Breaking news: 200$ million coming for Surrey schools… pending arrangement of a photo op.

Posted on by Laila

Here is a little something something that made it across my desk this afternoon…

Sources in Victoria indicate the province has committed to a sizable $200 million funding boost to assist in easing Surrey’s longstanding education crisis… but that money is being delayed  until a photo op can be orchestrated between three cabinet ministers and Dianne Watts…conveniently closer to the coming municipal election date.

If this was the result of the meeting held between Watts, Christy Clarke and only the BC Liberal MLA’s here in Surrey on September 27th, why must Surrey students wait even longer just so a campaign friendly photo op can be arranged? Let’s just see the money flow, and get on with the big job of making that money go as far as possible. Education officials, students and parents alike have been begging for help from the province for years, and while I personally am happy this money is on it’s way- finally –  it’s a sad statement on how things work to see the funds only coming when an election in Surrey is on our doorstep and the BC liberals at death’s door.

 

12 thoughts on “Breaking news: 200$ million coming for Surrey schools… pending arrangement of a photo op.”

  1. I think there’s a select short list for the Announcement already in place:
    Christy’s new 3P’s: Priorities, Planning, Photo-op Committee

    Premier Christy Clark (Chair) Vancouver-Point Grey
    Rich Coleman (Vice Chair) Fort Langley-Aldergrove
    George Abbott Shuswap
    Pat Bell Prince George-Mackenzie
    Stephanie Cadieux Surrey-Panorama
    Michael de Jong Abbotsford West
    Kevin Falcon Surrey-Cloverdale
    John Les Chilliwack
    Ben Stewart Westside-Kelowna

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  3. Hey, just like Alberta’s new (unelected) premier. Copy cat pandering for votes?

    No doubt education has been starved and throttled, and our kids deserve much better, but…

    Is there a plan to buy off teacher’s union honchos/teachers, just like the Campbell Liberals bought off the senior health care union honchos? By “senior” I mean the doctors unions (BCMA) and nurses unions (BCNU), not the poor schmuck HEU bottom rung union whose members make a pittance.

    Real cosy, helps win elections… who cares about the rank and file bottom feeders, eh?

    Sounds cynical, I know, but my antenna go up when I see big bucks rolling out without any firm policy or plans in place, or any strategy and identifiable goals. Just throwing money at problems.

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  6. The Campbell/Clark BC Liberals just don’t get it, they are a laughable joke. I hope I can avoid the photo-op pictures. I wonder what Liberal friends will get the contract?

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  7. First a photo op in North Van with an industry she and Campbell didn’t give a damn about. And now a photo op for a mayor who ducks and runs while torturers and war criminals come to her town.The kids and moms and dads of Surrey be damned,Media darlings Christy and Diane need some ego stroking!

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  8. Bring on as many photo ops as they want. None of them will help. The BC Lieberals are dead in the water and they know it. Just call an election for god’s sakes Christy and put yourself out of your misery!!

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  9. Excuse me for changing the subject somewhat, but it’s another news item that should send the BC Libs into the history books.

    The headline in my Okanagan Saturday news paper reads: “Uranium mining ban costs B.C. $30 million” – Government forced to settle with company after it halted mining proposal near Beaverdell in 2008.

    What’s even worse, insiders tell me that the company wasn’t mining uranium at all, but exploring for a mineral which aided in the lubrication of equipment used in oil-drilling. When it became known that this mineral could be imported from China at a much cheaper price, the company promptly sued our clueless government over the expropriation of rights to the company’s “uranium property” near Beaverdell, southeast of Kelowna.

    The settlement avoided a month-long trial that was to start in B.C. Supreme Court this week. The government made the offer hours before the trial was to begin. Doesn’t this remind us of another similar BC Liberal boondoggle? Does BC Rail/Basi/Virk come to mind?

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  10. Nice catch Gini! That little announcement came at the same time as the ship building contract being awarded to BC…so of course it was buried after one go-round of news. After all, media must not rain on the Liberal parade, and they didn’t.

    One has to wonder just how much money this government has paid out to other corporations for “problems” of a similar nature? You can bet there’s been more than one payout!

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  11. It still seems that Christy is gearing for an election well before 2013. She is employing all the tools a government brings forth just before they drop the writ. The problem that she will have with such an announcement is that the Liberals have been pleading poverty for so long now regarding both public sector wage negotiations and cutbacks for pretty much every program that deals with the less fortunate, that announcements and photo-ops are relatively cheap, but deliverance of said promises tend to become a work in progress. Maybe that is why we get to hear the same announcements and photo-ops many times before anything concrete arises.

    One thing that will be truly ironic about such an announcement is that Ms. Clark, who has shown herself to be anything but a proponent of the public school system, try and gain brownie points for her own political expedience. The sooner she becomes a footnote in history, the better. She is starting to make Gordo look good, and that is a scary situation.

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