An open letter to White Rock Mayor Wayne Baldwin.
I am writing because I am a taxpayer in White Rock and I don’t remember giving you authorization to use my tax money to fund these advertisements for the ‘yes’ vote.
My taxes are supposed to be going into projects that will benefit all of us, not just a few.
Everything I have ever learned about bullying, I have learned from politicians. I didn’t appreciate being told that if I don’t vote ‘yes’, then you will raise my property taxes.
I don’t like to to read that you said that the ‘no’ side is winning based on running a campaign of “emotion… and emotion is working.” Please don’t ever say this again. It has nothing to do with emotion and everything to do with the facts. Please do not undermine my intelligence.
The facts are clear. TransLink must become accountable for our money that has been spent thus far on useless and costly projects, like that empty parking lot in South Surrey and the Compass Card that is yet to be utilized.
My suggestion to you, Mr. Mayor, would be to step down from your position on the mayors’ council for the ‘yes’ side, because you don’t need that kind of association. It’s not too late to recover our pride in you.
C.J. Mitton, White Rock
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An open letter to medical health officer Michelle Murti.
Re: ‘Yes’ for transit, ‘yes’ for health, March 10 letters.
You are urging White Rock residents to vote ‘yes’ for a tax increase. I am all for better transit, but I can’t wrap my head around why professionals like you would compare a tax increase between transit and health.
I have to ask myself, what are your motives when you are promoting a tax increase? As a medical professional, isn’t it our first duty to set our patients’ health and well being as top priority? You are trying to make this sound like if they vote ‘no’, their health might be compromised in some way. In my opinion, this is fear-mongering.
An increase on an already-existing tax has absolutely nothing to do with health; quite the opposite, as it will affect our most vulnerable/poor in the worst way and will add extra stress to their financial situations.
If people want to vote ‘yes’ for the obvious reason, so be it, but painting an illusionary picture by using “health” as the scapegoat is rather bizarre.
Maggie Bernet, White Rock
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Re: Surrey MLAs scolds ‘no’ forces, March 10.
Let me get this straight, we are told we should vote for a tax that has no ‘sunset clause.’ This is for an organization that has at least six boards of governors; a parking lot that stays empty; removes a CEO yet still keeps him on; a fare card that is over budget…
Didn’t former transportation minister Kevin Falcon start some of this fiasco years ago when he fired the board of the day, and now we don’t know how to do the same?
Barry Bradley, Surrey