Mayor George Harvie revealed the remaining three Achieving for Delta candidates during a campaign event at a packed Surrey banquet hall Sunday evening.<\/p>\n
The candidates \u2014 Nenah Sandy, Umendra Singh and Rick Ocean, all running for school board \u2014 were named and \u201cintroduced\u201d alongside the rest of slate to close Harvie\u2019s \u201cNorth Delta-focused\u201d campaign event, held at the Taj Park Convention Centre on June 7.<\/p>\n
The event featured opening speeches from first-term school board trustee Nimmi Daula (who addressed the 650-plus people in the crowd in Punjabi), councillor candidate Inkjot Sandhu, and first-term councillor Jessie Dosanjh, before Harvie delivered a speech outlining his priorities for the next four years \u2014 echoing remarks he made at his campaign launch<\/a> in Tsawwassen on April 15.<\/p>\n Harvie said his team will fight for a \u201cpermanent solution\u201d to Delta Hospital\u2019s \u201chealth-care crisis,\u201d saying \u201cno family should have to drive past a closed emergency room in the middle of the night.\u201d He also said a council under his leadership would continue to press the provincial government to un-pause construction of the new Beedie Long-Term Care Centre to replace Mountain View Manor.<\/p>\n He said he would \u201chold the province accountable\u201d for replacing the George Massey Tunnel, including the River Road overpass no longer included in the scope of the project, and advocate for flood protection to keep Delta framers and homes safe in a challenging climate.<\/p>\n Harvie said his council would commit to a 2027 capital plan that \u201cwill reflect value in our city,\u201d with every neighbourhood \u201cseen, heard and invested in.\u201d That plan would include long-requested improvements to McAdam Road in North Delta, as well as a dedicated, purpose-built pitch to serve the Delta Falcons Field Hockey Club in South Delta, and a \u201crobust\u201d program to add numerous bus shelters on 112th, 116th and Scott Road.<\/p>\n He also pledged to return public question period to regular meetings of council, and to create standing committees \u201cso citizens and businesses can have a real seat at the table in shaping Delta\u2019s future.\u201d Those committees would include economic development, parks and recreation, public safety, and community services, among others.<\/p>\n He also committed to reviewing the city\u2019s Official Community Plan, in part by forming a mayor\u2019s standing committee to hear from concerned residents.<\/p>\n \u201cThe feedback we have received about the first [OCP] was that it just wasn\u2019t meeting the mark,\u201d Harvie said, adding the current OCP, adopted unanimously by council in July of 2024<\/a>, was rushed due to pressure from the provincial government. \u201cThis second look at Delta\u2019s OCP will not be rushed.\u201d<\/p>\n Noting cities need growth to \u201csurvive\u201d and keep taxes low, and that the developing community is facing unprecedented challenges, Harvie said council under his leadership would \u201ctake direction to support new housing and business development\u201d by reducing unnecessary costs and delays, review and reduce development cost charges and building permit fees to help make projects more financially viable.<\/p>\n \u201cWe will also reintroduce the practice of freezing property taxes on development lands at the pre-development level, reducing carrying costs and encouraging projects to look forward sooner,\u201d Harvie said.<\/p>\n \u201cTo improve accountability and communication, council will re-establish the development application review committee that includes the mayor and members of council, the city manager and senior staff. This committee will meet regularly with the development community to identify barriers, resolve issues, and ensure permit applications are processed in a timely and efficient manner.<\/p>\n \u201cSignificant applications will be brought forward to counseling in an open, regular meeting for the developer to present their development application, receive questions and comments from members of council, and receive comments from interested in community members.\u201d<\/p>\n Harvie said the city under his leadership will start planning industrial development of the Delta-owned closed sections of the Vancouver Landfill, noting the importance of growing the sector as 50 per cent of the city\u2019s tax base comes from industrial lands.<\/p>\n He also committed to keeping taxes low while supporting Delta Fire and Emergency Services and the Delta Police Department, saying Achieving for Delta will \u201cwork with the Delta Police Board to ensure our police compliment is at a level where our police are now actively seen in our communities.\u201d He added his party will \u201cnever, ever\u201d support the forming of a Metro Vancouver police board.<\/p>\n Other campaign commitments include maintaining free recreation access for residents 18 and under, and 75 and older; continued strong collaboration between the city and school district; and governing with \u201ctransparency, humility and the steady hand that these times demand.\u201d<\/p>\n While not much was said Sunday night about the three new candidates beyond their names, their bios are posted to Achieving for Delta\u2019s <\/a>website<\/a>.<\/p>\n Nenah Sandy is a mortgage strategist and home financing advisor with more than 20 years of experience. She lives in Tsawwassen, is a PAC member at English Bluff Elementary, and a committee member with the Delta Women\u2019s Network.<\/p>\n Rick Ocean is also a Tsawwassen resident, serving as president of youth soccer association South Delta United\u2019s board of directors. He has over 15 years of experience in the business management and sales development profession, co-founding Body Energy Club and helping it grow to 21 locations across North America, and currently works as manager of business development and partnerships at digital finance exchange Netcoins.<\/p>\n Umendra Singh is a long-time Deltan who currently lives in North Delta. His bios states he is an accomplished journalist, social worker and community activist who has worked in South Asian community newspapers, TV and radio as a reporter and host. Singh is a past president of a local Rotary Club and is a recipient of Rotary International\u2019s highest award, the Paul Harris Fellowship, for his community service and outstanding leadership. He is currently president of the Fiji Canada Association.<\/p>\n Voting day is Saturday, Oct. 17.<\/p>\n