ed McKitka dark ages, but as Newtonian wisely says (#6), there’s a lot of work to be done out there yet, and all the snazzy new towers et. al. aren’t going to change that on their own. If Dianne Watts ever makes the jump to the big chair in Victoria, she’ll likely prove to be little more than Bill Bennett in drag. And sadly, that prospect would get some people all excited. Not me, though.
    Ho hum. Bored now.
    gmgw

  • Work In Surrey

    Surrey in the big leagues.. that’s a laugh!

    My business has been located in Surrey for over 20 years and the legions of problems that existed in 1986 still are there.

    Lousy or non existent road and infrastructre maintenance, high taxes, poor infrastructure period, bizarre and confusing road planning, lousy and/or no curbs, street lights or other basic infrastructure in many areas. high crime, oo and lets not forget pushing the druggies out of Whally to “clean it up” so they move down to Bridgeview — where the City doesn’t care and otherwise known as the area the City forgot…. kinda like the bastard stepchild that is there but shouldn’t be acknowledged.

    Oh yeah! lets not forget the City being ticket and fine happy in the name of cleaning up the place and God forbid you paint something on your house or building or have a sign that someone disagrees with .. well then rest assured the taste police will be there in flash to ticket and ensure its removed or painted over while they step over the druggies to enforce the law.

    Lets not even forget the lousy police response to most crimes and non existent response dealing with many (crimes such as B&E’s and fraud which are too petty to worry about) while being overly concerned with making sure speed traps are always fully manned in nice weather. After all, gotta nail those speeders distracted by the shiny new BIG sign when you enter this world class burg.

    Lets talk about fixing things like sewer and water and then passing the maintenence costs off to the property owner..

    lets not also forget that GIANT eyesore, 1.2 million dollar LED billboard that stares you in the face when you cross the Patullo Bridge.. and hear I thought we were supposed to be eliminating distracting drivers.

    one might say Nirvana on the Fraser….. NOT

    Perhaps mayor Watts and her minions might want to attempt to really fix the HUGE problems in her own backyard before trying to peddle this backwater as an international hub.

  • babalu

    Frances,

    Billy and Georgie coming to Surrey. Will Bill be chasing the Surrey blonds and Georgie trying to understand the Surrey blond jokes?
    Will they be staying in the Royal Suites at the Dell or the Turf Hotels?

    Seriously, the aims and aspirations of Mayor Watt notwithstanding, Surrey must get it’s place in the Sun and on this site more.
    For too long it’s been Vancouver that’s been the center of attention when it comes to homelessness, housing, crime, transportation etc….let’s bring the other Metro Vancouver municipalities into the regional equation.
    I’m sure you have readers from Burnabystan, Delta-by-the-sea-alone, Poco, Moco and Coco – aka as the Tri-cities. (Port Moody now bills itself as City of the Arts. Really! Whaaat….they got a couple of Shadbolt prints at City Hall?)
    The leaders of many of the other Metro Vancouver municipalities see Vancouver as somewhere to get away from. Somewhere to send their louts on a Saturday night for a Granville Street punch up.
    Municipal parochialism is something that must be dealt with before we ever have a livable region – in any form.

  • MB

    @ gmgw #7: “If you can meet their price, they’d probably be happy to put in an appearance at your next backyard barbecue, separately or together, and maybe they’d even be willing to hang around as long as the beer holds out. ”

    Haven’t you heard? W supposedly gave up liquor and is a far more intelligent person for it. He’s even learned to smirk from both sides of his mouth, and lean on the other elbow while taking only half as long to remember his lines. He’s even been born again, whatever that means.

    Give him some credit for trying, eh?

  • MB

    One more thing about W. His line while on a visit to Ottawa, “I saw lots of waving hands on the way from the airport, and I even saw one using all five fingers”, is one of the most memorable, you gotta admit, gmgw.

  • ITK

    Dianne Watts a great mayor? That’s a laugh. She was a decent mayor at one time, but, now she’s losing the respect and support of many who see her selling bits and pieces of Surrey to the highest bidder, catering only to big money and developers, and increasingly acting as though she’s been anointed the Queen of Surrey. The ticketing that goes on in Surrey is insane. You can now get a ticket for wearing the wrong colour on the wrong day – unless you’re a big business or developer. They get special treatment.

    Her latest scratch-your-head moment was inviting the universally-hated George W. Bush to BC to “speak” about…god knows what, the man has the intellectual capacity of a bag of hammers. It was a stupid, idiotic move, and she’ll end up paying for that politically. Now when people think of Bush, they’ll also think of Watts.

  • Creek’er

    GWB coming to speechify in Surrey? What’s next, the Grizzly Mom herself?

    That’ll put Surrey on the map along with “Brockway, Ogdenville & North Haverbrook.”

  • Mo

    oh my. ..watt is Watts thinking? or not….

  • Roger Kemble

    Frances’ G&M article Feb. 03:
    Mr. Mackie and his company have visits lined up with Indian operations that have the necessary permits and approvals to package and distribute his tests, likely to be popular in a country that has the third-highest number of people with HIV in the world.
    Economic summits in Surrey? Clinton, Bush coming October . . . Giuliani, Blair sometime last . . . 2008.

    Wow that really got the fur flying didn’t it!

    Max @ #2
    . . . real ‘vision’ Errrrr . . . more like desperate expedience!
    Work In Surrey @ #8
    Surrey in the big leagues . . . . . . goggle eyed even at the little leagues!

    Morry @ #3 . . . offshore wealth can help build even bigger Monster Homes. Yup! For people who have no intention to living in the damn things! Walk the length of Hudson from the Crescent to Marpole and weep.

    and to the indomitable, never to be out done . . .

    gmgw @ 4

    However, Clinton has done more for the greater good since he left politics and I would think he would be interesting to listen to.

    To equate that with the damage done to the world . . . (thinq Tunis, Egypt, Somalia: and no never here. We’re too comfy gossiping on line) . . . by the repeal of Glass-Steagall would take volumes.

    and

    Ho hum. Bored now. i.e. like suppressed anger!

    I will expect Mr. Mackie and his cohort, “Once we’re there, we can cut to the chase.”, to celebrate a latter day Durbar and smooch the incipient Raj: bring back some hard cash after selling his potions to those nuevo Nawabs!

    “We are living in interesting times“. Interesting in that out G-kids will not thanq us for what we have dumped on them.

    Pleeze, bring back some heavy duty bread, create jobs . . . Blair, Giuliani, Bush, Clinton are yesterday’s embarrassments.

    So, if mayor Dianne thinqxz she can milk them for a dime: go for it!

    No one claims corporate businessmen are Einstein’s and Gandhi’s . . . !

  • mezzanine

    People have short memories, or have never been to surrey. 20 years ago there were even fewer amenities, shops, walkable areas, curbs and the like in Surrey. In spite of having a skytrain line, there was little activity in the whalley/city centre area.

    Now there is a lot more (good) bustle in the whalley area. the ICBC/SFU tower has helped immensely as with other developments there. Cloverdale/Clayton/Sullivan are also becoming locally-based walkable areas.

    There is a lot to do, but remember, Surrey is not starting out with pre-automotive ‘neighbourhood DNA’ like vancouver. And they may still be making poor choices (look for tynehead on Paul hillsdon’s blog).

    But they are changing, not all due to Dianne Watts (eg. since translink’s SoF bus expansion in 2007-8, bus service is no longer every 20-30 minutes on most routes on weekdays).

    But perhaps Surrey and Dianne Watts does have something that vancouver doesn’t – more potential and now a willingness to seek change from their status quo.

    I like this quote from the Urbanophile:

    “The polity of (vancouver) is now well into middle age. As with people, places that reach that point experience a mid-life crisis as they look back longingly at the optimism, energy, flexibility, dynamism, and endless capacity for reinvention of youth. That’s often a bitter pill to swallow.”

  • mezzanine

    forgot the referenced link:

    http://theurbanophile.blogspot.com/2009/10/whats-killing-california.html

  • AnnetteF

    I work with new immigrant, low-income families who are spread around the lower mainland.

    I often try to get them involved in sports and recreation. No where is this easier than in Surrey. The leisure access program for low-income families is the best in the lower mainland. Unlimited pool, ice rink and fitness centre use and a 75% discount on all of their programs. They have even started offering women’s only swimming sessions in Newton, where many of my Muslim clients live, so moms can take their children swimming.

    They also manage to run eight outdoor pools each summer, while Vancouver is shutting ours down.

    They are certainly doing somethings right in Surrey.

  • gmgw

    @Roger K, #15:
    “gmgw @ 4

    However, Clinton has done more for the greater good since he left politics and I would think he would be interesting to listen to.”

    I did not make this statement, nor would I be very bloody likely to. Would you kindly do me the courtesy of reading the posts more carefully before you cast aspersions? Thank you.
    gmgw

  • gmgw

    Personal and therefore irrelevant side note:
    Besides the fact that my in-laws have lived in south Surrey since 1983 (post-retirement), in 1993 my dearly beloved and I came within a few hours of committing ourselves to moving out of Vancouver to the Guildford area. She was working in Clearbrook at the time and we wanted to shorten her murderous commute (100-mile round trip, daily). Fortunately, with only a few hours to spare she was told that she’d been successful in getting the job she’d applied for, much closer to the city. We still heave a sigh of relief sometimes at the thought of our narrow escape. You could say that my attitude towards Surrey is more than a bit jaundiced, and if you did, you would be quite right. I think it shows…
    gmgw

  • Roger Kemble

    gmgw @ 19

    Yes, indeed my apologies.

    I will read the posts more carefully . . . R

  • MB

    Surrey may have a lot of potential, but besides having a few newer (and some historic) bits of good urbanism, it has yet to realize it.

    But I am loath to underplay that potential, for it is huge.