Third motorcycle crash in Surrey in four days

The Surrey Now-Leader is reporting that "There’s been yet another motorcycle crash in Surrey this week. In this latest of three recent crashes the rider was reportedly taken to hospital to be treated for his injuries. It happened on the westbound off ramp of Highway 1 to Highway 17 (176th Street) at about 8:20 a.m. Tuesday."

A lot of summer soldiers out there that don't know how to ride. Mind how ya go.

3 people arrested after a shooting in Surrey

Global is reporting that "Surrey RCMP has arrested three people connected to a shooting that took place this weekend in the Guildford area. On May 5 2018, at around 1:17 a.m., Surrey RCMP officers on duty heard the sound of gun fire coming from the east side of the Surrey RCMP’s Guildford district office. Officers then patrolled the area and found a seriously injured man who was transported to the hospital. Three individuals associated to a suspect vehicle seen leaving the area have been arrested and taken into custody. Two people have been charged in relation to the shooting and the other was released without charges. On May 7 2018, officers executed search warrants in the 9500 block of 120 street as part of the on-going investigation."

The Translink Tax Fraud Continues

Global is reporting that "The B.C. government has introduced legislation that would allow TransLink to charge a one-time fee to new developments across Metro Vancouver to help pay for the mayors’ glutton council’s 10-year transportation plan."

Translink already receives a billion dollars a year from a regional gas tax above and beyond federal and provincial gas taxes. No private company would be allowed to continue let alone expand operating under a billion dollar a year deficit yet the Mayor Guttons keep on spending.

In addition to the billion dollar a year regional gas tax, Translink receives a tax levy from everyone's BC Hydro bill. Unlike ICBC, Translink is not breaking even it is grossly over budget and no one seems to be addressing that fact. Translink also receives a tax levy on everyone's property tax. Residential and commercial as well as a parking tax. This is tax fraud at it's worst.

It's time to stop the SNC Lavalin fraud in British Columbia once and for all.

Any company needs to be breaking even before it expands and burns more taxes on the dirtiest construction company on the planet that underbids and overcharges government contracts more than Lockheed Martin. We do not need or want LRT to Guildford. Stop the tax fraud.



Taxing new construction doesn't increase incentive to build. New construction creates jobs which in turn pays income tax. Companies that build rental units in Surrey should be exempt from this tax. That would give contractors an incentive to build rental units. Just sayin.

Boeing is good, Bombardier is bad, Lockheed Martin is worse but Translink is horrific.

Man shot and killed during attempted arrest at Vancouver Island ferry terminal

The Peacearch News is reporting that "A man is dead after being shot during an attempted arrest at Nanaimo’s Departure Bay ferry terminal this morning." The police said "the Island District Emergency Response Team and Nanaimo RCMP were at the location in relation to a violent car-jacking incident elsewhere in B.C." The vehicle was stopped by police and a takedown was initiated. Police saw what they thought as a gun and lit him up. It has not yet been confirmed if the suspect did in fact have a gun or if there was an exchanged of gunfire before the police fired.

Update: CBC is reporting that "Mounties in the Okanagan have located a car that may be linked to a man killed in a police shooting at the Departure Bay ferry terminal. Investigators revealed Wednesday that a suspect shot dead at the Nanaimo terminal earlier this week may have been connected to a shooting in Vernon and a carjacking in Penticton on May 7."

Comox Valley RCMP officer charged with assault

The Peacearch News is reporting that "A Comox Valley RCMP officer is facing a single count of assault stemming from an incident during a traffic stop in Comox in November 2017." Apparently during a routine traffic stop the citizen started to record the conversation which angered the officer and caused him to pull the citizen out of the car onto the ground and arrested him for obstruction. It is no secret that police don't like to be filmed or recorded but it is not unlawful to do so. We need more accountability not less.

Daytime Shooting in Vernon Parking lot

The Vernon Morning Star is reporting that "The Vernon-North Okanagan RCMP General Investigative Section (GIS) has taken the lead of an investigation into a shooting near a local shopping complex Monday that has left a man fighting for his life. Just before noon, police responded to a report of a shooting located in the 2700 block of 43rd Avenue and found a lone man in a vehicle with gunshot wounds. He was transported by BC Ambulance Service to the nearest medical facility with life-threatening injuries."

Shooting in North Delta

The Peacearch News is reporting that "According to a Delta Police Department release, at approximately 9:45 p.m., officers responded to reports of shots fired in the 8800-block of Delvista Drive near Brooke Elementary School. When police arrived they located two victims. Both had been shot and were taken to hospital where they were treated for non-life threatening injuries."

Sunshine on Cypress

Yesterday I took advantage of the sunshine and snowshoed up Skychair on Cypress in the melting snow. It was awesome. Then I rode over to Whitecliff to catch the sunset. Vancouver.

Addressing Metro Vancovuer's Rental Crisis

Global is rightfully referring to Metro Vancouver's housing crisis as a Rental Crisis because that is exactly what it is. They are reporting on a single mother in Surrey with a 7 year old son who was evicted onto the street because she was unable to find a place to rent after her landlord decided to sell the home she was renting. She is now homeless and drugs have nothing to do with it.

300 years ago, when I was young, renting an apartment on a chef's age was easy. Now it's not because they stopped building rental units. Now all they do is build condos and sell them. Individuals subletting condos happens but is painful and hard to find. There is no reason private companies can't build apartments or townhouses and rent them out at a profit. The city does need to set aside zoning for rental units. If people make too much noise they get evicted. Rental units are nice. My daughter moved into a condo in Surrey Central a few years ago and hated it because they were all owned units. It is very hard to evict someone from a unit they own. That's why they felt like they owned the world and made as much noise as they wanted any time of the day or night. That kind of thing just doesn't happen in rental units.

Private companies can build townhouses or apartments and rent them out. So can government agencies. Subsidized housing is just for people on welfare or disability. People who have a job with a decent wage don't qualify. Metro Vancouver Housing Corporation is a government agency that serves everyone. They have affordable rental units for people who work as well as subsidized units for people who can't. Unfortunately under Christy Clark's government the MVHC became profit obsessed and just wanted to tear down good townhouses to build high density condos on top of them so they can make more money. Young families need townhouses not condos. We will see if the MVHC finds their moral compass under the leadership of the NDP.

Surrey light rail price tag hits $1.65 billion

The front page of this weeks Surrey Now Leader reads: Surrey light rail price tag hits $1.65 billion. The article states that "It will cost TransLink a total of $1.65 billion to roll out out the first phase of Surrey light rail by 2024, according to the agency’s executives. TransLink unveiled the updated cost Monday as part of the $7.3 billion price tag for phase two of the Mayors’ Glutton's Council overall 10-year-vision. CEO Kevin Desmond said that costs for the Surrey-Newton-Guildford line have gone up by 33 per cent ($410 million) since 2015."

The only reason we are finding out about these extra costs is because Kevin Desmond is honest while Linda Hepner is not. Linda Hepner said LRT was cheaper than Skytrian. That was a Bold Faced Lie. Skytrain already has all the trains purchased and the land to store the cars over night. All they have to do is extend the existing track a few miles down King George highway.

Running an on ground train through busy intersections is not progress. Edmonton LRT is not a good model. We should learn from their mistakes. People who drive cars prefer Skytrain because Skytrain doesn't impede traffic. Getting off Skytrain to board a LRT the last few stops is stupid.

Linda Hepner is a liar just like her predecessor Dianne Watts who was the driving force behind this SNC-Lavalin tax fraud. When Dianne Watts was in office she lied about everything from supporting the mega casino on rural land in her own riding to running a red light after a drunken gala in Surrey. When the media reprints false statement from the politicians or the police, they abandon credible journalism and become cheap tabloids of corporate propaganda.

These soaring prices are just for phase one extending LRT to Newton. They don't even include the Nightmare on Elm street running LRT down 104th to Guildford. Running LRT down King George to Newton is stupid but is not nearly as bad as running it along 104th to Guildford reverting 104th to a single lane of traffic in either direction. That is not progress. It is spending an obscene amount of tax dollars on a project we don't want or need that will make traffic congestion far worse instead of improving it. The bus ride from Surrey Place to Guildford is fine. The bus ride from Surrey Place to Newton is not. Extend the Skytrain to Newton and leave 104th alone!