EDITOR’S NOTE: Regrettably, we missed including Narima Dela Cruz in our gallery of Independent council candidates for a seat in our Election Guide published on Sept. 29. We apologize to Narima and her supporters for the unfortunate oversight.
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Narima Dela Cruz is a long-time Surrey volunteer and Guildford resident, now living in the City Centre, who is seeking your vote for a Surrey council seat as an Independent on Oct. 15.
She launched her campaign on Labour Day, in tribute to “the workforce.”
Among her priorities, if elected, is “bringing” city hall to the people by holding bimonthly townhall meetings in six different town centres to listen to residents’ concerns and present them to city hall, to focus on “aggressive and expanded programs to help our most vulnerable,” and to review city bylaws “one at a time” to “double-check” if they are effective, fair and enforced.
“It’s very hectic, of course,” she said Thursday of the campaign trail. “I’m an Independent, so it’s not easy. I’ve been working hard, I’ve been door-knocking every single day with my volunteers. We don’t have the resources that the slates have, of course, so I’m going directly to voters.”
Concerning affordability issues, she says she would advocate for more support from the federal and provincial government to “augment” Surrey’s city budget and plans involving home ownership and renting, unemployment, medical and dental benefits, for more hospitals and schools in Surrey, and also advocate for more support for small businesses, the self-employed, professionals and post-secondary students.
Dela Cruz says she’ll also fight for more public amenities for all: “Extra spaces for community building and connection, for performances and the arts, safe refuge during heat waves or extreme weather conditions, safe and affordable year-round recreational space for parents and children.”
If she’s elected, Dela Cruz says she also wants to consult Surrey residents on their thoughts about replacing the at-large electoral system with a ward system.
Check out our Election Guide in our eEditions for the Surrey Now-Leader, Cloverdale Reporter and Peace Arch News.