Editor,
It was very nice of Dianne Watts' friends to help her out at election time and promise a couple of new schools.
Now, almost four months later it's either another empty promise or another Liberal lie. No money has come – not even the seed money to start the planning.
Surrey Board of Education Chair Laurae McNally continues to emphasize the blame is not with the Ministry of Education but with the provincial treasury board. I'm sure she's aware Kevin Falcon – from Surrey – is the Finance Minister. Where is he?
While it's easy for McNally to point fingers at the provincial government, let's also admit it was Dianne Watts and Surrey First who created the schools crisis in the first place.
The recent census figures show Surrey grew by almost 75,000 people from 2006 to 2011. Watts and Co. knew full well there was no capital funding forthcoming so why did they continue their reckless develop-at-all-costs agenda.
Alas, in her time of need just weeks before the civic election, there were Dianne's friends in the provincial government lining up to help bail her out.
Now that the election is over, will the Liberals keep their promise? Their past record doesn't instill confidence.
But I believe the ballot box is always half full; there's a provincial election coming in about 15 months, so we are likely to hear this feel-good announcement several more times.
On the other hand, if no cheque is signed, will Dianne Watts have the backbone to even murmur? Or did the school crisis she created magically disappear for another three years?
Rich Weldon
Surrey, BC
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