April 7, 2025

Cross Off This Crossing

All of the hullabaloo and angst regarding the City of Surrey fencing off the BNSF Railway along Bayview St. in Crescent Beach led me to spending a lot of time in the Village during the last month. While residents' demonstrations and common sense did nothing to stop Surrey from wasting $650,000 to fence off the fields of blackberries by the train tracks, it did succeed in making me much more aware of the dangers at the two road crossings at the east end of Beecher St and the south end of McBride Ave. As if to highlight the ever-present dangers at any railway crossing, a man in a wheelchair was struck and injured while trying to navigate the angled crossing at Beecher St. on March 23rd. This event was simply a wrong place, wrong time, bad luck event involving someone with disabilities who made a poor decision. This crossing is flat and level, with railway safety systems in place that includes proper road warning signage.

Unfortunately the same cannot be said for the McBride Ave. crossing at the end of Bayview St. that is best described as somewhere between a gong show and an accident waiting to happen. Heading west from Bayview St. there is a short 16 metre ramp only 5.3 metres wide up to the BNSF Railway crossing that rises two metres in elevation up to the tracks. The other side is 30 metres long and 5.8 metres wide but the road turns sharply to the north from the tracks to the bottom of the hill. There are no shoulders along this road on either side and near the tracks the asphalt stops abruptly leaving a drop-off on the four corners closest to the tracks of 20 centimeter deep. Not having any kind of gravel shoulders for pedestrians or wayward cars is a big safety issue on this narrow roadway that shows signs where cars have gone over this edge and grounded out their suspension and undercarriage on the edge of the asphalt.

The other huge problem with this crossing is the lack of proper signage warning drivers of a railway crossing on top of the hill. Heading towards the tracks along McBride Ave., there is a yellow and black diamond shaped railway crossing warning sign alerting drivers to the train tracks, with another sign warning cyclists to dismount. Amazingly, these two signs are missing heading eastbound towards the tracks from Bayview St. Painted on the roadway before the tracks on the McBride Ave. side is a huge white X that denotes a railway crossing. Oddly, there is none on the hill on the Bayview side of the tracks. There are also no signs either way that point to the stop line and warn "No Stopping on Tracks", which are in place on the nearby Beecher St. crossing. As if this was not bad enough, the narrow roadway, on a steep hill, on a blind corner, crossing a busy industrial railway, does not have a painted centre line. This may be hard to believe but at this railway crossing it is par for the course.

When I drive my full length crew cab truck over the McBride Ave. BNSF crossing from Bayview St. it is impossible to see an oncoming car, let alone the roadway that suddenly curves away from the tracks. The situation is not much better when driving up the hill on McBride Ave. heading towards Bayview St With no shoulders, this crossing is also a serious threat to pedestrians and bicyclists should they encounter a vehicle when on this hillside. The traffic that drives through this crossing invariably ends up in the centre of the roadway. It is only by blind luck that there has not been a crash at the railway crossing due to its extremely old design. New railway crossings can only have a 2 degree angle to allow for visibility. The approaches to the BNSF tracks at McBride are on hills that measure between 7 and 8 degrees. If vehicles were to crash at the railway crossing and become disabled, would there be time to notify an approaching train? The same danger is posed to any low-bed truck or moving vehicle that could easily get hung up on the tracks. In this case there would be a real danger of a train smashing into a large commercial truck stopped at this crossing. If it was a BNSF freight heading south, this would effectively close Crescent Beach to all road traffic.

After that revelation, the rest of my observations at this old and dangerous crossing are rather mundane and involve better signage. Surrey has a 'No Idling, Turn Off Engine" sign on the east side of the McBride Ave. crossing, but not on the west side. With the new Surrey fence up, there needs to be another "No Exit, No Turn Around" sign near the end of Bayview St. plus another one stating "No Beach Access." The two green signs pointing the way to the beach that are invisible should be replaced with modern ones that are bright blue, with a new one needed for the traffic circle at McBride Ave. and Maple St. The newly fenced off green space behind the Bayview Ave. fence south of the crossing needs a "No Trespassing - No Beach Access" sign on it. The BNSF track "No Trespassing" signs need to be near the crossing, not 100 metres and 40 metres down the track where they are presently posted. Above all, the tiny BNSF sign that reads "Cross here to safely access Crescent Beach - Use of railway corridor to access the beach is prohibited" needs to be replaced with one that reads "Keep out - No Trespass - $500 Fine" and another below it saying "NO BEACH ACCESS." Some stick figures with the red circle and slash for people who are not fluent in English would be a good idea in this tourist mecca area.

A copy of this TNT will be sent to Surrey Council, the Surrey Engineering Department, BNSF Railway and Federal Minister of Transportation. Even if most of the safety issues I have revealed here were to be addressed, the height and curve of the roadway at the McBride St. crossing will continue to make it very dangerous. I believe it would be better to close it off to vehicular traffic except for emergency vehicles or when Beecher St. is blocked by a train or an accident. It may be worthwhile exploring if a tunnel could be constructed near this area eliminating the dangerous elevated crossing entirely while allowing vehicle traffic to pass during the times when the two crossings are currently blocked by a train. I think that the corner of McBride Ave. and Maple St. would be an ideal location for a new tunnel crossing resulting in a three-way intersection. This would also mean that a bridge over the tracks on Beecher St. would not be needed since a new tunnel would always allow for access. It's not like this a new idea, the 1001 Steps has had a pedestrian tunnel under the tracks for almost 120 years and there were once pedestrian tunnels in White Rock under the railway allowing for beach access.

If you ever see a problem or an emergency at the McBride Ave. crossing in Crescent Beach, please contact the BNSF Railway at 1-800-832-5452 and report it as crossing number C561269. There is a blue sign on the stand for the crossing lights and gates that has this information should you need it.

Naturally yours,

Don Pitcairn

I wish to acknowledge we live and work and play on the traditional lands of the Semiahmoo People

Donald to Donald

This weekly TNT column in the White Rock Sun has few constraints put on it by Editor Dave Chesney other than to be focused on local issues.  Because of this I usually shy away from topics you might find in the National Post newspaper and try to avoid stories about Ottawa and Washington DC like the plague.  With White Rock perched along Boundary Bay and Surrey sharing the USA border with Washington State, I have decided it's time to delve into international politics for a change.  The fact my given name is Donald also has something to do with this and how the American President is giving all us Donalds a bad reputation.  I also don't want to ignore the elephant in the room that is the US tariffs, which go into effect this week one day late on April 2nd.

You have likely heard Donald Trump's claims that the US subsidizes Canada to the tune of two hundred billion dollars every year.  This figure along with his misunderstanding of international trade and macroeconomics got me looking into cross-border trade between our two countries and who the winner and loser actually was.  Most of the facts and figures I will be using come from Stats Canada (www.150.ststscan.gc.ca) and the US Trade Representative (USTR.gov) with figures rounded off for easier reading and comprehension.  Besides looking at trade from a country to country perspective, I will also include population statistics to calculate what I like to call "total trade per person" or TTPP.   Once you start looking at trade between countries on a per person basis, it clearly shows who is getting the gold mine and who gets the shaft.

In 2024 US/Canada trade in goods and services topped $1 trillion (Cdn funds) for the third year in a row.  The US was the final destination for 76% of Canadian exports while Canada purchased 62% of our imports from the US.  Energy exports accounted for $176 billion in trade from Canada to the US, with Canadians importing $39 billion in energy from the States.  By the end of the year the trade imbalance was calculated to be $102 billion favouring Canada.  If electricity, natural gas, gasoline and crude oil are taken out of the equation, then the trade imbalance switches across the border with the US then being in a dominant trade position by $35 billion.

Now we throw in the population numbers and how they reflect on trade.  Canada has a population of 41 million while the US population is 341 million.  This equates to 300 million more people or 8.2 times the population of Canada.  The US imports $1,210 of Canadian goods and services per person while Canadians purchase $8,420 a year of products from the States.  This means that Canadians spent seven times more on US imports than Americans did on goods from Canada.  The difference is a whopping $7,210 more for every man woman and child who resides in the Great White North.  To expect a trade balance between two countries with such a large difference in population is ludicrous.  The shock was learning the large amount of money per person that Canadians pay for American goods and services per year.

Once I became aware of this discrepancy, I decided to crunch some numbers with other countries.  The US and Mexico trade $840 billion a year with the US buying $506 billion of products from Mexico and Mexicans buying $334 billion of US goods, meaning a trade deficit for the States of $172 billion.  The population of Mexico is 131 million or 38.5% of that of the 341 million people living in the US.  For TTPP, Mexicans bought $2,550 in US goods while Americans bought $1,490 in goods, resulting in Mexicans purchasing $1,060 more per person than their neighbours.  With Canada/China, total trade was $117 billion with a trade deficit of $58 billion for Canada.  Once you factor in their huge population of 1.4 billion, the TTPP works out to $720 of Chinese products being bought by Canadians versus $20 of Canadian stuff being bought by each and every Chinese.

Where this total trade per person really gets interesting is when you look at the US/China numbers.  These two world economies traded $583 billion of goods and services in 2024.  China to US trade was $439 billion while US to China trade was $144 billion with a trade deficit for the US of $295 billion.  The TTPP for China was $102 for US goods while the US TTPP for products from China was $4,219.  This amounts to 41 times the spending by each and every American on Chinese goods than the small amount per person spent by Chinese folks on goods from America.  It is interesting to realize that Canada, Mexico and China are the United States biggest trading partners, in that order.  Not only is Canada America's most important trading partner, when you look at the TTPP, we spend far more money on American goods and services than either Mexico or China.  It's time that "The Donald" realizes this and knows who his best customers really are.

Naturally yours,

Don Pitcairn

I wish to acknowledge we live, work and play on the traditional lands of the Semiahmoo People

By day Don Pitcairn owns and operates one of the most sucessful gardening companies on the Semiahmoo Peninsul.

Call Don for a quote

March 24, 2025

Seriously Shameful

I first met Gail Terry in 2007 along the side of the BNSF Railway in Crescent Beach at the site of a landslide that had impacted a freight train.  The only reason it did not derail was that it had already stopped for an even larger slide further down the tracks past the Crescent Rock boulder, which closed the rail corridor.

It was Gail who introduced me to Smartrail, a local railway safety group that also supports relocation to a safer inland route with the planned high-speed rail.  Gail has lived at the south end of Bayview Ave. for a total of 33 years in two different houses and has been advocating for train horn cessation since 2002.  

To say that she is an expert on the topic of train safety, railway trespassing and BNSF protocols would be an understatement.  Because of her railway knowledge and with the City of Surrey continuing their ever changing plan to eliminate parking and fence off the BNSF tracks, I have decided to print the email she sent to the City of Surrey last week here in my TNT.  Here it is, lightly edited for context.

Dear Mayor Locke and Surrey Council,

"Pillage The Village"

The City of Surrey seems to have ruffled plenty of feathers recently in the seaside village of Crescent Beach.  First they decided to forge ahead with the idea to fence off the BNSF Railway along Bayview St. and Maple St., spending three quarters of a million dollars, eliminating 145 parking spots used by beach goers, while likely doing little to stop railway trespassing and train whistles from blowing.  Now Surrey has created a complete shite-storm by pushing through with plans to install a pedestrian walkway along Alexandra Street that will destroy much of the existing lawns, landscape, hedges and patios of the houses in the area.  The big issue in the community is that both of these plans that were forced on the community with little consultation violate the Crescent Beach Land use Plan completed in 1999, whose main focus was to retain the seaside village appeal of the hamlet.  You can find this 71 page report online on the City of Surrey website at this link:  https://www.surrey.ca/sites/default/files/media/documents/Crescent_Beach_LUP_1999%282%29.pdf

In case you missed it, I covered the Crescent Beach BNSF fencing plan in my Feb. 10 TNT titled "Offensive Fence."  You can find it under the Opinions section, Naked Truth tab and scroll down to the date.  The direct link is https://www.whiterocksun.com/index.php?mode=naked_truth if you want to get up to speed with this topic or possibly read it again.  After writing that piece, I questioned the parking loss in the corporate report and went down to Crescent Beach to check for myself the numbers they had quoted.  When I had counted the parking stalls and measured the street parking, it totaled 145 parking stalls, or more than double the maximum parking loss stated in the report.  To put this in context, I went to Blackie Spit and found out that this large graveled lot has parking spots for 138 cars.  The BNSF fencing project ignores the CB Land Use Plan by not "exploring public parking areas situated at the edges of the community" and not "maximizing on street parking opportunities while preserving the semi-rural character of the streets."  As if this was not egregious enough, the plan clearly states "chain link fences are not considered appropriate to the charter of Crescent Beach", limiting their height to only 1.2 metres and covered with climbers and plants.  The BNSF fencing will be 1.8 metres high, similar to what is used on industrial sites.

The plan for walkways and curbs along Alexander Street again failed to comply with the Crescent Beach Land Use Plan that seems to not be on City Hall's radar.  The plan is supposed to help improve access to transit, increase accessibility from bus stops to the beach, plus provide safer beach access to the children at Alexandra House.  Unfortunately many of the houses were built before property lines were properly surveyed and never enforced, so some of the residents will lose much of their yards and landscape that they have enjoyed for years.  This project was not properly explained to the area residents and the Crescent Beach Property Owners Association asked for a pause in the work until a meeting with the city and residents could be scheduled.  Instead, the affected residents received a letter on Feb. 27 that work would commence on March 10.  This has galvanized the resolve of the residents to fight back against City Hall and they have retained a lawyer to initiate a class-action lawsuit against the City of Surrey to have this project stopped.  Blue construction fencing was erected at the end of the week but a protest is now planned where Crescent Beach residents plan a sit-in to stop any work.

The poster for this event on Monday, March 10th reads as follows.  "SAVE CRESCENT BEACH!  HELP STOP THE MADNESS!  The City of Surrey plans to bulldoze mature trees, landscaping, and fences from our neighbour's homes all for parking and sidewalks.  This is just the beginning of a larger plan that could put your property at risk next.  Join us in our protest and help us stop them on Monday March 10th.  We are urgently calling on the city to pause construction so we can come together as a community to conduct further research and planning.  However, if the city moves forward, we will protest on site to stop the bulldozers from destroying these properties!  We need your voice - neighbours and friends, join us in taking a stand against this project that threatens our beloved beach and neighbourhood.  Let's protest our community before it's too late!  On Monday morning, we will walk alongside our neighbours to one of the two properties being immediately affected.  We will start at 7 a.m. and stay as long as needed.  Join us whenever you can - every voice and body matters."

While the Crescent Beach Land Use Plan is quite comprehensive, the main focus of the document is to recognize and preserve the unique seaside village theme of the area by doing the following.  "Ensure that the built environment contributes to the area's character, including narrow street pavement, no sidewalks, lighting and curbs, a gradual transition between the road pavement, gravel shoulders and grassed yards, pedestrian oriented development and design pattern of a compact village, combined use of resident streets by pedestrians and vehicles, and the shared use of pathways by pedestrians, bicycles and wheelchairs."  I cherry picked a couple of other gems from the Land Use Plan that the Surrey Engineers and Council might want to consider.  

"Maximize on-street parking opportunities while preserving the semi-rural character of the streets and respecting landscaping on the boulevards.  Rural standards for the streets, no sidewalks or curb and gutters except for on Beecher St.  Minimize width of roadway pavement and wide gravel shoulders which are used as parking by residents and visitors are characteristic in the village.  Wide gravel shoulders provide large permeable surfaces which facilitate natural drainage.  In many cases, shrubs define the front property line."

Let's hope that Surrey backs down immediately and goes back to the drawing board with plans that actually follow the Crescent Beach Land Use Plan.  This goes for both the absurd BNSF fencing plan and the beginning of roadway changes on Alexander St. that will forever alter the village feel of Crescent Beach.  City Hall had better learn to start listening to the demands of Crescent Beach residents.  In the 1950s the citizens of White Rock felt that they were not being represented properly in the Ward system being used at that time.   In 1957 they voted to leave Surrey and have been an independent city ever since.   With the growth of business, residential and commercial properties in South Surrey plus City Hall moving to Whalley from #10 Hwy, there has already been talk circulating about the possibility of White Rock, Crescent Beach and South Surrey separating to form their own city.  This conversation has even gone so far that boundaries are being considered with the Nicomekyl river to the KGB and eastward along 40th Ave. all the way to 196 St. suggested.  Crescent Beach is the main marine recreational area for Surrey and the unique character of the village needs to be respected and protected.  If push comes to shove, the residents of south Surrey who already say they live in "White Rock" may get to actually use this name in their address.

Naturally yours,

Don Pitcairn

I wish to acknowledge we live work and play on the traditional lands of the Semiahmoo People

The Naked Truth

March 3, 2025

Guest Ghostwriter Gary Gumley

I was looking at writing a TNT on the topic of the BNSF shipping dirty U.S. thermal coal through White Rock and South Surrey and how it would make a tempting tariff or carbon tax target should President Trump make good on his plans for March 4th.  Then by divine providence I received a media release from White Rock resident Gary Gumley on the very same subject.  Considering the writing and research that had gone into it, I contacted Gary and approached him on the idea of running his piece as a guest appearance in The Naked Truth.  He agreed and so in a TNT first, here is his media release below edited slightly into my regular TNT format.

Thermal coal shipping through White Rock, Surrey and Delta, BC tariff free.

Why is there no tariff on $4.125 billion dollars worth of thermal coal mined in Wyoming and exported to Asia through Canada?  No west coast US port will allow this thermal coal to be transported through their ports, so why does Canada facilitate it?  In data provided by Peabody Coal, BNSF Railway, Westshore Terminals and the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), 1,500 coal trains are required to transport 20.7 million tons of coal annually for shipment to Asia.  These coal trains generate $4.125 billion dollars in annual revenue for Peabody Coal.   A 25% tariff on thermal coal would generate over 1 billion dollars per year in revenue to help offset tariffs on Canadian products exported to the USA, while mitigating the impact of climate change.

There is no tariff on coal from Wyoming that is exported by rail through White Rock, Surrey and Delta because of trade agreements and international trade policies between the USA and Canada.  Here are the key reasons:
1. USMCA (formerly NAFTA) – The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) facilitates free trade between the three countries, meaning there are no tariffs on most goods moving between the U.S. and Canada, including coal.  This is except for BC lumber which currently incurs as much as a 29% tariff when exported to the USA.
2. Canada’s Role as a Transit Country – When U.S. coal passes through Canada for export to other countries (such as Japan and South Korea), it is generally not subject to Canadian tariffs because it is not being sold in Canada.  Instead, it is treated as "in transit" under international trade rules.
3. Foreign Trade Zones and Duty Drawback Programs – Canadian ports, such as Vancouver and Prince Rupert, have mechanisms that allow foreign goods (including U.S. coal) to be handled and re-exported without imposing tariffs or duties.  No ports on the west coast of the USA allow coal to be exported.
4. Canada’s Coal Policy – Canada has strict regulations on burning thermal coal domestically but allows its ports to handle coal exports from other countries, including the U.S.  Isn’t this policy hypocritical to the extreme?
5. Bilateral Trade Relations – The U.S. and Canada have a longstanding trade relationship that prioritizes the movement of goods across borders without unnecessary restrictions, especially for industries like mining and energy.  Not any more.

In May of 2017, the then Premier of British Columbia Christy Clark wrote a two-page letter to the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, imploring the federal government to halt the export of dirty thermal coal through Canada to Asian markets.  The letter was ignored by the Canadian Government and as a result, $30 billion worth of thermal coal have since been shipped through the communities of White Rock, Surrey and Delta.  This has provided absolutely no revenue coming to the residents here who are subjected to the coal dust, diesel pollution and eventual climate change impact that the burning of this coal in Asia facilitates.  These trains lower real estate values, cause noise pollution from the locomotive engines, 130 dB train horns and the braking systems.  They travel along the base of the slide prone Ocean Park bluff beside the shore of Boundary Bay and break down routinely across both of the entrances to Crescent Beach.  A fire at Westshore Terminals in Tsawwassen on Dec. 30, 2024 was believed to have involved thermal coal that ignited on a coal stacker conveyor system.  

Here are some of the staggering statistics about coal shipment through the Semiahmoo peninsula with much of the data taken from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) website with values in CDN dollars (exchange rate of $1.45).  The capacity of a coal rail car is 110 metric tons of thermal coal.  A coal train of 125 rail cars (some up to 140 cars) each carrying 110 metric tons of coal per rail car totals 13,750 metric tons of thermal coal per train.  The per train value of thermal coal transported through White Rock, Surrey and Delta that is unloaded at Robert’s Bank to be then shipped to Japan, South Korea and other Asian countries is $2.75 million.  Westcoast Terminals reports that 20.7 million tons of US thermal coal was exported through its facilities in 2023.  In order to meet that export number 1,500 trains per year would need to be engaged in the transport of this coal.  That equates to an average of 4 coal trains a day travelling both ways through White Rock, Surrey and Delta.  The total value of US thermal coal shipped through Canada is $4,125,000,000 (billion) per year.  If Canada were to place a 25% tariff on that coal, 1 billion dollars per year would be generated.

The coal must be transferred from the trains to the ships and therefore a “handling charge” is added at Westshore terminals in Delta.  It is worth noting here that Western US states will not export coal through their port facilities.  In 2023, Westshore Terminals, Canada's busiest coal export facility, shipped approximately 27.7 million tonnes of coal. The majority of this coal was thermal coal, with Japan and South Korea being the primary destinations, receiving 13.4 million tonnes and 7.3 million tonnes respectively. The great majority of that thermal coal comes from Wyoming via the BNSF
railway (spglobal.com).  The average loading rate charged by Westshore terminals in 2024 was $13.00 per tonne. This equates to a per train revenue of $178,750 per train with a total annual revenue of over $268,000,000 for Westshore Terminals. (newswire).  The fact that Westshore Terminals receives nearly $270 million in revenue from landing and then distributing the coal on Canadian territory surely provides the government with the opportunity to renegotiate the terms of the USMCA and levy a tariff on that thermal coal.

The impact of all this U.S. coal on climate change also needs to be considered in what has become a climate change crisis.  One coal train carrying 13,750 metric tons of thermal coal is responsible for generating almost 40,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide.  That equates to 60 million tons of carbon dioxide per year.  Extrapolating that over the past 20 years we have facilitated over a billion tons of carbon dioxide being spewed into the earth's atmosphere.  This fact flies in the face of Canada’s Coal Policy to not burn thermal coal.  Instead of burning it ourselves we facilitate other countries burning coal, which surely is the height of hypocrisy.  We should not overlook the fact that climate change causes an increase in sea level height, which in turn means more coastal flooding.  As a result, significant storms such as the one that hit White Rock in 2018 causing $15 million dollars in damage to the longest and oldest pier in
Canada will become more frequent.  Canada needs to start collecting the $1 billion dollars a year in tariffs on US thermal coal as soon as possible.  Enough is enough!

Gary Gumley

Naturally yours,

Don PItcairn

I wish to acknowledge we live work and play on the traditional lands of the Semiahmoo People

February 24, 2025

TNT on VAW

I've always had an eye for detail and writing this column for the White Rock Sun has only sharpened it over time so that I can often see what most people usually miss.  That being said, you see something for the first time, possibly after walking by it over and over again.  I was recently in Crescent Beach working on a couple of previous stories when I ended up down near the waterfront.  As I walked towards the beach I noticed tire tracks on the lawn where they should not have been any.  Considering that they led to the public walkway, I was rather alarmed by what I saw.  I then noticed the same tire marks next to the garbage cans up and down the beach so it was obviously a City of Surrey truck emptying the bins.  There are bollards ( (posts concreted into the ground) at the ends of all of the roadways blocking off the pedestrian walkway from the streets.  In this case the Surrey crews were too lazy to unlock a bollard (or did not have the key) and found another way through.  

Now most people would not find this alarming but with vehicles being used as battering rams in pedestrian areas throughout the world, I thought this problem needed to be investigated.  In case you are not aware, terrorists and deranged people in trucks, vans and cars have killed and maimed pedestrians in London, New York, Perth, Berlin, New Orleans and other locations across the globe.  If you think this cannot happen in Canada, there was a truck attack in Edmonton in 2017 that injured 5 people, a van attack in Toronto in 2018 killed 11 people and injured 15, and the van attack on a family in London Ontario in 2021 that killed a family of four and injured their young son.  The recent Mr. Chill ice cream van bombing attempt on the W.R. Bennett Bridge in Kelowna in January should serve as a wake-up call to the need for increased security around pedestrian walkways in this country including here in the Semiahmoo peninsula.  This is even more important for those areas that attract large crowds for events, holidays or warm summer days.

As I was already carrying a measuring wheel and tape measure, I decided to check out all of Crescent Beach to ensure that the safety barricades were in place and working as intended.  What I found was that this is simply not the case.  I learned that there are eight areas in total where the pedestrian walkway is not secured.  These include open areas that have somehow been missed, bollards that are not properly secured or spaced, plus private residences where driveways lead directly to the beach path.  While the Wickson pier near Blackie Spit has a gate on it that can be locked when conditions are dangerous, there is nothing to stop a vehicle from driving down the 10' wide structure and still have enough room to turn around at the end where the pier is a 30' foot wide square.  I should note here that my Ford F350 truck has a 74" wheelbase and six of these openings are large enough for me to drive straight through.  The City of Surrey needs to recognize these dangerous deficiencies and fix them as soon as possible.

Alarmed at what I learned at Crescent Beach, I decided to take a short drive to White Rock beach to check out the Pier and Promenade.  I'm sorry to report that what I saw there in the City By The Sea can only be described as a gong show.  Without getting into details or locations, there are over 25 areas across the waterfront where the pedestrian walkway is not secured from vehicle access.  In almost all of these cases, there is room for a large truck or van to gain access to the 2,200 metres (7,200 feet) Promenade and the  470-metre-long (1,540 ft) Pier.  Even worse, the Pier is as wide as a two lane road with plenty of room at the far end to easily turn a vehicle around.  There is also another large problem with the fundamental design of the parking lots that needs to be changed to ensure that they are safe.  As to how nobody ever noticed these issues or allowed them to continue for so long, that is a question that needs to be answered by the current administration and White Rock staff as a whole.

I have two pages of notes and measurements regarding all of the public safety concerns I have for the pedestrian paths and piers at both Crescent Beach and White Rock.  I purposely withheld the full details as I do not wish to make them public at this time.  You might have noticed I have not included any pictures of the many safety problems.  I've drafted an email to the Mayors and Engineering Department Managers of both Surrey and White Rock with a list of the safety problems and their exact locations.  Some of these can be fixed immediately, others will take time to remedy these unsafe situations.  I'm hoping both cities realize the grave danger that their devil-may-care attitude to public safety poses to anyone going for a walk along the beaches in the Semiahmoo peninsula.  I would expect this issue to receive the attention it deserves and changes to be made asap.  I will be back to check on their progress at the end of March and if this situation is not addressed, the letter to the Mayors will be posted here on April 1st, April Fools day.

For more information about VAW (Vehicle As a Weapon) attacks, check out these chilling articles that detail the scope of this problem.  In total there have been 55 of these incidents since the year 2000.  We need to ensure this never happens on our public beach pathways here in the Semi-Pen.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8900474/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle-ramming_attack

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_vehicle-ramming_attacks

Naturally yours,

Don Pitcairn

I wish to acknowledge we live, work and play on the traditional lands of the Semiahmoo People.

EDITOR'S NOTE:

If you think it could never happen here, click the link below to watch a video of a vehicle being driven down our pier back in July 2022.

(click here)

White Rock RCMP have opened an investigation after video of a vehicle driving down the White Rock Pier surfaced on social media this week.

The video – posted on Snapchat and later on Twitter – was shot late at night and shows a vehicle, which a photo caption says is a Ford Mustang, driving slowly towards the end of an otherwise empty pier.

It is unclear how the vehicle got onto the pier, or when – or where – it returned to the road.

Canada's Oldest Pier

It's funny how one story leads you to another, down a deep rabbit hole, taking you somewhere you never expected.  Case in point, I was at Crescent Beach researching a bombshell story (more on that next week) when I ended up at the Crescent Beach Pier near Blackie Spit.  Since I was already armed with a rolling measuring wheel, a 25' measuring tape plus clipboard, I decided to find out just how long this pier actually was.  I can report that it is 222 ft. long, 10 ft. wide, with an end plaza measuring 31 x 29 feet across and a total of 128 planks running along it.  This pier also has a gate across it that can be locked closed during extreme weather or when it is unsafe (note to White Rock).  While measuring this structure, I noticed that some of the spikes holding the planks had square heads on them, something you usually only see with hand forged antique nails.  That got me wondering exactly how old this pier really was, especially in relation to the White Rock Pier.  

When I returned home I started to do some research on this subject and look into what I could find out about this pier.  Amazingly there was very little on the City of Surrey website except for a mention of a pier in Crescent Beach.  A lot more internet sleuthing led to the startling realization that the pier is not called the "Crescent Beach Pier" but is actually named the "Wickson Pier" after the Wickson family who ran several brick-yards in Surrey and owned a nearby house.  News to me and everyone I know that have called it the "Crescent Beach Pier" for over half a century.  While there is no name plaque on the pier, it is directly across the public walkway from Wickson Lane, which should have been a clue.  The deeper I dug on this subject, the more I learned, including many articles that stated this pier was originally built back in 1912.  The pier was renovated in the fall of 2020 by the City of Surrey with $180,000 being spent on new pilings, boards and railings.  What was interesting about the repair job was the signage for this work actually named it as the Wickson Pier, so they do know the proper name.

I know the history of the White Rock Pier, especially after White Rock Sun Editor Dave Chesney (who is also a White Rock Councillor) had the audacity in 2015 to make public his claim that their pier was the "Longest Pier in Canada."  Much to the amazement of everyone, City of White Rock staff did everything in their power to find another structure that was longer, selecting a rock and asphalt jetty in Quebec as beating out their home pier.  It took an election and a change in Mayor and Council for the White Rock Pier to finally be bestowed with the "Longest Pier in Canada" designation at 1,540 feet long.  It was first built as a 300 foot floating dock in 1912 that was subsequently destroyed by winter storms in 1913.  In 1914 it was built as a proper freestanding pier 800 feet in length and in 1915 it was commissioned to be extended to 1,542 feet in length.  The rock breakwater was added in 1953 to help protect the pier and in 1977 it was rebuilt with new wood.  Of course, it was severely damaged in the winter of 2018 with a 100 foot section destroyed by a dock and sailboats that drifted under it during a fierce wind storm.

All of this got me thinking, while the White Rock Pier was the longest in Canada, could it be that the Wickson Pier was actually the oldest in Canada?  Everything was pointing that direction but I had to somehow get actual confirmation.  A quick call to former Surrey mayor Bob Bose and his twin brother Roger who had been on the Surrey Historical Advisory Committee gave me plenty more information.  Bob was also kind enough to supply me with a Wickson brick he had sitting in his yard for years.  What I learned from all of this is that over time history has a way of becoming twisted and distorted, especially if proper names are not attached to features and structures.  I always knew the Wickson Pier as the Crescent Beach Pier but it turns out that the old Crescent Beach Hotel that was at the end of Beecher Street had a pier (called the Crescent Beach Pier) that was built in 1912.  Nowhere could I find any historical listing for when the Wickson Pier was actually built, but the misidentified Crescent Beach Pier (Wickson) was noted as being constructed in 1912 in many listings including an article in the Vancouver Sun.

It took a call to the Surrey Archives to finally put me on the path to proving if the Wickson Pier was actually 112 years old and possibly the oldest pier in Canada.  While they had scant information on this pier in their records, the lady there told me there was a historical image viewing component on the Surrey Cosmos system.  I have used this online mapping system hundreds of times but never realized it had aerial photos of Surrey going back to 1949.  When I put on this layer, it did not show the Wickson Pier, or even the actual Crescent Beach Pier for that matter.  The Wickson Pier had not yet been built and the Crescent Beach Pier had already been destroyed.  By absolute fluke, somebody posted a picture this weekend on the Crescent Rock Beach Naturists FB page taken from Crescent Beach showing cars parked on the shoreline in 1957 with the Wickson Pier in place at the end of the walkway.  While I do not have an exact year, these two photos prove that the Wickson Pier was built between 1949 and 1957, making it roughly 70 years old. 

I must admit that I was rather disappointed I'd proved my theory wrong, hoping that the Semiahmoo Peninsula could be home to both the longest and oldest piers in Canada.  That was when I suddenly realized it is very possible that we do hold both of these titles.  The oldest pier that I could find anywhere else in Canada is Pier 21 in Halifax, Nova Scotia built in 1924.  To be quite honest, it's more of a wharf or quay than an actual free standing pier.  When you search "Canada's oldest pier", listing after listing for the White Rock Pier pop up.  I now believe that the venerable White Rock Pier is not only "Canada's Longest Pier" but also "Canada's Oldest Pier."  It would be beyond funny for the White Rock Sun's Editor to proclaim one title and for the TNT scribe to announce the other.  I hope that White Rock City Hall won't bother directing staff to waste their time trying to find a dilapidated wharf or rock jetty that is possibly older than the White Rock Pier.  Instead, they should embrace this new title and let the queen of White Rock wear not one crown, but two.  

Here is the Surrey Cosmos listing proving that the Wickson Pier near Blackie Spit was built after 1949 with the Crescent Beach Pier near Beecher St. already destroyed by that time.  If you know of another free-sanding wooden pier in Canada that was built before the 110 year-old White Rock Pier in 1914, please forward your historical proof and any photographs to the White Rock Sun at this email address: editor@whiterocksun.com 

https://cosmos.surrey.ca/external/tools/surrey-historical-imagery-viewer/surrey-historical-image-viewer.html

Naturally yours,

Don Pitcairn

I wish to acknowledge we live work and play on the traditional lands of the Semiahmoo People.

Naturally yours,

Don Pitcairn

I wish to acknowledge we live work and play on the traditional lands of the Semiahmoo People.

TNT The Naked Truth

Don Pitcairn

Blackie Spit, Protect It

The estuary and meadows at Blackie spit are a very sensitive environmental area that is part of the Pacific Flyway for millions of birds and waterfowl. While Crescent Beach is a marine park, much of Blackie Spit is off-limits to people and pets. Most of this area is fenced off and signed with the point only to be accessed using the designated trail or from along the shoreline. The reason for this is the nearby grassy meadows are an important feeding and nesting site for migratory birds. 

Unfortunately with our rising population fueled mainly by immigration, there are now crowds of people coming to Crescent Beach who are either ignoring or can't read the signs to stay out of the environmentally sensitive areas. I have personally witnessed large wedding parties coming to the natural areas of Blackie Spit to take photographs. Often you will see big families descending into the area for picnics and barbecues, dragging coolers, tents and carts through the meadows meant for wildlife. The birders are not much better with some trampling through the fields and mudflats looking for an opportunity to photograph a rare species.

Last summer the CBC did an expose on the issues affecting Blackie Spit and how the hordes of people were destroying this wildlife area. Surrey responded at that time by increasing bylaw enforcement and ensuring people stayed out of the meadows, mudflats and estuary. Unfortunately, these bylaw officers can only be on site so often and enforcement is sporadic at best. They seem to be more focused on educating the public than enforcing the rules and actually fining people for their behavior. It is unknown if anyone was actually ticketed for using Blackie Spit as a campground, playground or photo studio, even though there are plenty of signs with park rules. 

Corry Kriticos photo

Last weekend White Rock resident photographer Corry Kriticos was at Blackie Spit and noticed several recent changes there.  As usual this time of year the potholes in the parking lot have been filled and graded. New steel rod fence posts with looped ends have also been positioned along the gravel path heading to the point. I have seen these used before and they usually hold ropes as a temporary measure to help guide people along. I checked the City of Surrey website for news about new fencing including the listing for Blackie Spit Park and found nothing. An email to my contacts at the Parks Department was not returned in time for deadline. Sorry to say but if they expect a rope fence to keep people out of the natural areas, they are dreaming. 

Much of the shoreline along the Mud Bay trail from Surrey to Delta is fenced off to keep people and their pets from harassing wildlife along the shoreline. In Tsawwassen, Metro Vancouver uses wire fencing and blackberries to keep folks and dogs out of much of the Boundary Bay Regional park, along with plenty of signage I should add. If Surrey really wants to protect Blackie Spit and the creatures that rely on it, then they should fence it off properly to keep the public at bay. Also, instead of kid gloves, they need to have their bylaw officers start handing out tickets. The BNSF Railway issues $500 tickets to every person caught walking on their tracks or corridor. I bet a $300 fine for anyone found in the protected wildlife area at Blackie Spit would change people's behavior real quick.

Here is the link to the CBC article on Blackie Spit from last summer. Something tells me this will be the opening story in what is sure to be a long and sordid saga.  Unless Blackie Spit is going to be properly protected, Surrey might as well extend the existing parking lot all the way to the point as the meadows are currently being stomped into the gravel.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/blackie-spit-surrey-park-habitat-1.7233402

Naturally Yours

Don Pitcairn

I wish to acknowledge we live, work and play on the traditional lands of the Semiahmoo People.

A Bump in the Road

We pay a lot of property tax to live in south Surrey and especially White Rock.  If you search what your money pays for, the The City of Surrey website will return the following list of services:  public safety and city infrastructure; road maintenance and waste collection; parks and recreation facilities; and. emergency and fire services (the underlining that you see was put in by myself for emphasis).  Most of us realize this but I think it is time to ask the cities of Surrey and White Rock to actually be accountable for the services they pledge to provide.  In this TNT I take both of them to task for the absolutely abysmal condition of some of the roads in the Semi-Pen.

This is not the first TNT on this topic as I earlier spewed venom on the City of Surrey for the dangerous and deplorable condition of 20 Ave. between 152 St. and 156 St. that featured an absence of road lines, road markings, and a road surface that I would not even want to drive a 4X4 on.  After that TNT got posted, I received emails from the Engineering Dept promising prompt repairs that were done immediately including overtime hours needed to correct all of the deficiencies and safety issues.  Unfortunately this is not the only stretch of roadway in the Semi-Pen that I avoid like the plague because it is too rough for my work truck and trailer to drive on.

I have to admit that I do not travel on all of the roads in south Surrey and White Rock but I have a big list of the ones that I know are some of the worst in the region.  Sorry to say, but the award for the roughest road has to go to the City of White Rock for the wretched stretch of Prospect Lane between Foster Ave. and Johnston Road.  It features crumbling asphalt, deep sinkholes, plus multiple pave-overs from excavations that make this short stretch of roadway one to avoid.  How the City of White Rock can allow this road to remain in its current state is a mystery.  It could be that since it is considered a "lane" it is not worth maintaining as an actual street.  To drive down this road is to risk front end damage, a blown shock and a tooth filling falling out.  

With only five square miles of area, White Rock only has so many roads to maintain.  The City of Surrey has 122 square miles to look after and with south Surrey being so far from Surrey City Hall, I wonder if we are forgotten when it comes to roadway repairs.  Case in point, while 20 Ave. east of 152  St. was finally paved and painted so it is driveable, the same cannot be said for the intersection at 152 St. that was dug up and never given a final coating of asphalt to smooth the bumps and voids.  This is a major intersection and it seems as if the resurfacing of this area was somehow missed when the roadway construction finally wrapped up.  Hopefully this TNT helps to refreshen their memory and have the Engineers go "Oh yeah, I forgot about that"

I could go on ad nauseum but in order to shorten this TNT and save time, I will simply list the roads that I travel on that are a hacked up, patched over mess of sink holes and producing manhole covers that shake my truck, rattle my bones and have even damaged equipment in my trailer while driving below the speed limit.  

28 Ave. between 144 St and 148 St.  I'm not sure if it is subsurface sinkage from the Sunnyside Acres Park, but this roadway is worse that a graveled Forest Service Road in winter.

20 Ave from Dogwood Park at 138 St. to 128 St.  Both sides of this road have been cut and patched so much it looks like a quilt and there is no way to avoid the bumps and ruts in either direction.

16 Ave from 136 St. to Ocean Park Road.  Much of this roadway was dug up and patched for a major sewer upgrade but it was never repaved.  Driving westbound is a symphony of bumps and potholes that give your spine and sphincter a workout.

25 Ave. at 124 St.  This corner was recently dug up for site servicing and the patchwork was something they would be proud of in Nepal.  It is also missing road lines and markings, making lane selection a contact sport.  

I'm sure these are only a few of the roads in White Rock and South Surrey that need resurfacing after either repairs or years of neglect.  Anyone wanting to dig into the roadway to attach services should be charged a repaving fee that could be used to rehabilitate roadways that have been dug up and patched.  The City of Surrey also needs to review The Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Canada (MUTCD) for the proper mounting of speed hump signage.  Speed humps have white triangles painted on them plus a orange warning sign installed on either side of the road.  In my neighbourhood there are seven speed humps where warning is not posted, with only a speed hump sign at the beginning and end of the roadway, a distance of six blocks.  Many of these speed humps in elementary school zones are also not marked, creating a hazard where children and pedestrians should be expected.

If you know of a terribly rough roadway in the Semi-Pen, please send your concerns to the editor at editor@whiterocksun.com so I can add them to this list that will be forwarded to the Surrey and White Rock Engineering Departments.  If they do not respond to service requests to repair these roadways, then notifying the Mayors and Councillors will usually yield results.  After all, city infrastructure and road maintenance are core services that your tax dollars are paying for.  If this is not happening, then somebody needs to be held accountable and either get the job done, or be replaced by someone else who can actually perform the task that they have been hired for.  This goes for City Hall staff plus the elected officials who all have a job to do.  

Naturally yours,

DON PITCAIRN

I wish to acknowledge we live, work and play on the traditional lands of the Semiahmoo People.

Traffic Light Fright

Over years of writing this TNT column, I have built up a list of friends and accomplices who help to alert me to news stories that are happening in our community.  Sometimes this is very close to home with my wife Sheryl keeping her eyes and ears open to incidents, accidents and ambulances on the streets of South Surrey and White Rock.  On Friday I was at work while she was driving uptown when she saw a rather strange occurrence that quickly escalated into an incredibly dangerous situation.  Since this happened at the busiest intersection between White Rock and South Surrey I thought I should detail it here considering the risk it posed to both drivers and pedestrians.

At approximately 1:24 p.m. on Friday the traffic control lights at the corner of 16 Ave. and 152 St. (North Bluff & Johnston in White Rock) malfunctioned.  They were operating normally then suddenly started flashing green for 16 Ave. and flashing red for 152 St.  For a moment drivers stopped unsure of what to do and then with a green light, traffic started moving in the east west direction on 16 Ave.  The problem was that drivers on 152 St., seeing the flashing red light, thought that for reasons unknown the lights were flashing all four ways.  One car turned right off 152 St. and was almost hit on the driver's door, while another car turned left in the other direction, almost getting t-boned.  With the symphony of horns drivers quickly figured out that something was terribly amiss and they started using caution and common sense to navigate this busy intersection.  Shortly after this, the lights went back to their normal function and traffic began to flow normally once again.

Sheryl had a front seat to this action and the near carnage and immediately phoned me to report what she had seen.  Realizing the danger to the public and unsure of if this situation would happen again, I immediately contacted the police to report it.  I called 911 and asked for the White Rock RCMP since I figured they would likely respond quicker should the traffic lights go into the mode usually used for demand pedestrian lights.  After that, my next step was to call News 1130 and report this dangerous incident to their News Room so they could immediately get it out on their traffic reports.  With this intersection bordering White Rock and South Surrey, I then decided that the Surrey Engineering Dept. needed to be alerted to the danger, especially since I already had their number in my phone contacts.   For future reference it is 604-591-4152.

This is the number you can call to report broken traffic lights but in this situation I described the problem and asked to be transferred to their Traffic Management Centre.  Most people are unaware that the City of Surrey has cameras on over 500 intersections throughout the city that are used to monitor traffic flow, allowing them to change traffic light control timings for greater mobility.  All of this is controlled at the Traffic Management Centre (TMC) located in the basement of City Hall.  At the TMC a team of engineers and technologists use artificial intelligence along with automated alerts from traffic signals and sensors throughout Surrey  to control traffic flow.  This system is recorded and I knew that the staff at the TMC would be able to look at the recorded images, check out the signals from the traffic lights and quickly diagnose the problem.  It only took them a minute to verify what my wife had seen happen to the traffic lights at the corner and dispatch electrical crews to check out the problem.

With that done, I quickly cobbled a safety report together and splashed it across several of the South Surrey and White Rock community Facebook pages, trying to alert people to what had happened.  I did this because there was no way of knowing when or if this traffic light malfunction would happen again.  Later on while reading through the comments, I found out that the same thing had recently happened to nearby traffic lights further down 16 Ave. with the lady wondering then if she had lost her mind.  Whatever is causing this problem, another person later reported seeing Cobra Electric trucks at the traffic control monitor boxes for the controlled intersections on 152 St. from 16th Ave. to 20 Ave.  It may have been possible that this issue was affecting the traffic lights through this entire corridor.  If this was the case it is a miracle there was not a rash of crashes as drivers, unaware of what was happening, entered the intersections when it was unsafe to do so.

So here is a little driver's-ed refresher course on what to do at intersections where the lights are not behaving normally.  Many traffic lights now have battery backup, but during a power outage if you encounter a traffic light that is out, you must stop and use the 4-way stop procedure.  It blows my mind how many drivers barrel straight through intersections when the lights are blacked out.  A flashing green light here in B.C. is normally used to indicate a pedestrian demand light.  Drivers are to use caution when seeing a flashing green because pedestrians might be in the area and are expected to approach in a manner that they’re ready to stop.  A flashing red traffic light means drivers have to come to a full stop and proceed only when it is safe to do so.   A flashing yellow traffic light warns you to slow down, be especially careful and proceed with caution.  It never fails to amaze me how many people are completely ignorant of these simple rules that govern traffic lights.  If you arrive at a traffic light and something looks odd or strange, it is best to exercise extreme caution, knowing that many drivers will simply roar through oblivious to the danger.

Here is a link to Surrey's Traffic Management Centre and the Traffic Data Hub that gives near life video feed of intersections throughout Surrey.  If you click on the intersection and then click again on the small picture, it will expand and fill your computer screen for easy viewing.  For those people living in Crescent Beach, there are now cameras that show if the two entrances to this sea-side hamlet are open or possibly blocked by a train.  Good to know!

https://www.surrey.ca/services-payments/parking-streets-transportation/traffic-management-centre

https://surrey.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=e55ffc744c15473a8a638d47a9d95d01

Naturally yours,

Don PItcairn

I wish to acknowledge we live, work and play on the traditional lands of the Semiahmoo People.

TNT Year In Review 2024

To help celebrate the end of 2024, here is the The Naked Truth Year in Review that is a quick reference guide to stories you may have missed, wish to share, or simply want to read again.  Once you have found a TNT column of interest, note the date and simply scroll down into the archives below to find it.  This listing runs backwards from December to January as you go deeper into the TNT archives.

Christmas Gift List 2024

Dec. 15, 2024

The Buzz on Air Bee-n-Bee

There is a rather interesting farm based business in south Surrey that always seems to catch my eye.  It is the BCB Honey Farm located at 4121 King George Blvd on the NW corner of Highway 99.  It's hard to ignore, for on both sides of its big green barn are the words HONEY FOR SALE painted in large letters on either end.  There is a rather cute wooden building that has a drive thru, which is used for on farm sales of the various honey products that BCB produces.  What makes BCB honey so unique is that they use a cold-extraction method for removing the honey from the comb, allowing it to retain its full vitamins, antioxidants, enzymes, pollen, propolis and royal jelly.  Most commercialized honey is pasteurized and filtered to keep it liquid and extend its shelf life.  In order to pass through a filter the honey is heated to make it more viscous, which destroys all of the enzymes, nutrients and vitamins that it naturally possesses.  You can taste the difference in BCB raw honey that has won several coveted gold medals in international honey tasting and quality competitions.  It is one of my go-to places for a great locally produced gift that everyone will love receiving.

The processing and packaging of their honey is only part of the operations performed by BCB Honey Farm.  Starting with 50 hives in 2005, they now operate a full-scale pollination service for farms across B.C. that rely on bees to cross-pollinate flowers that is essential for 30% of the world's crops.  They now utilize over 1,000 hives that grow to around 60,000 bees by the summer, meaning their bees-nest business involves 60 million bees.  These hives are constantly moved from farm to farm to pollinate crops that have different flowering times or onto areas with wildflowers or clover when a desired colour, quality and taste of natural honey is required.  These commercial hives are stored outdoors during the winter and due to varroa mite disease and cold weather, they often lose 20-40% of their bees.  Usually the Lower Mainland is the preferred overwintering area for hives from many areas and I had a friend in Fort Langley's Glen Valley who stored bee hives on her property from a company in Alberta who trucked them to her farm.  The unusually cold winters we have experienced the last few years in the Lower Mainland have devastated many hives where the bees literally froze to death from arctic outflow winds.

Recently the gravelled storage area outside of the BCB Honey Farm has been a literal beehive of activity with some very interesting changes happening.  The first additions were two geodesic domes, featuring hexagon panels like those in a honeycomb.  One of these is made of clear plastic, while the larger one has smoked plastic to filter the sun's rays.  Next to this sits what I originally thought was a sculpture with hexagonal panels packed like a honeycomb in the shape of a flower.  When I stopped by for a visit I realized that this interesting monument is actually a very unique solar panel array.  The lady running the honey store showed me where they had recently renovated to double the size of the building and added several large patio spaces.  The goal for 2025 is to add a coffee shop to the honey store with the building being powered by the sun.  The geodesic domes are for people to sit in, with the clear one for cold, windy or cloudy days, and the darkened dome suitable for when it is warm and sunny.  Looking up at the dome from the inside, the array of hexagon frames make it appear that you are actually inside a beehive.

As interesting as all of this was, it was the arrival of two very futuristic looking white geodesic domes that were recently erected that really attracted my attention.  You might have seen them driving northbound on Highway 99 just past King George Blvd.  These units with a large clear front window look very futuristic and would be right at home in a science fiction movie.  Manufactured in Turkey, these domes are the modern equivalent of a yurt, allowing people to use them for "dome globe glamping."  They are available in 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 metres in diameter with interior heights from 9 to 16.5 metres.  The larger units have their own kitchenette, bathroom with a loft on top and living space in front of the clear plastic window.  They can be fitted with a wood stove or heat pump for heating and cooling.  These units are known as Noniva domes and possess the following attributes that were listed in their catalogue.

Energy Efficient:  Geodesic structural domes are highly energy efficient due to their unique shape, which allows for better air circulation and natural lighting.  They require less energy for heating and cooling.

Cost-Effective:  Geodesic structural domes are often more cost-effective than traditional buildings due to their quick assembly and low maintenance costs.  They also require less construction materials and labor, reducing overall construction costs.

Eco-Friendly:  Geodesic structural domes are eco-friendly as they require fewer resources to build and have a smaller environmental footprint than traditional buildings.  They can also incorporate sustainable features like solar panels and rainwater collection systems.

These Noniva domes are very unique and are being erected in many natural settings where they can be used for temporary rentals.  There are even resorts that have been built with these geodesic domes instead of a conventional hotel room, each featuring their own swimming pool, patio area and hot tub.  The closest Noniva dome I could find on Airb&b was in Sechelt that featured two domes, a sauna and hot tub in a natural setting with beachfront access.  No surprise it was listed as a guest favourite with extremely high reviews and a price tag of $340 a night per dome unit.  A little further from home but with no ferry ride needed, "The Lodge on Harrison Lake" Geodome is perched over water and must be seen to be believed.  It has a perfect 5.0 star review to go along with its price tag of over $500 a night. These amazing glamping domes can be found across the Pacific Northwest, mostly in rural settings with water views.  It is interesting that BCB Honey Farms is branching out into the glamping dome business, but I guess as long as it involves six sided hexagons like a honeycomb, it makes perfect sense.

Here are some web addresses and listings for more information.

Noniva Dome Glamping catalogue:  https://img1.wsimg.com/blobby/go/311567ab-8e80-48ae-8fbe-fa80b1890fdf/katalog_2024-eng.pdf

Airbnb listing:  Geodesic "barn" dome with spa on beautiful farm - Sechelt, B.C.

Airbnb listing:  "The Lodge on Harrison Lake" Geodome - Harrison Lake, B.C.

Naturally yours,

Don PItcairn

I wish to acknowledge we live work and play on the traditional lands of the semiahmoo People.

Dec. 9, 2024

See Legend of a Sea Legion

I've always been a bit of a history buff and from time to time will visit museums and archives to learn a thing or two about the past.  Of course, much of this can now be done in front of a computer in the comfort of home.  I'm a member of the Crescent Beach Legion and know plenty about its history but have never set foot in the White Rock Legion at 2290 152 St., mainly because the parking lot is usually full (always a good sign).  Well that changed this weekend when I dropped in to visit a friend and meet some of the regulars at Branch #8 .  While there I made the discovery that the White Rock Legion previously had a much more unique location in our community than at the top of the hill in South Surrey.  Imagine if you will, having a Legion complete with a dance floor over the water of Semiahmoo Bay next to the White Rock pier!

After World War 1 had ended in 1918, servicemen returning to the community were looking for a gathering place where heroes of the war could be honoured and remembered.  In 1919 a local contractor died in a work accident while erecting a building near the beginning of the White Rock pier.  Veterans purchased the uncompleted building plus construction materials and with volunteer labour along with money and materials donated by the public, they built the first Legion hall in the Semiahmoo Peninsula.  There is a well publicized historical photo from 1929 of this building with a banner proclaiming the following:  You are invited to come to the Unveiling of the Memorial tablet and the dedication of this hall Sunday Juy 7th at 4 p.m.  The tablet was a large section of stone carved with the names of four White Rock men Charles Severn, J.W. Robertson, John Wicks and David Wix who were killed in the war.  Amazingly over 500 visitors and residents attended the opening and dedication.  

This building unfortunately did not last long for on Aug. 27, 1935 disaster struck with fire ravaging the building.  A story in the Semiahmoo Sun reads as follows after minor editing.  Fire Razes Legion Hall at White Rock.  Fire destroyed the Canadian Legion hall, an adjacent store and the White Rock's Swimming club headquarters at 10:30 p.m. Tuesday.  Damage, estimated at $10,000, is covered by insurance.  The pier, to which the store and hall are connected, suffered considerable damage, but was saved from complete destruction by Blaine fire department which was called.  Belief is that the fire was caused by the explosion of a gas stove that happened 15 minutes after a large crowd had dispersed following presentation of prizes to White Rock swimming gala competitors.  An impromptu bucket parade was formed when the local fire brigade ran out of chemicals.

San Clemente pier

The White Rock Legion was rebuilt but eventually it was decided to relocate it to a new building far from the waterfront and away from the train tracks.  When the Legion moved out, its bar and dancefloor were converted into the Dolphin restaurant that was in that location for several decades until it too was destroyed by fire in 1970 after it had been closed in the late 1960s for leaking sewage into the bay.  If you ever want to experience what it might have been like to eat at the Dolphin back in the day, simply go to the San Clemente Pier in California and visit the Fisherman's Restaurant and Bar.  This little town really is the sister city of White Rock with a train track including passenger trains located right next to the beach.  I must note that at 1,295 feet long, the San Clemente Pier is just under 250 feet shorter than "Canada's Longest Pier" in the City By The Sea.  My eternal thanks to former White Rock Councillor Larry Robinson who told me to go visit this town whose slogan is "Spanish Village By The Sea."

Naturally yours,

Don Pitcairn

I wish to acknowledge we live, work and play on the traditional lands of the Semiahmoo people.

The Naked Truth

Vetting Your Vet

WARNING:  This TNT contains pet medical information and procedures that some people may find disturbing.

To anyone in the Semi-Pen who has a dog for a pet, this TNT is required reading if you want to avoid illness with your best friend, their possible death from malpractice and huge unnecessary veterinarian bills.  We have been living with a sick puppy for almost two months who almost died, was nearly put down three times, and who is still fighting for her life while we hope for a miraculous recovery.  The worst part is that with proper diagnosis, treatment and care, none of this should have ever happened.

My wife Sheryl and I have two lovely little dogs named Julie and Bisley who are Pekingese- Pomeranian-Spaniel crosses that I like to call "designer mutts."  Julie is the eldest of the two at 15 years old and Bisley is her 10 year old son who we could not part with because he is so damn cute.  In all the years we have had them, the only vet bills were for Bisley getting fixed and for Julie having a tooth removed.  We realize with advancing age that it was likely they would run into health issues and eventually die.  What we did not expect was Julie getting sick and a parade of veterinarians providing such poor animal husbandry that it almost killed her from neglect.

This nightmare all started in late September when Julie had her latest heat and started to lose her appetite.  We had never gotten her spade since a veterinarian we talked to ten years ago said it was not necessary.  What he did not tell us was that female dogs will continue to have their heats every six months forever, unlike women who eventually exhaust their egg supply and enter menopause.  Part of the other information he did not share with us is that as they age, female dogs are vulnerable to pyometra, an infection of the womb that can lead to blood poisoning, kidney failure, peritonitis and eventual death. If like us, you have never heard of this common disease, check out this link for all the disturbing details.  https://www.webmd.com/pets/dogs/what-is-pyometra-in-dogs

We had noticed in early fall that Julie was not eating her full meals and was losing weight.  We associated this with getting older and possibly having teeth issues.  To address this we cut down on her kibble and gave her more canned food, hoping to improve her appetite.  In the first week of October we went to a South Surrey veterinary clinic concerned that her weight had dropped from 22 to 17.5 pounds.  After giving them Julie's medical history, they did a quick physical examination and suggested giving her even more canned food to increase her weight.  While they said they could do blood and urine analysis, they told us they did not believe it would show anything.   Because of their recommendation and Julie's history of being a fussy eater, we did not have this testing done.  Considering her rapid weight loss, age and not being spade, this was a grave mistake.

We continued with trying to fatten Julie up and changed her diet in the second week of November over to raw food that she had previously devoured.   Shortly after that she stopped eating and had a rather nasty bowel movement that was hard and very uncomfortable.  Alarmed at this we took her to a vet in Newton that my wife had previously used with a previous pet.  While Julie was experiencing odour and discharge from her vagina along with the lack of appetite, the vet simply prescribed an antibiotic and told Sheryl to keep her area clean with warm compresses.  We resorted to giving Julie cooked chicken and other foods that we would normally eat just to try and get anything into her.  Finally on Sunday morning, Nov. 24th, she refused to get up out of bed and extremely concerned with her health, we took her to an emergency animal clinic.

On the day before, Sheryl had reached out to a family friend Emily who manages the Bone & Biscuit store in Cloverdale.  She is a pet nutritionist and previously had worked as a veterinarian assistant.  On giving her the details about Julie's medical condition over the phone, Emily immediately felt that she was suffering from pyometra, which was the first time we had ever heard of it.  Amazingly, when we showed up at the emergency clinic on Sunday, telling the vet we believed it was pyometra, they examined her and did not come to that conclusion.  They told us they would do everything in their power to save her life and gave us a quote that totaled close to $8,000.  We did have them do a blood and urine sample that went out for lab analysis.  Without a positive diagnosis and while considering to put her down, we took Julie home with both pain and anti-nausea medication. 

On the Sunday night we received a phone call from the emergency vet clinic about the results of the blood and urine lab work, which were also emailed to us.  We were told it showed kidney disease, a bladder infection and possible underlying cancer.  With this in mind, we figured we would put her on the various medications, force feed her with a gravy baster and consider doggie MAID.  On Monday I went so far as to dig a large hole in our back yard as Julie's final resting place so that I would not have to do it in the dark during the work week.  Julie did perk up a bit from the meds so we decided to delay her departure for another day.  The same thing happened on Tuesday and I talked to my sister about the Langley farm veterinarian she had used for years.  Figuring we had nothing to lose, and planning to have her put down, Julie was taken to Albatross Veterinary Services in Langley on Wednesday.

The veterinarian was given Julie's medical history along with a chronicle order of events with the three different vet clinics she had been seen at over the past two months.  They immediately agreed that it looked to be pyometra, performed a simple vaginal swab and confirmed the presence of swarms of bacteria under a compound microscope at no charge.  They then took an x-ray to confirm the diagnosis that showed many abnormalities with Julie's reproductive system.  After a frank discussion about whether to proceed with treatment or simply end her life, we decided to go ahead with ovariohysterectomy (spay) surgery, which was scheduled for later that evening.  Besides a seriously infected womb, one of her ovaries was the size of a mandarin orange when it normally should be the size of a grape.  We picked up our loving little dog the next day and have been attempting to nurse her back to health ever since. 

Julie is still not out of the woods and the antibiotics are tough on her belly and cause nausea.  We are giving her the best of care but realize she was literally knocking on death's door for days.  The worst part about this entire situation is that it was completely unnecessary.  Any of the three initial veterinarians should have easily recognized the symptoms Julie was experiencing that we described in detail.  If she was properly diagnosed in early October, much of this medical saga could have been avoided.  Instead our dog was left to rot internally, get sick as a dog (if you pardon the pun), and almost get put down three times.  We have said good-bye to her so often that the thought of her dying barely hurts any more.  We are not veterinarians and we rely on these dog doctors to be competent and knowledgeable about animal diseases.  In this case, their non-treatment caused our sweet family dog to be tortured almost to death.  

If you are looking for a competent vet, save money and heartache by visiting the caring folks at Albatross Veterinary Services, 45 216 St. in Langley.

If you believe your animal has not received competent and ethical veterinary care, you can file a complaint with the College of veterinarians of B.C. at: https://www.cvbc.ca/public-protection/complaints-process/

Naturally yours,

Don Pitcairn

I wish to acknowledge we live work and play on the traditional lands of the Semiahmoo People.

Monday November 24, 2024

It's a Roundabout Time

Stuck in a Rut

I was recently on a property near Crescent Park getting it prepped for the winter and cleaning up the many leaves that had fallen from the tall cottonwoods, alders and big leaf maple trees.  I know this yard often gets visited by deer because the owners have taken extreme measures to protect their substantial vegetable gardens.  These have been staked and protected with deer netting to a height of seven feet high.  They also have a series of scarecrow sprinklers that are motion activated as we learned earlier in the year while getting sprayed by streams of cold water.  While we have never seen deer in the yard during the day, the owners have sent me pictures of deer walking across the lawns in the early morning.

Working behind their garage I noticed several game trails leading to a glen in the undeveloped one acre property next door.  Since it has recently been put up for sale, I decided to go for a stroll through the grounds before it gets bulldozed and developed.  Some of the land had obviously been cleared years ago and in this area a thicket of small alder saplings was growing.  The interesting thing about alder trees is their orange coloured wood that shows up brightly when it is cut or damaged.  Many of these young trees in the vacant one acre lot were battle scarred with much of the bark rubbed off on their lower trucks.  From my time spent hunting, I immediately recognized that I had stumbled upon a substantial buck rub.

This is something you can expect to find during the rut from Nov. to late Dec. when it is mating season for deer.  The decreasing daylight triggers a psychological change in male deer delivering more testosterone into their bloodstream that reduces the blood supply to their antlers.  This causes the velvet covering to dry and peel off the bone hard antlers and the deer will rub them on trees to peel this dead tissue off by rubbing them on trees.  These rub areas also serve as a spot where bucks can help to strengthen their necks in preparation for dominance fights against other male deer.  They also act as signposts to alert other deer to the presence of a dominant buck as they deposit scent from their forehead and facial glands onto the shredded trees.

Picture of deer in peninsula backyard

Anywhere in the Semiahmoo peninsula with greenspace, ravines, bluffs and parks are areas where deer will be present.  Sunnyside Acres park is home to a small herd of black tailed deer that roam into surrounding neighbourhoods.  The area along the Nicomekl river is a major thoroughfare with the area under the bridge on both Hwy. 99 and the KGB being used as a wildlife corridor.  There are deer on the Semiahmoo FN lands, they've been seen feeding on the Hump hillside and have even been spotted trotting along the shoreline at Crescent Rock beach.  If you follow the community Facebook pages for South Surrey and White Rock there are constant postings about people seeing deer in their yards, alongside roads, or sadly laying dead in a ditch after being struck by vehicles.

The rut breeding season for deer is currently in full swing with these animals being much more mobile during the breeding season.  This is especially true around dawn and dusk and with low light comes greater danger to getting into an accident with deer on the road.  Just as you should slow down in wet weather, when you see the yellow and black jumping deer warning signs, please decrease your speed and pay attention.  This is especially important in areas along parks and greenspaces where deer can suddenly jump out of the woods into the roadway with no warning.  All of Crescent Road, around Sunnyside Park and areas near South Surrey Athletic Park are places where deer can regularly be expected to be seen.  By the end of December when mating season ends and leaves are off the trees, the threat of deer being hit on our streets should greatly decrease.

While deer may look cute and relatively tame, keep in mind that they are wild animals and may respond aggressively to your presence with little warning.  The bucks have very sharp and dangerous antlers which can cause grievous bodily injury when they charge.  The hooves of both male and female deer are very sharp and hard and can be used to bludgeon both people and pets.  If you are out walking or running with your dog and encounter deer, it is best to turn around and find yourself a different route.  A lady in Kelowna recently was attacked after encountering a buck and two doe deer that ended up with her legs being gored and her being thrown ragdoll through the air.  There have been plenty of media stories about deer attacking people in B.C., usually when they are out walking dogs.  Keep all of this deer information in mind and stay safe this fall. 

Naturally yours,

Don Pitcairn

November 10, 2024

Lest We Forget

My weekly TNTs are usually posted in the White Rock Sun every Monday morning and on Tuesday mornings when there is a long weekend.  I believe this TNT is the first one ever posted on a Sunday morning with the reason being that Remembrance Day this year falls on a Monday.  Since the topic for this column is the Remembrance Day celebrations in our region, I did not see the point in posting it on Monday only hours before the various ceremonies were to begin.  I'm hoping that by posting the information about cenotaphs, celebrations and Legions in the Semi-Pen that people will have time to make their plans and join with their fellow patriotic Canadians in marking this special occasion.

White Rock Remembrance Day Parade

The City of White Rock will be supporting White Rock Legion Branch 8 in a Remembrance Day Parade and Ceremony on Monday, November 11, 2024 to honour the sacrifices made by Canadian war veterans. The Remembrance Day Parade starts at 10:40 a.m. at Roper Avenue near Johnson Road and continues down Johnston Road to Pacific Avenue, concluding at the Cenotaph in front of White Rock City Hall.  Immediately after, the Remembrance Day Ceremony and laying of wreaths will take place at 11 a.m. at the Cenotaph at White Rock City Hall (15322 Buena Vista Ave) .

The Surrey website has information about other Remembrance Day celebrations across the city at this link:

https://www.surrey.ca/news-events/events/remembrance-day-ceremonies

Visit the Canadian Legion website to find out more about other Remembrance Day ceremonies at:  

https://www.legion.ca/

I'd like to close this special Remembrance Day inspired TNT with the following poem by Canadian John McCrae.

Cornering The Market

Growing up in Sunshine Hills in North Delta years ago, there were not many houses, lots of bush, and plenty of farms.  At that time Nordel Shopping Centre was the nearest retail space with Scottsdale, Surrey Place and Guildford likely not yet on the planning table.  The one oasis in the midst of this rural wasteland was the tiny one level corner store called Steven's Market at the SW corner of Scott Road and Peck Road (120 St. and 64 Ave.).  Mr. Stevens ran this store carrying a wide assortment of products that most people living in the neighbourhood would require on a weekly basis without heading to Nordel or Richmond.  To give you an example of the times, a Double Bubble gun pack was one cent, while you could get two Mojos for a penny.  We also had Popeye Candy Cigarettes with a red tip and black licorice pipes (still available) plus you could pick up real cigarettes for your parents, even though mine never smoked.

When I moved to Crescent Heights over 20 years ago one of the strange novelties in the neighbourhood was the presence of a nearby corner store.  No, not a Macs or 7-11 on a busy thoroughfare but a house with a storefront on the quiet corner of 25 Ave. and 128 Street.  For 25 years it was run by Keith and Joanna Ro who purchased the property when they moved to Canada from South Korea.  Some of the nicest people you have ever met, they worked together in the store 365 days a year before retiring in early 2022, much to the chagrin of the people in the neighbourhood who supported them.  It turns out that the building had been used as a corner store for 60 to 70 years, so it was a sad day when the old Coca-Cola sign was finally taken down and the windows papered over.  It has been sitting vacant for 2.5 years now and folks here were always wondering when the developer's bulldozer would be coming for it. 

I'm not the only one in the house with an eye for news and my wife Sheryl scooped me on the sign that suddenly appeared on the old corner store last week heralding that the bulldozers had been held at bay.  A bright yellow and blue sign with the sun rising over the mountains proclaimed "New ChildCare BC spaces coming soon."  Of course this was a government sign featuring both the BC and Canadian governments along with the "Stronger BC for Everyone" slogan.  The new business will be the Smilestones Learning Society with the site featuring room for 60 children.  While sleuthing the internet for more information I came across a Surrey planning report that details how this building will be converted into a four classroom daycare and learning centre.  I must admit, after pouring over the design plans I'm quite impressed, especially with the layout of the outdoor play areas.  You can check it out in detail for yourself online on the Surrey.ca website at the following link:  https://www.surrey.ca/sites/default/files/planning-reports/PLR_7922-0306-00_1.pdf

It's funny how things work (Law of Attraction, what you think about - you bring about) but this old building sitting vacant for so long got me thinking about the vacant Tourism Surrey building in Hazelmere and what was happening to it.  In case you are not aware, it is a modern looking wood beam and glass building located at 730 176 St., just south of the Campbell River Store (speaking of corner stores).  Well it turns out we had a job out in Hazelmere on Friday and we needed fuel so it seemed like a good place to stop for lunch.  Meandering over onto the property with sandwich in hand, it looked to be a film set for a Twilight Zone movie.  While some of the grass had been mowed, the shrubs were overgrown, the beds were choked with weeds and leaves were blowing everywhere.  The lights were still on with the decor looking the same as when it had closed five years ago.  There were still banners on the wall proclaiming Golf Surrey, Arts Surrey and Sports Surrey, along with the not so clever miss spelled motto "u just have to be here."

A quick internet search of "730 176 St. Tourism Surrey" immediately led me to a Colliers Canada retail for lease ad.  It read as follows:

Opportunity to secure a standalone 2,950 SF commercial building with highway exposure near the intersection of 176 Street (Pacific Hwy) and 8th Avenue in South Surrey, BC. The building is fully finished with multiple open plan rooms, 3 washrooms, a staff kitchen and private offices. The property is well suited for childcare uses (subject to municipal approvals) and offers two points of access and egress, an abundance of parking, and multiple signage placement options. This is your rare opportunity to establish a commercial childcare centre that’s well positioned for success within the rapidly growing Douglas neighbourhood of South Surrey.  

No mention of the monthly lease rate that Colliers is looking for but with the size of the property and parking lot plus the beautiful building, it would not be cheap.  Looking at other comparable lease rates for commercial properties in the area, $10,000 a month would not be out of the ballpark.

It is bizarre to me that this commercial building has stood vacant for so long with the owners likely losing out on half a million dollars.  With the lack of child care spaces in this province you might think that with it being marketed in this way, the property would have been leased long ago.  My guess is that anyone thinking of putting children into this environment might notice the constant parade of noisy big rig trucks heading two and from the Pacific Border Truck Crossing.  Nice space but wrong place, as the motto goes.  Looking at all of the parking spots including long areas built for buses or trucks, my crew and I surmised that a trucking, delivery or logistics company might be a better fit.  A craft brewery could also work out with plenty of high traffic roads around it and lots of high density residential neighbourhoods nearby.  If Surrey ever decides to get with the high times, a cannabis dispensary might be a logical choice for people crossing the border heading into Canada without their regular bag of weed.  Yes Martha, marijuana is still illegal at the US Federal border while being perfectly legit in many states and all of Canada.  

Naturally yours,

Don Pitcairn

I wish to acknowledge we live, work and play on the traditional lands of the Semiahmoo People.

L'eggo My Listeria

A buddy of mine went shopping with his wife and son last Sunday, stopping at the No Frills grocery store in Cloverdale to buy their groceries.  They saw that the No Name blueberry waffles, the ones in the plain yellow boxes, were on sale for $2.50 each so they bought a few of the packages.  Later that afternoon they had a couple of them as a snack and found out that their child, who is a year and a half old, loved eating them.  On the holiday Monday, they ate these waffles again for breakfast and by the time they joined their extended family for Thanksgiving dinnerware they were already feeling ill with what they thought was the start of a cold or possibly the flu.  On Tuesday morning they had waffles again for breakfast again and continued to get sicker with cold sweats, stomach cramps and a variety of body functions that Pepto Bismol, Imodium and Gravol are generally used to combat. 

It was only after calling in sick for work on Tuesday that my friend learned there had been a North America wide recall of TreeHouse Food waffles manufactured in Illinois and Ontario.  They announced a widespread voluntary recall of their waffles on Oct. 18 over a possible risk of Listeria monocytogenes contamination that was first detected in routine testing at their Canadian plant.  These are sold in over 600 stores in the US and Canada with many outlets having their own unique store branded packaging. These include Compliments, Duncan, Gordon's Choice, Great Value, No Name and Western Family. To understand how widespread these waffes are you have to check out the following links with the first one listing the names of the products and the second showing images of the various packaging.  There are so many that I didn't bother to try to count them all.

https://www.treehousefoods.com/news-and-media/press-release-details/2024/TreeHouse-Foods-Announces-Voluntary-Recall-of-Certain-Waffle-Products-Due-to-the-Potential-for-Listeria-monocytogenes-Contamination/default.aspx

https://s202.q4cdn.com/734602292/files/doc_downloads/2024/10/Brantford-Waffles-Press-Release-Final-Draft-All-Images-Only-JC.pdf

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has listed a recall and safety list of their own for those waffles sold in this country that you can find on the Health Canada website at the following listing.  Please take a minute to visit their website, check the list and possibly clean out your freezer:

https://recalls-rappels.canada.ca/en/ale.t-recall/various-brands-frozen-waffles-recalled-due-listeria-monocytogenes#tablefield-node-76369-field_affected_products-0

Here is the CFIA's list of what you should do and the description of Listeria contamination along with the health risks associated with it.

Battleground Surrey

As anticipated, the big city of Surrey played a decisive role in the outcome of the 2024 B.C. Election.  Heading into this election the New Democratic Party under leader David Eby had their MLA's in charge of seven of the nine Surrey ridings, with the Conservative Party holding only two seats.  Trevor Halford in Surrey-White Rock and Eleanor Sturko in Surrey-South had both joined the Conservatives after originally winning their seats as provincial Liberals in 2001 before that party re-branded as the United party.  With riding boundary changes and the new riding of Surrey-Serpentine River, there were 10 ridings in total up for grabs.  With the contentious Surrey police transition plan, afford ability and housing issues, the ever increasing carbon tax, legalized drug use and crime concerns, plus SOGI discontent, the NDP were facing public backlash and a demand for change in Victoria. 

From the very first results, it was apparent that the NDP were in trouble in Surrey, with many of the Conservative candidates in the lead.  As more polls were reported, the gap closed quickly and it became a neck and neck race between the two main B.C. political parties.  Long into the night the numbers continued to change with the final result seeing the B.C. NDP leading in 46 ridings, the BC. Conservatives in 45 and the B.C.Greens in 2, leaving all parties short of the majority number of 47 ridings.  In Surrey, the upstart Conservatives took seven of the ridings leaving the NDP holding on to only three ridings.  There are 49,000 ballots still remaining to be counted next weekend including mail-in ballots received after advance voting was closed and out-of-district ballots that need to be certified.  Of the five ridings in B.C. that were too close to call, two are in Surrey, with Surrey-Guildford sitting at 102 vote differential and Surrey-City Centre at a 96 vote differential.

Here are the current results to date for the 10 Surrey and White Rock ridings:

Crash Course on Crescent Road

On Friday, October 5th at 4:30 a.m. a speeding car heading east on Crescent Road lost control in the curve at 142A St. where the historic Elgin Community Hall sits.  The vehicle left the roadway where it first smashed into a stop sign, knocking it down and tearing its heavy concrete base out of the ground.  Next it hit a hydro pole with such force that it cut it completely in two while not stopping.  Immediately after that it ploughed into a concrete brick patio area tearing a large hole in the ground and sending an iron park bench flying.  The car was seriously damaged with pieces of it littering the area and the shattered hydro pole reportedly fell across Crescent Road blocking traffic.  Amazingly, a Surrey RCMP media release later that day revealed the driver was not injured in this crash. The power was disrupted and it took crews until 3:30 in the afternoon to finally turn it back on after the broken pole was replaced.  

This accident, if you want to call it that, happened at a relatively gentle curve in the road well past the sign warning of a 30 km/h speed zone ahead, which begins at the Elgin Hall parking lot.  The sweeping S curve is designated a low speed zone because of the old ESSO gas station situated on the corner of Elgin Road and Crescent Road.  Just beyond that at the apex of a sharp curve in the road is a pedestrian crossing for the Semiahmoo Trail that has flashing yellow lights activated by those crossing the street.  For traffic headed west from the King George Blvd., the 30 km/h zone starts just before 144 St at Elgin Creek.  The Surrey Engineering Department is aware of the speeding in this dangerous area but will not put speed bumps or speed humps on an arterial road.  The RCMP have conducted numerous daytime speed traps in the slow zone with plenty of tickets given out and some vehicles towed away for excessive speed at 40 km/h over the limit.

The 30 km/h signs in this area do little or nothing to slow people down who treat it like a Formula 1 racing track.  The small traffic island in the middle of Crescent Road at 144 St. has had its yellow and black striped hazard signs mowed down countless times.  I once had a 10 tonne moving truck come around this corner so fast that I thought it was going to roll over in front of me before the driver got it back down on all four wheels.  There is a split rail fence that Surrey installed along the sidewalk in this area, presumably to keep pedestrians safe, that has already been run into by out of control cars three or four times.  Amazingly nobody has been killed at the pedestrian crossing but this is likely because people look and wait for speeding cars to roar past them.  The Elgin ESSO is only protected by a small curb and Surrey did not want to put large concrete no-post barriers in at this area as they were afraid a vehicle might launch over them at high speed before crashing into the gas pumps.  Throw in the lack of a stop sign at the Elgin Road and Crescent Road interchange (it's yield only, if you can believe that) and you have a recipe for disaster.

The rest of Crescent Road all the way to Crescent Beach is really not much safer than the Elgin stretch.  It is 4.5 kms of twisting windy roadway that has changed little since it was first put in following along the Nicomekl river well over 100 years ago.  As the cars and speed have increased, the dotted line passing zones were replaced with a double solid line and bike lanes painted on the shoulders.  There have been curve ahead 40 km/h speed warning signs installed, large chevron curve signs posted at the sharpest curve uphill from Chantrell Creek and hazard markers placed on power poles, courtesy of Surrey after emails from me to their Traffic Safety manager.  Still, even with these changes there continues to be a constant parade of crashes on Crescent Road, most happening at nighttime involving high speed.  I almost had a head-on crash with a car that came fully into my lane near 128 St., my wife was passed by a speeding Chevelle that crashed into some trees at the next corner and I have been at countless crash scenes including the one that killed Tony Blackburn on Valentines Day 15 years ago.

The City of Surrey needs to look at addressing the problem of speeding and crashes on Crescent Road.  While the Engineering Dept. have informed me they do not want speed humps on arterial roads, they don't mind putting them at elementary schools, even though these are only 30 kmh from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on school days.  The Sunrise Ridge Elementary School on 60 Ave. in Cloverdale has speed humps and this is a four lane arterial road so why not on Crescent Road in the 30 km/h zone?  The Elgin S Curve on Crescent Road needs speed humps at either end and also in the middle of the straightaway to slow down racing vehicles.  The T intersection of Elgin Road and Crescent Road at the ESSO station needs a damn stop sign, not just a yield sign for people turning right.  For much of Crescent Road traffic calming solutions should be utilized including median islands with landscaping to separate and slow traffic, plus chicanes that could be used in the middle of the current straightaways.  Traffic circles should also be installed at 140 St., 136 St., 132 St. and at the four-way stop at 128 St. at the corner of Crescent Park where a roundabout is currently in the planning stages. 

Until these changes can all be instituted, high-speed late night crashes will continue to plague this century old roadway.  It would be nice to see the Surrey police or RCMP do traffic control in this corridor, with the entrance to Elgin Heritage Park being a logical spot to check for street racers.  Unfortunately a recent posting on a South Surrey Facebook page revealed that a request for RCMP speed traps at night on Crescent Road resulted in the person being told that the police traffic division only works from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays.  I'd love to find out just how bad the issue of street racing on Crescent Road at night really is or the high speeds that are involved in Ocean Park on 128 St. and 16 Ave. that many neighbours have voiced concerns about.  With all of the high-powered luxury sedans, exotic sports cars and super fast Teslas in south Surrey, it should not come as a surprise that Crescent Road has become a nocturnal racetrack with only a bunch of hydro poles to slow people down.

Naturally yours,

Don Pitcairn

I wish to acknowledge we live work and play on the traditional lands of the Semiahmoo people.

Going Postal in White Rock

I've always had a personal affiliation with posties, likely because they work outdoors in nature at a physically demanding job that gets performed regardless of the weather.  In my weekly travels with Green Team Gardening we usually meet the same posties week after week because our schedules overlap and often we chat about the weather, how our work days are going and anything Canada Post related.  On Fridays we work in the South Surrey and White Rock region and usually cross paths with two or three of the same letter carriers.  What I learned from them last week was that there was a reason that many people in the Semiahmoo peninsula did not get their mail on Thursday.

The problem started at the Canada Post White Rock Letter Carrier Depot at the NW corner of 24 Ave. and King George Blvd just behind the Wild Birds Unlimited store.  White loading mail and packages for their daily deliveries, one of the letter carriers noticed a fine white powder leaking from a parcel that was being shipped.  In these days of dangerous drugs like fentanyl, cocaine and MDMA plus other white powder poisons such as ricin, strychnine and arsenic, the release of any unknown white powder immediately shuts down the work site with the Fire Department being called out to deal with the situation.  Due to the possibility of toxic chemicals or illegal drugs being involved, it is treated as a hazmat incident.  

The spilled powder has to be carefully collected and then forwarded to a laboratory for identification before any decontamination procedures can proceed.  This of course takes plenty of time and the Letter Carrier Depot was closed from 8 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. for the analysis to be done and clean up procedures to be determined and completed.  In this case, it was nothing sinister and none of the Canada Post employees were ever in danger.  It turns out that somebody, for reasons unknown, decided to mail powdered laundry detergent without taking care to ensure that the container was secured and the packaging would not leak.  Unfortunately this resulted in most of the mail in South Surrey and White Rock not getting delivered that day and firefighters being tied up over spilled soap.

Both of the letter carriers I talked to told me stories of how Canada Post has become the largest shipper of marijuana and other drugs across Canada.  With the legalization and regulation of the marijuana industry, many stores and producers now use the mail to send their products to people across Canada.  I was told that the delivery vans often smell like marijuana to the point that the employee would not dare to try and cross the American border after work.  The largest delivery that I was told about was a 50 pound shipment that was packaged in bags that did not block the odors from escaping.  For recreational cannabis the max amount is 30 grams or just over an ounce.  For medical cannabis users, the amount is up to 30 times the daily usage amount of the patient.  Interestingly, you can ship as many marijuana plants and seeds as you want across Canada, except to Manitoba and Quebec.

Where Canada Post's involvement in illegal drug distribution really gets murky is with people sending a variety of hard drugs through the mail.  Unlike at the border, mail delivery across Canada is not x-rayed and opened for inspection.  One of the letter carriers told me of a package that opened up in transit because it was packaged in a flimsy box that was barely sealed with poor quality tape.  When it got crushed by other parcels, pills started rolling out of the seams.  In this case the pills were quickly identified as fake Oxycontin pills and they were collected by the police for further investigation.  I was also told that letter carriers often deliver packages to houses in development areas where it is obvious nobody lives.  It does not take long for these packages to disappear from the mail boxes they have been left at, creating a way for a drug drop to be completed with a low risk of anyone ever being arrested. 

So if for whatever reason you want to mail flour, icing sugar, talcum powder or starch, please ensure that it is unopened, wrapped in a sealed plastic bag, then put into a sturdy cardboard box and well sealed with layers of packing tape over the opening plus seams.  For marijuana, you can purchase a variety of containers that do not allow odours to escape so that not even the letter carrier will know that they are delivering weed door to door.  It might also be helpful to read the guidelines that Canada Post has online about mailing weed (https://www.canadapost-postescanada.ca/cpc/en/personal/sending-guidelines/restrictions/cannabis.page).  Letter carriers do not want to be involved in the illegal drug business that has killed over 14,000 B.C. residents since the toxic drug crisis was declared a public health emergency.  They wish dealers and gangsters would find a different way to peddle their poison.

Naturally yours;

Don Pitcairn

I wish to acknowledge we live work and play on the traditional lands of the Semiahmoo people.

Oct. 1, 2024

Stairways to Heaven

Surrey, BC – During the Regular Council Meeting on Monday, Surrey City Council approved a $724,500 contract for Calta Construction Inc. to remove and replace the iconic 1001 Steps stair system in Ocean Park. The 1001 Steps are an integral part of the South Surrey landscape, serving as a crucial recreational feature for residents and visitors alike. The pathway and steps offer amazing ocean views, with opportunities for viewing harbour seals and other wildlife.

“This renovation will not only enhance the safety and accessibility of the 1001 Steps but will also preserve this beloved community landmark for future generations to enjoy,” said Mayor Brenda Locke. “We are committed to investing in our parks and recreation infrastructure to improve the quality of life for residents in Surrey, with $1.7B in approved capital projects over five years.”

Originally built in the late 1980’s, the 1001 Steps structure has now reached the end of its life cycle. The project will include the removal and disposition of the existing stair/landing structure and the construction of a new stair system including new foundations. The City anticipates the project to start late October of 2024 with completion scheduled for the end of March 2025.  The funding for this project is available in the 2024 Parks, Recreation & Culture Capital Budget.

On the City of Surrey website (https://www.surrey.ca/) the 1001 Steps listing provided this additional information (https://www.surrey.ca/parks-recreation/parks/1001-steps) about the upcoming repairs.

1001 Steps restoration project:

The 1001 Steps are at the end of their life cycle. This project will include the removal of the existing steps and the construction of a new stair system including new foundations. The new stair system will be constructed in the same general alignment as the existing stairs. 

Scheduled work:

The project start is set for late October 2024 with a completion date of March 2025. The stairs will be closed to the public for the duration of the work.

Alternative park stairs are located at 131E Greenbelt (13090 13 Ave) and Christopherson Steps (2409 Christopherson Rd).

Dangers at Dogwood

It is nice to know that Surrey City Hall pays attention to my column in the White Rock Sun and the emails I send to department managers on various concerns I bring to their attention.  Case in point was the presence of foxtail barley, aka spear grass, growing inside the dog parks at both Dogwood Park and Blackie Spit at Crescent Beach.  I featured this subject in my July 8, 2024 TNT titled "Spear Grass Stabbing Dogs."  New signs at the dog park entrances now warn pet owners that this native grass is present within the off-leash park and the dangers that it presents to dogs.  They go on to inform that the City of Surrey now has a remediation program in place to remove the seed heads from the plants and a telephone number (604-501-5050) where people can submit a service request if they see this grass growing.  One problem down, three to go.

While on site this weekend checking out the park, I was surprised to realize that the dog park is not secure.  The boxed off areas leading into the dog park from the parking lot have spring controlled gates on either side so that dogs cannot leave on their own.  Unfortunately these mechanisms are out of alignment and no longer return the gates to a closed position.  This allows dogs to possibly be able to leave the off-leash area and get into the parking area where vehicles are a hazard.  For dogs that really like to run, this taste of freedom might cause them to bolt and run off onto 20th Avenue and into surrounding neighbourhoods where they could get lost.  This is a simple maintenance issue that should be checked by parks staff when they are on site.  After all, the workers have to walk through these gates themselves and this should have been noticed.  Problem two noted.

For a while I've thought that this dog park needs to have lighting installed because there are many people and their pets who use it after the sun goes down.  This is especially true in the fall and winter after the old relic time change comes into effect.  Cars are often left with their headlights on and pointed into the park when it is dark.  What I noticed today is that there are actually two light standards already in place in the main dog play area.  Both of these poles do not have any lights mounted on top of them, with one having its electrical access hatch removed and wires visible inside.  These two light standards should have new LED lights attached on top and be turned on remotely by a photocell when it gets dark.  It's hard to say if these lights were damaged and never replaced, or possibly not installed in the first place.  The dog play area needs to be illuminated and while crews are fixing them, they should also run an electrical conduit underground and put a light on the covered picnic tables at shelter SH121-01.  That's problem three solved.

By far the most serious safety issue at Dogwood Park are the driveway entrances.  While the east driveway off 20 Ave. is 10 m wide at the road, it narrows quickly to 6.5 m. at the sidewalk and only 4.5 metres a car length from that point.  The west driveway is 8.5 m. wide at the road, 6.2 m. at the sidewalk and 4.6 m. a car length from there.  Adding to the constriction, both of these driveways are curved as they enter the parking lot leaving no room for two vehicles to pass.  The parking stalls measure 2.5 metres across, so two parked cars have half a metre more room than the space at the entrances.  By comparison, the entrances to the Crescent Park Tennis Courts parking lots are each 5.5 metres wide and the concrete walls along both of them have been damaged by vehicles.  What is notable is that the parking lot at Crescent Park is one-way traffic with a separate entrance and exit as they are too narrow for two cars to safely pass in this location.  The one-way driveways at Crescent Park are a metre wider than the two-way driveways at Dogwood Park, which makes absolutely no sense at all.

I became aware of this glaring safety issue at Dogwood Park when I was almost involved in a 5 car crash while leaving the park last week with my work truck and trailer.  Because of the narrow driveway and the curve in the roadway, it left no room for anyone except maybe on a bicycle.  This didn't deter a woman in a SUV from turning left into the driveway while I was sitting there waiting for traffic.  With three cars bearing down on her from the other direction, she had to drive up onto the sidewalk in front of me to avoid being hit by a line of cars on 20 Ave. or driving into my Ford F350.  These driveways either need to be straightened and widened considerably with yellow dividing lines painted on them or the lot should be turned into one-way.  That would include separate entrance and exit lanes with proper signage at either location plus directional arrows painted on the lot pavement.  How can you have one-way single car driveways at Crescent Park that are a metre wider than the two lane curved driveways at Dogwood Park?  That's problem four identified with several solutions on how to fix this dangerous problem.

Naturally yours,

Don Pitcairn

I wish to acknowledge we live work and play on the traditional lands of the Semiahmoo people.

The Naked Truth - Sept 16, 2024

Music To My Ears

Loverboy Live

It really has been the season of the music festival in these parts recently.  This year's White Rock's Concerts at the Pier first started in 2017 and who can say no to a free concert with the White Rock beach as a backdrop and even the occasional AmTrak or BNSF train rolling by on the tracks.  This year's series of free concerts started on July 4th with Tsawwassen's very own 54-40, one of my favourite local bands who play the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver every spring and fall (at $80 a ticket I might add).  A week later, it was Juno Award-winning powerhouse Crystal Shawanda featuring songs from her latest studio album Midnight Blues on True North Records. On July 25 it was tribute band time with Arrival and Gaslighter doing ABBA and the Dixie Chicks proud.  You had to be at the beach on Aug. 22 for Vancouver's very own Barney Bentall and the Legendary Hearts (another Juno Award winner).  Closing our this year's seasons of shows a week later were the "American Rock Legends, tribute bands Night Moves rocking to Bob Seger and Dead Man's Town pouring out some Bruce Springsteen.  A very special thanks to TD bank and the City of White Rock and their partners for another great year of music by the Pier.

In only its second season, the Salmon Sessions Music Festival was held August 24th at the Semiahmoo Fish & Game Club in the Hazelmere valley with funds raised supporting the construction of a new Little Campbell Fish Hatchery.  With the Penmar Community Arts Society promoting the event, there was a noticeable increase in corporate sponsors that along with ticket sales helped to raise over $30,000 for the fish hatchery construction fund.  The show was held on the back archery field in an area ringed by forest near the banks of the Little Campbell river.  Besides plenty of targeted Facebook advertising and a telephone pole poster campaign, the music lineup with five bands helped to bring out a much larger crowd than the inaugural Sessions.  The Canadian music duo Fionn supporting their new album "I Might Start Smoking" were there along with Antonio Larosa and his full country rock band who won the 2023 BC Country Music Awards.  The funky 10 piece Vancouver based Camaro 67 really got the engines revving with their retro rock and roll with blues.   

The surprise of the night for me was Brass Camel fronted by Surrey's Daniel Sveinson who helped deliver a high octane performance that included two double neck guitars.  White Rock's very own Daniel Wesley blew people away with his blend of reggae, rock and folk that apparently included a skunk hiding somewhere in the vicinity.  Check out my Aug. 19 "Support Salmon Sessions" TNT for more info-on this show.

On Friday I was at Five Corners in White Rock when I noticed a poster for the 2nd annual Barnside Harvest Festival being held at Patterson Park in Delta.  Having grown up in North Delta and knowing many of the folks at Barnside Brewing and the farmers who supply them with crops, I decided to check it out.  Unfortunately there was no way for us to take in all three days of this festival but with the Odds, Wide Mouth Mason and Loverboy being the headliners for Sunday, we headed off to the old horse race track at the corner of Ladner Trunk Road and Hwy. 17A.  We were literally blown away by the size of this event that was ringed with food trucks, artisan tents, seating areas and beverage stations everywhere you turned.  We were rather bummed out that we had missed headliners The Trews and The Glorious Sons on Friday followed by Sloan and the Sam Roberts Band on Saturday.  Forget about the lawn chair, we stood ten feet away from centre stage taking in the Odds, Wide Mouth Mason and the show finale with Loverboy.  Imagine if you will the songs "Turn Me Loose, The Kid is Hot Tonight, Working For The Weekend, When It's Over, Loving Every Minute of It" plus many more hits.  My favourite was the Mike Reno and Ann Wilson duet "Almost Paradise" from the movie Footloose with Catherine St. Germain taking the stage to sing with her husband.  I saw this before in a surprise performance by them at the Blue Frog Studio in White Rock; an absolute tear jerker of a show stopper.

Summer music festivals in the border region are now over for another year with fall officially starting next Sunday and plenty of wet weather in the forecast for the weekend.  You can look forward to 2025 when the Concerts at the Pier, Salmon Sessions Music Festival and Barnside Harvest Festival all return, likely bigger and better than they were before.  Whether these shows are free, affordable, or up to $350 for a three day VIP pass, consider getting outside, soaking in the sunshine and taking in some live music in either White Rock, South Surrey or Ladner.  Heck, if you want to have a really good time, consider going to all of these shows that happen over nine days from early July to mid-September.  When we pick up our next year's calendar, you can bet we will be reserving plenty of our summer to go check out some of these shows and the wonderful and talented musicians that will be playing there.  Congrats to all of the promoters, sponsors, supporters, musicians and workers who gave it their all to make these shows possible for everyone here to enjoy.

Naturally yours,

Don Pitcairn

I wish to acknowledge we live, work and play on the traditional lands of the Semiahmoo people

Surrey Charters A New Course

Monday night's council meeting at Surrey City Hall is likely to be a historic one with Surrey Council voting on the concept of a "Surrey Charter".  Most cities and municipalities in B.C. are governed under the legislative framework of the Community Charter and Local Government Act.  The one exception is the City of Vancouver that has operated under the Vancouver Charter since 1953.  With Surrey expected to have the largest population of any city in B.C. by 2030 and with almost three times the land area of Vancouver, Mayor Locke believes it is time that Surrey negotiates its own charter with the Provincial Government.  Here is the media release that was posted on the Surrey.ca website last Friday with details for the proposed Surrey Charter. 

The timing of this vote to change the way that Surrey is governed comes at an interesting time with the Provincial election being held in 39 days.  With all of the bad blood over the Surrey police transition and the NDP government forcing Surrey to stop using the RCMP, you have to wonder if there is an underhanded agenda for putting this idea forward.  By far the most contentious proposal has to be an exemption from the new provincial housing legislation allowing Surrey Council to save single family neighbourhoods and not have blanket density requirements around Skytrain and other transit hubs. There will be ten Surrey ridings up for grabs in Surrey on October 19th and currently seven of these are held by NDP MLAs.  It should be fascinating to see how the Provincial government responds to this concept and how the idea of a Surrey Charter is received.  

What is hard to believe is that the City of Vancouver has operated under the Vancouver Charter for 71 years.  It's amazing that it has taken this long for another city to realize that size does matter and it looks like Surrey is ready to step into the big leagues.  Mayor Locke was on the Jaz Johal show on CKNW 980 this Monday talking about the Surrey Charter and when pressed why this was necessary now she frankly stated "It's Surrey's time."  Surprisingly, Surrey is not the biggest city by area in B.C. with that title going to Abbotsford with 376 square kilometers versus 316 in Surrey and only 115 in Vancouver.  If you were not aware of this fact, join the club.  For years I've been saying that Surrey, B.C. stands for BIG CITY.  It turns out the sleeping giant is in the Fraser Valley with lots of room to grow and the #1 Freeway being doubled in size to handle expected future growth.

Naturally yours,

Don PItcairn

I wish to acknowledge we live, work and play on traditional lands of the Semiahmoo people.

With this information in mind you can likely avoid issues with either of these shoreline pests.  I certainly would not stop visiting the beach here simply because I never want to get itchy bites or a nasty rash.  I have not had either of these problems and I spend much of my relaxation time either at the beach or swimming in the ocean.  It is simply a matter of being aware of the problems and knowing how to lower your risk of exposure.  Kind of like using sunscreen, a large brimmed hat and an umbrella to avoid getting a sunburn at the beach.  You certainly don't want to go home with sunburn blisters, sand fly bites and swimmer's itch all at the same time.

Naturally yours,

Don Pitcairn

I wish to acknowledge we live, work and play on the traditional lands of the Semiahmoo people.

Teams from the British Columbia Conservation Foundation, co-ordinated by Ducks Unlimited Canada, have been attempting control measures in areas of Mud Bay from Blackie Spit at Crescent Beach to Tsawwassen that have been infested with Spartina.  This nine year battle has resulted in a 90% decrease in this invasive grass, with efforts throughout southern B.C. resulting in the infested areas dropping from 300 ha. to 100 ha.  Because of the thick rhizome root systems involved with this plant, treated areas must be inspected for six years to ensure against regrowth.  This is a time and labour intensive battle being done to help eradicate this invasive species.

I became aware of the most recent cordgrass control measures when a picture of a Pesticide Use Notice sign was posted on the Crescent Rock Beach Naturists Facebook page.  It included a map of Boundary Bay showing the affected areas that were to be treated.  With this in mind, and fully aware of what cordgrass looks like from a previous TNT on this topic, I decided to do my own inspection of the shoreline south from Crescent Beach.  Several years ago I dug out several clumps of cordgrass near the Crescent Rock boulder, much to the dismay of our two dogs who loved to chew on it.  While this area has never grown back, I discovered a new clump that had taken root in the area favoured by naturists further south towards Kwomais Point.

Rather than reporting my find, I instead went to work digging out the large root system with a shovel I keep hidden at the beach for moving rocks and logs.  Because the cordgrass was high up the shoreline in an area consisting mainly of small pebbles, the plants came out easily and I placed them high on the railway bank to dry out and die.  Once they were removed, I then raked the area level, added some logs for backrests and created three more "condos" where people could relax when visiting this rugged beach that has limited sandy areas.   It took me maybe twenty minutes to dig out the spartina and build the beach beds, with several of them being occupied by sunbathers before we left for the day.

To the untrained eye, beach grass is beach grass but Spratina has the following characteristics.  An internet search of "spartina angelica common cordgrass" and clicking the images tab will give you lots of photos to help you identify this invasive grass living across Boundary Bay.  

• Spartina is an erect perennial grass, growing up to 1.5 m tall. 

• It has large, smooth, often in-rolled leaves, angularly orientated along the stems. 

• Flower clusters (inflorescences) occur at the top of the stem and are 2-24 cm long. 

• A single Spartina plant, grown from seed, spreads into a circular clone.

The Semiahmoo Fish and Game Club was first started in Surrey back in 1957 and has been in its current location since 1975 on a rural 29 acre property featuring the Little Campbell fish hatchery, outdoor archery range, indoor ranges, a 200 seat hall and nature trails along the river that are open to the public.  The current fish hatchery located in the flood plain has faced years of flooding, with major damage during the 2021 atmospheric river flood resulting in the loss of tens of thousands of fish eggs and salmon smolts.  

To deal with this situation the SFGC plans to build a new facility on higher ground, equipped with modern computer controlled systems to increase fish stock production. Annually, the hatchery currently releases about 100,000 salmon, totaling 35-40 million over the past 40 years.  Besides enjoying the live music, festival attendees can take guided tours of the fish hatchery and go for a walk on the many trails that criss-cross through the forested valley following the Little Campbell river.

Besides strong community support, the Salmon Sessions Music Festival is attracting government, corporate and media supporters as well.  Here is the list of sponsors for this year's event.

Sockeye sponsor:  City of Surrey

Coho sponsors:  Province of B.C., Daily Hive.

Pink sponsors:  Surrey-White Rock MLA Trevor Halford, The Cooperators.

Chum sponsors:  White Rock Chamber of Commerce, City of White Rock, Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Save on Foods.

Supporter sponsor:  Ferro Building Systems.

Media sponsors:  Vancouver's Best Places, Peace Arch News.

Supporters in kind:  Cooper Equipment Rentals, Cityside Winery, Permaseal Global, Long & McQuade Musical Instruments, Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

Along with the music, there will be a new food truck from Sheila's Catering offering a wide variety of meals for hungry concert goers, a beverage  garden featuring beer, wine and non-alcoholic drinks for those looking to quench their thirst.  Adding to the excitement, there will be a 50/50 draw with half of the funds going towards the new hatchery, plus a raffle with a prize of one roundtrip flight for two guests to any regularly scheduled WestJet destination.  You can get your 50/50 and raffle tickets now from Raffle Nexus at https://salmonsessions.rafflenexus.com/

Here are some listings for further information about the Salmon Sessions Music Festival:

Semiahmoo Fish & Game Club:  https://www.sfgc.info/

Salmon Sessions on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/events/semiahmoo-fish-game-club/salmon-sessions-music-festival-2024/422366753770477/

South Surrey Chamber of Commerce:  https://www.sswrchamberofcommerce.ca/events/details/salmon-sessions-music-festival-08-24-2024-14442

City of White Rock:  https://www.whiterockcity.ca/Calendar.aspx?EID=3839&month=8&year=2024&day=16&calType=0

Penmar Community Arts Society:  https://www.penmar.ca/

I hope to see you at the show, it should be fin-tastic!

Naturally yours,

Don Pitcairn

I wish to acknowledge we live, work and play on the traditional lands of the Semiahmoo people.

The White Rock Air Show

The Naked Truth - July 20, 2024

Hell On Wings

Being an outdoorsman, I often get to witness various creatures in the wilds that most people never get to see.  While this usually happens off the beaten track in remote areas with limited human activity, I sometimes get to witness nature up close in an urban setting.  Several years ago I had an amazing experience when a small falcon was racing through my backyard hot on the tail of a robin that was flying for its life.  After several high speed laps through the trees and bushes with the falcon matching the robin's every move, the prey decided that the raptor chasing it posed more of a threat than me and it landed on the grass close to my feet.  The falcon immediately gave up the chase and flew off to other hunting grounds, leaving the robin panting like a dog and gasping for air only half a metre away.  This was the first and only time I've ever seen a bird lose its fear of humans in order to survive a predator.

Not knowing exactly what the bird of prey was but pretty sure it was some form of falcon smaller than the well-known peregrin, I pulled out my trusty Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Birds and began searching for this lightning fast raptor.  This was when I first learned of the merlin (Falco Columbarius), aka the "pigeon hawk."  It is a stocky falcon with pointed wings that are 25-34 cm. long with a wingspan of 61 cm.  Males are a blue-grey on top with black tail bands while females and immature merlins are brown above with tan tail bands.  All of these birds are buff on their underside with light brown streaking.  They are found across Canada in summer, living in open country and spaced coniferous forests, feeding mainly on small birds, rodents and even dragonflies.

These birds are usually silent killers but they make a quick high pitched "kik-kik-kik-kik" sound near their nest.  When I first encountered this speedy raptor in my backyard, I soon learned that they were nesting in a neighbour's tree.  When the four young took to the wing, it was a constant symphony of this high pitched song from the six members of the family.  Needless to say, we didn't have many songbirds around that year because they were either eaten or scared away.  My reason for writing this TNT now about this subject is that I have a jobsite in Sunnyside not far from 152 St. and King George Blvd. that has a family of merlins living in a grove of cedars.  Between the merlins in the day and the barred owls at night, the rabbit population in the area is quickly diminishing, especially now that the young merlins are flying with the adults and learning how to catch their own food.

Merlins have adapted well to the urban landscape with tall trees, thickets, landscaping and open areas.  Earlier this spring we were having lunch in Steveston, Richmond when a bird rocketed past us at warp speed before performing several tight turns in a small area and settling on a tree branch in the greenspace we were parked beside.  Considering the aerial maneuvers we witnessed, I figured out it had to be a merlin and a quick peek through the bushes confirmed the sighting.  This was in the same area that several years ago we saw a pigeon get attacked directly in front of our truck in an explosion of feathers.  By the time I got out of my vehicle to check on the birds, the raptor was quickly flying away with its substantial meal.  I was not able to positively identify this bird at the time but from the speed of its attack and its size as related to the pigeon, I suspect it was likely a merlin.

Keep an eye out in the Semi-pen for this wickedly fast raptor whose numbers and range appear to be increasing with climate change.  While most of the world's populations of merlins are migratory, in some temperate locations including here in the Pacific Northwest, merlins may simply move to higher elevations during the summer and return to the coast and lowlands during the winter.  If you have ever seen murmurations of starlings over Boundary Bay and local farm fields, often it is because these flocks of birds are trying to escape predation from merlins and other raptors.  It is quite the aerial ballet between predator and prey and with their speed and agility, the merlin is amazing to watch when it is on the hunt.  Remember to listen for their distinctive high-pitched kik-kik-kik-kik call, especially from several birds at once, that will alert you to their presence.

For more in-depth information about merlins, please visit the following links.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Merlin/overview#

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merlin_(bird)

Naturally yours,

Don Pitcairn

I wish to acknowledge we live work and play on the traditional lands of the Semiahmoo People

Closure Is Not An Option

Early on Thursday morning at 1:30 a.m. there was a single car crash on Hwy 99 northbound just past the Serpentine River Bridge, an area that has been the scene of multiple roll-over crashes with serious injuries and fatalities over the years.  Because this crash involved the death of a 23 year old female passenger, it was investigated by the Integrated Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Service (ICARS) and the Surrey RCMP Criminal Collision Investigation Team.  Their field investigation and evidence recovery took at least 12 hours, with this major highway being closed off at King George Blvd and traffic being rerouted up into Surrey.  I got to see the traffic mayhem first hand, with roads throughout Panorama Ridge including number 10 Highway being jammed all day.  This of course led to other accidents on the roads absorbing this massive flow of commuter and transport truck traffic. 

While I realize that somebody died in this roll-over crash, I have to question why it took 12 hours to investigate this crash scene.  Highway 99 at this area is two lanes wide with a paved shoulder on the left and a bus lane with paved shoulder on the right.  Most of the crash scene involved an area off the side of the roadway with the vehicle coming to rest far into a farmer's field.  It should have been relatively simple for the officers to take measurements and get drone footage of the asphalt and concrete no-posts showing impact and skid marks.  Once this was done, the road should have been opened up as soon as possible.  There seems to be no impetus by the police teams to clear the road and get traffic moving.  When I looked down at the crash scene from high above in Panorama Ridge at 12:30 p.m. I saw a line of police vehicles on the shoulder of the highway with three lanes beside them completely empty.  The crash investigation teams need to watch some episodes of the towing show Highway Thru Hell where the motto is "Closure is not an option."

As somebody with no crash investigation experience, but being quite used to working around highways, bridges and high-speed traffic, I decided to go check out the crash scene and investigate it for myself.  Armed with a white work truck with plenty of flashing lights, lot of traffic cones and delineaters, a reflective safety vest and hard hat (it helps to look official), I parked safely off the roadway of Hwy 99 not far from the crash scene.  I have a measuring wheel that I use in my line of work that I brought along but unfortunately my drone photography person was out of town for the weekend (I tried to hire him on Thursday morning to survey the crash scene).  It took me only 20 minutes to collect all of the following data from Hwy. 99 and take pictures where the vehicle went off the road, and this was while the roadway was open, albeit on Sunday evening when traffic was relatively light.  Here is my one man crash report with measurements and data.

The accident scene began on the left hand side of Hwy. 99 northbound where the vehicle in question impacted the concrete no-post at a point 119 m. north of the Serpentine River Bridge and 36 m. from the start of the curve in the road, 11 metres from where the right hand no-posts end.  There were observable impact marks on three of the no-posts with the southern one exhibiting fresh scratch marks for 22 cm., the next no-post fully impacted for its 250 cm. length and the third no-post to the north having scratches a further 98 cm. for a total of 3.7 metres  The no-posts were pushed back from the roadway by the force of the impact by 22 cm., with the seam between the first and second no post showing a fresh 3 cm. gap.  From this point, skid marks and damage to the roadway, likely from a broken wheel rim, led across the highway with the vehicle leaving a thick black skidmark from the same damaged tire.  The total distance from the left hand no-post impact to where the vehicle left the roadway on the right side of the bus lane was 66 metres.  The width of the pavement in this area was measured to be 13.0 m. with 4 m. of this being the bus lane and shoulder. Upon leaving the pavement of the highway the vehicle skidded 38 metres across the grassy shoulder towards a page wire farm fence.  The car knocked down this fence and began a series of rolls as it crossed into a level cornfield owned by a neighbouring farmer.  The vehicle came to rest at a distance of 93.5 m. into this field from where it entered, a total of 131.5 m from the pavement and a total distance of 197.5 m. from the point of the initial no-post impact on the other side of the highway.  

It took me as long to go through my notes and write the information out as it did to take measurements and pictures.  The police should have done their investigation but also focused on getting the highway open well before the morning rush hour started.  There was no need for them to be keeping all lanes of this important highway closed once they had completed their measurements and pictures of the roadway.  The bus lane and paved shoulder measure 4 m. with lots of room to park on the grassy shoulder as well.  Instead of hiring a traffic control company to close off the entire highway as was done, they could have instead simply coned off the bus lane and informed Coast Mountain Bus Company that the bus lane was closed until after the Serpentine River bridge corner.  Just as the police in Highway Thru Hell are alway pushing tow truck operators to open the road, the RCMP should also be under the gun to reopen major highways after a crash.  Imagine if this accident had happened on the #1 freeway in Langley and they closed the Eastbound lanes for 12 hours?  Two thirds of this crash scene happened far off the highway which could have safely been dealt with while allowing two lanes of traffic passing by.

While on the topic, the Serpentine River corner is a meat grinder where serious accidents happen over and over again.  Years ago I suggested large yellow and black side pointing chevron arrow signs be installed in both directions throughout the corner.  The only traction I got on this common sense idea was for the Ministry of Highways to post two turn ahead arrow signs, one on each side of the highway far before the corner.  I would now suggest that a length of the cable barriers, similar to what is in the median of much of Hwy. 99 be put on this corner northbound to keep vehicles from going off the road and rolling into the nearby farm fields.  Southbound is not much better with the centre median no-post looking like a war zone from repeated crashes.  I stopped on the way home to take some notes on this engineering disaster that has 11 new concrete no-post to replace the ones damaged or destroyed in crashes.  There are vertical visors on top of these no-posts to block the glare from oncoming lights in the corner and 250 of these have been recently replaced after being damaged.  There are over 30 of these that are still missing leaving gaping holes.  To stop these crashes that mainly happen at night, the no-posts need corrugated reflectors attached to them, the visors should have reflectors on them as well and large left facing chevron arrow signs need to be installed throughout this corner.  Hopefully our MLA Trevor Halford who is the United Party of BC shadow Minister of Transportation can help get this done.

Naturally yours,

Don PItcairn

I wish to acknowledge we live, work and play on the traditional lands of the Semiahmoo people.

Email to:  parksrecculture@surrey.ca

Thank you for posting that info about the Foxtail Barley. 

I take my small dog to Dogwood Off-Leash Park on 20th Ave in South Surrey where there is an area for just small dogs. The Foxtail has almost taken over the small dog area.

I wrote to the Surrey Parks department about it and their response was to have a mower cut the plants. The result was that the seeds were just left on the ground and they quickly dried out and became more dangerous than the live ones. 

Once again I wrote to the Parks department and was told that the foxtail plants would be dug out. Still have not happened and I have no hope that it actually will be done.

I tried spraying vinegar on the plants since it does kill plants. The leaves dried out but the seed heads just turned yellow and became dangerous.

It is sad that the Parks department does not seem to care about the dogs that use Dogwood small dog pen.

Wendy Boehm

Modern Lawn Knowhow

Years ago it was easy to have a beautiful green lawn.  You simply fed it with copious amounts of chemical fertilizer, spayed the weeds with Kiilex (a mixture of 2,4-D, Dicamba and Mecoprop herbicides) and watered as often as you wanted with some people simply leaving their sprinklers on all of the time.  The weather was also cooler, wetter and nobody had ever heard of climate change, heat domes, complex forest fires or towns like Lytton getting incinerated.  When Metro Vancouver first introduced watering restrictions it was limited to three times a week and from June 1 to Sept 15 meaning you could still irrigate your lawn and keep it green all summer. 

Of course now we are at the point where watering restrictions come into effect on May 1st until Oct. 15, allowing residential lawn watering only once a week.  As if this were not bad enough, the invasive European Chafer beetle has run rampant across the Lower Mainland, infesting lawns with their tasty little larvae that crows, skunks, possums and raccoons all love eating.  When you have thin lawns, it makes it easier for the chafer beetle to lay its eggs, with the grubs feasting on the already weakened lawn roots.  This allows the crows and nocturnal animals to rip apart your lawn in the pursuit of a good meal with some yards looking like they were rototilled.  If you have children or pets, this can leave your yard a muddy mess for most of the year.

So next to installing expensive artificial turf made of plastic all over your property, what is a homeowner to do about this situation?  What it takes is a complete re-think of what a healthy lawn really is.  The first step is to stop bagging the cuttings and instead use a mulching mower with razor sharp blades.  This will return organics and nutrients back into the lawn instead of removing them and sending them off for composting.  Mulching saves time, money and results in a more healthy natural lawn.  If you need to fertilize, use an organic blend if possible and apply lightly so the mulching mower can still do its work without making a mess or needing to be cut more than once a week.  If you really want to go green, consider an electric mower that has no emissions and makes little noise resulting in a quieter and more peaceful neighbourhood.

People need to realize that mowing too low reduces the blade length of the grass while also shortening the roots.  Short grass makes it easier for the sun to bake the ground and heat up the soil leading to drought conditions.  A longer lawn also helps to slow evaporation of water by shading the ground and holding moisture in.  It is best to start the spring off cutting at a medium height and going up from there as summer approaches.  You can begin mowing in April at 2.5" (6 c.m.) and go up a half inch or once centimeter at the start of every month.  The trick is to thicken the grass to make it more drought tolerant and resistant to chafer beetles when they lay their eggs in late June and early July.  It is best to mow your grass before it rains (or watering) and to avoid cutting the lawn during periods of drought or high temperatures.  Water your lawn deeply once a week as allowed and do now mow if it starts to brown and go dormant.

Now here is where things get really weird, you have to stop fretting about weeds and realize they are now an integral part of a healthy lawn.  It is best to pull broad leaf weeds like dandelions, false dandelions, thistle and plantain for aesthetics and safety, but the creeping weeds with their thick root systems are your ally against the chafer beetle.  If you want a really healthy lawn, consider sprinkling clover seed into it in the spring along with tall fescue grass seed, both which the chafer beetles do not like to feed on.  You can find these at most garden centres and even places like Home Depot are now selling micro-clover in a 1 kg. bag enough to cover most regular sized lots.  The clover fixes nitrogen from the air and turns it into nitrate fertilizer, it is more drought resistant than grass and it's also trample resistant.  Most importantly, it stays green in the summer while requiring much less water with little or no mowing. 

The pictures with this TNT are of a neighbour's lawn that was infested with chafer beetles and ripped apart by crows and raccoons last year.  In the spring they seeded with tall fescue grass seed and micro-clover.  They are absolutely thrilled with their new lawn that is dark green in colour and amazing to walk on with bare feet.  They have used no weed killer or chemical fertilizers to this point and yet they have the nicest lawn on the street.  As added insurance against the Chafer beetle, they are applying Scott's Grub-B-Gone that contains nematodes which attack the newly hatched beetle larvae.  This non-toxic and natural product needs to be applied in early July and again in mid Sept. for maximum efficiency.  They are hoping that their new modern lawn will stay green and healthy all year and not get ripped apart again.  I will keep an eye on their grass until next spring to see if everything works out as planned.

Naturally yours,

Don Pitcairn

I wish to acknowledge we live, work and play on the traditional lands of the Semiahmoo Peopl

Stop, Full Stop

There is nothing like going on a long trip to really put one's focus on driving, safety and the rules of the road.  A trip up to the Cariboo this weekend really put that into perspective with multiple times that I had to take evasive action because of the other drivers on the road.  Most of this was spent on Hwy 1 and the Old Cariboo Hwy. while heading up to 70 Mile where the only thing separating you from serious injury or death is a double yellow line painted on the road with combined speeds of 200 kph.  To emphasize this point, a school bus crash in Lac La Hache on Friday killed one person and left 14 in hospital, initiating a code orange response with multiple ambulances and several medivac helicopters racing to the scene.  My driving tips from this weekend are as follows: look behind and beside you before changing lanes, use your turn signals when turning or changing lanes, stay out of the left lane (aka the fast lane) unless passing, come to a full stop at stop signs and pay enough attention to stay in your lane. 

Upon surviving the weekend by the grace of God I returned home to learn that a new stop sign is going to be installed at the intersection of Thrift Ave. and George St. in White Rock during the next month.  This intersection that for years has only had stop signs for George St. will now be turned into an "all-way" intersection for greater traffic control and safety for pedestrians and drivers.  This really is an about time moment for it seemed bizarre that Thrift was given the straight through even though the traffic flow on these streets seeming to be comparable.  Even worse was how many times when on the east-west Thrift that drivers on the north-south George would fail to stop or turn onto Thrift, apparently oblivious to the vehicles passing by.  I have seen this multiple times and I only drive through this intersection once a week.  I would hasten to bet that the people living on the corner who were tired of the constant horn honking had something to do with this intersection being changed.  A look on the ICBC statistics webpage (https://www.icbc.com/about-icbc/newsroom/Statistics) shows that over the last five years there were only 10 crashes but I bet the near misses would be in the hundreds.  

I'm thinking that on all STOP signs they need to add the words Full to the top and HERE to the bottom.  FULL STOP HERE might make people actually slow down or maybe even come to a complete stop at intersections.  Shame on all of the taxi stop morons that are a menace on our streets and who are crappy drivers as well.  In south Surrey, simply go visit the corners of 128 St. at 16 Ave. or Crescent Road to witness stop signs being blatantly ignored.  There you will see absolutely appalling driving that people should be ashamed of if they were not so entitled, self-centred and uncaring for the safety of others.  I cannot horn these people enough when they run the 4-way stop or fail to yield to the right, something that most people seem to be utterly unaware of.  The best part is when they flip you the bird for pointing out their irresponsible, reckless and dangerous driving.  I often wonder where these people got their driver's licenses from but I'm left wondering if they were once giving them away as prizes from a Cracker Jack box.  As somebody who has had a driver's license for decades, I'm wondering if the time has come for mandatory driver retesting every ten years, or maybe every five years for people racking up tickets and causing crashes that ICBC'S no-fault insurance is paying for.

June 17, 2024

Welcome to Juneuary

White Rock has a reputation of being warm and sunny when compared to many of the areas around the Lower Mainland, especially those closer to the mountains or further out in the Fraser Valley. Unfortunately, it is not immune to its share of bad weather and occasionally it makes the weather news for all the wrong reasons.  This weekend was one of those occasions when atmospheric elements combined forces to deliver some unseasonably cold and wet weather to the City By The Sea.  On Saturday morning a large thunderstorm approached the Semiahmoo peninsula, was lifted by prevailing winds to the top of the hill where it proceeded to dump copious amounts of water and hail onto the White Rock hillside.  For those who are members of the various South Surrey and White Rock social media groups, a large number of photos and videos posted of the deluge showed white lawns and roads like rivers.

As everyone knows, water runs downhill and with storm sewer grates clogged with hail and unable to take in more water, this massive slurpee flowed down the roadways onto Marine drive.  This downpour was so heavy that it quickly filled up the storm drains, causing them to back up and blow the grates off the drain pipes along Marine Drive and the beach front parking lots.  The resulting geysers shot water over a meter into the air and filled much of the roadway in minutes.  Semiahmoo Fish & Game Club president Diana Barkley sent me a picture of her back yard that looked as if it had been taken in January, not June, with the ground covered in white pea-sized hail.  I went down to White Rock once the weather had cleared and was surprised by the amount of hail that was still in the water not melted or piled up in what resembled a snow drift along fences at Marine Drive.  As I was leaving, two large vac trucks arrived on scene to help suck up the water left in the roadway and parking lot. 

It is not like this type of storm that quickly causes flooding is unknown in the Semiahmoo peninsula.  On June 8, 1999, a massive thunderstorm sat on top of the hillside for hours dumping huge amounts of rain and hail.  I drove past it on Hwy. 99 and my comment after seeing the dark swirling storm and rain wall was "where's the funnel cloud."  When I returned hours later, the Semi-Pen was completely swamped with water and hail, so much that we had to cancel work for the day.  Down on Marine Drive the rivers of rain and hail joined forces to swamp the area with over 1.5 metres of brackish water containing raw sewage, flooding houses and businesses across the waterfront.  Here is the White Rock Archives description of this once in 200 year storm:  

"The storm began at 4:00 am and lasted eight hours, with the bulk of the rainfall between 7:00 and 9:00. In that short period of time 70 mm of rain and 4 cm of hail fell on the city. Torrents of water swept down the hillside, eroding sidewalk steps, building foundations and city roads. White Rock sewer and stormwater systems overflowed and pumps failed during the downpour. The muddy flood waters forced the evacuation of schools, shopping malls and many residences. At 8:15 am, twenty city public works employees were called out to attempt to reduce damage by sandbagging homes threatened by the flood. A state of emergency was declared at 10:30 am and not lifted until noon the next day."

These are not the only floods that have happened here from heavy rainfall.  On Oct. 29, 2018, heavy evening rain brought flooding to houses on East Beach along Marine Drive with city crews deploying a mobile six inch pump to help clear the street and parking lots. In Oct. 18, 2014 White Rock City warned that heavy rains were expected with the arrival of Hurricane Ana, advising residents to clear catch basins to reduce the chance of flooding.  Earlier that year on May 4, 2014 a deluge from a thunderstorm at the top of the hill resulted in flooding on East Beach with water geysering up from storm drains along Marine Drive.  in South Surrey 16 Ave. was also closed due to water and debris across the road between 168 St. and 176 St.  I was the last person who drove through over 10 inches of water flowing across 16 Ave. at 180 St. before flagging down an RCMP cruiser and getting them to close the flooded road.  I talked to "Mr. White Rock" Gordie Hogg about the history of flooding in White Rock and he informed me the old square concrete drain tunnel was closed in West Beach after the area flooded, not from heavy rains, but from a high tide flowing through the tunnel into the parking lot.

With increasing temperatures and more energetic storm systems, White Rock will always be subject to intense rainfall from thunderstorms or atmospheric rivers that dump large amounts of water onto the hillside, which quickly overwhelm the drainage system and flow to the bottom of the hill.  With larger homes, increased roof area and more ground covered with concrete and asphalt, the amount of rain water directed into drains instead of soaking into the earth increases every year.  For those businesses and homes along Marine Drive, flooding is a simple fact of life and a risk they assume for living so close to the beach.  The steep hillsides and oceanfront bluffs can quickly turn roads into rivers with saturated soil leading to mudslides and slope failures.  Back in 2007, a series of fall storms resulted in 64 landslides onto the BNSF tracks in only two weeks, resulting in Transport Canada performing a geological assessment of the Ocean Park bluff and the danger that it posed to passing BNSF freight and passenger trains.  I'm sure that a review of the newspapers on file at the White Rock Archives would show other storms in the 1990s, 1980s and 1970s that also caused flooding and mudslides across the Semi-Pen.  At the end of the day, the lure of sunshine, warm temperatures and days spent relaxing at the beach will always trump the flooding and slide risk here.

Naturally yours,

Don Pitcairn

Brother can you spare $16 Million?

The recent installation of a digital donation box at the end of the White Rock Pier has caused quite a media storm and uproar in the community about why the City of White Rock cannot pay for needed seismic upgrades to this heritage structure that was built to its current length in 1915.  As anyone who lives here knows (and likely most people living in B.C.), the Pier was heavily damaged during a winter storm on Dec. 20, 2018 when a dock with moored sailboats broke free and was pushed by gale force winds and high waves through the structure, leaving a long foot gaping hole.  It took eight months and $4 million dollars to fix the damage and make it safe for pedestrians to finally use once more.  Thankfully, you are not allowed to drive vehicles on the Pier, which was something that was actually allowed decades ago. 

For those who have not seen it, the sign posted by the City next to the donation terminal reads as follows:  

Help Restore The White Rock Pier

The City of White Rock is gratefully accepting donations to complete the seismic improvement for the White Rock Pier.   The Pier sustained significant structural damage and was partially rebuilt after the windstorm of 2018.  The remaining sections of the Pier need to be seismically improved to withstand future storms.  On the keypad, select the value you would like to donate toward restoration ($2, $5, $10, $20 and "Other Amount" listed).  Your donation will help preserve the historic monument for residents, visitors and future generations.  Scan the QR code to learn more about the Pier and restoration.  White Rock, City By The Sea.

While the Pier looks very similar to the way it was before the 2018 storm, the reality is that it now is two piers in one, the old rickety and rotting pier last rebuilt in 1977 and the new concrete and steel one that is built to withstand earthquakes and objects that might impact it in the water.  Twenty-two sets of steel pilings topped with concrete slabs were used to rebuild the destroyed section that was then overlaid with wood planks and railings to resemble the original structure.  If you walk under the pier at low tide you will quickly notice the difference between the old and new sections.  Looking at the wooden pilings on either side of the new section, you will see various metal braces and collars bolted in place to help support damaged sections that were repaired.  It certainly is more secure than bubblegum and bailing wire, but you wouldn't catch me out on the Pier in a storm, especially with debris in the waves.  This spring the City removed all of the logs from both west and east beaches so they would not possibly wash out and become floating battering rams.

For those residents who believe the pier should be repaired with taxpayer dollars from White Rock, you need to look at the math involved.  It has been estimated the rest of the Pier restoration will cost $16.2 million dollars.  For a city with approximately 23,000 residents, the repair bill would be a little over $700 per person.  For a family of four trying to survive these expensive times that would be $2,800.  With a 1% increase in White Rock property taxes raising only $300,000, it would take a 54% increase in tax rates to finance the pier restoration.  For all the pensioners on a fixed income who are already deferring their property taxes this would be a non-starter.  If you think that the parking fees charged in the parking lot across the waterfront will somehow pay for a new pier, most of the money collected goes to the BNSF Railway for lease payments for their land.  In the original timeline for rebuilding it was hoped to have funding from the Federal and Provincial governments so that the restoration would have been completed within two years of the 2018 storm.  Unfortunately this money has failed to materialize, with the donation box now going up as a funding option.

Personally, I think it is a good idea for White Rock to install this pay station.  The White Rock Pier is a great tourist attraction but it is primarily used by people coming from outside of the city.  A survey of people using the pier several years ago found that a third of them were first time visitors.  Half of the people polled were from the Lower Mainland and the remainder of B.C., with the other half coming from the rest of Canada and other countries.  With such an influx of visitors to the City By The Sea, why not give people the chance to help save this iconic heritage site by making a donation to the rebuilding effort?  It would be a good idea to also install one of these donation stations at the far end of the 1540 foot long Pier where people tend to rest and congregate.  While there are no solid numbers available for the number of visitors who walk the Pier in a year, it should be in the millions.  It will be interesting to see how much money this pay station project collects, or if it is merely a publicity stunt to help shame the other layers of government into helping foot the Pier restoration bill.

Naturally yours,

Don Pitcairn

NOTE: View the startling DECEMBER 2018 video of the pier destruction below in VIDEO OF THE DAY 

I wish to acknowledge we live, work and play on the traditional lands of the Semiahmoo People.

June 3, 2024

Border Disorder

The Semiahmoo peninsula has always had a close relationship with our American neighbours due to history and proximity.  Nowhere is this more prominent than at the two Surrey border crossings into Blaine, Washington; the Blaine-Douglas crossing (aka Peace Arch crossing) and the Pacific Highway crossing (aka Truck crossing).  The Peace Arch monument boldly declares "May these gates never be closed" but in fact the border is getting squeezed tighter by the day.  I'm old enough to remember when all you needed to cross the border between Canada and the USA was to show your BC driver's license.  That changed of course after 9-11 with passports being needed plus a variety of screening devices installed including nuclear detectors.  Then came the COVID-19 pandemic when cross-border traffic was severely restricted and only essential traffic allowed to pass through the border.   Recently, there have been several changes and heightened security that will likely lead to the border between our two countries resembling what we now see down at the US/Mexico border.

The US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has recently announced new rules for dog imports into America starting August 1, 2024 in order to keep rabies out of the country.  For years all you needed to take your dog into the states was to show a proof of rabies vaccine when at the border.  The CDC has now mandated you will need proof of that signed by a veterinarian within 30 days of your crossing with an estimated price of $200.  The animal will also need to be at least six months old and microchipped for identification.  This order will not only apply to Canadian dogs but also will cover American dogs returning home, including service animals.  You can expect chaos and confusion at the border over this change that has little scientific evidence it will help control rabies.  From 2009 to 2018, 25 cases of human rabies were documented in the USA, seven of which were contracted outside of the country. This equates to less than two people per year catching rabies.  Wild animals account for over 90% of reported cases, with bats (33%), raccoons (30%), skunks (20%), and foxes (7%) most often carrying the disease.  Somehow the CDC does not realize these animals cross the border at will without checking into US Customs.

Do you remember during the COVID-19 pandemic how the Peace Arch Park on the American side east of the crossing was used as a meeting point with Canadians being allowed to cross a ditch into the States from Zero Avenue for conjugal visits that included marriages and the fields lined with tents?  This was due to the Treaty of Ghent which ended the War of 1812, with a loophole in this treaty allowing Canadians and Americans to mingle in this 49th parallel park without technically crossing the border.  Well, that little freedom has also gone the way of the Dodo, with US Customs and Border Protection now closing this area and directing people to the nearby Canadian portion of the park on the west side of the border crossing.  The U.S. Border Patrol has seen a large increase in illegal border crossings through Peace Arch Park plus surrounding areas and are vowing to "preserve the legacy and traditions of Peace Arch Park while also preventing transnational criminal organizations from exploiting the park to gain illegal entry into the United States."  U.S. Customs Border Protection and Canada Border Services Agency officers along with the RCMP will continue to monitor the park and keep human smugglers out of the area.

Peace Arch Park isn't the only conduit for human smuggling at the US/Canada border that has recently been exposed.  It turns out that the adjacent BNSF Railway is also being used to help ship migrants into the US from Canada.  Charges were laid in Washington State last week by the US Dept. of Homeland Security against two American men who helped to facilitate the smuggling of mainly Mexican and Indian people into the United States.  In August, 2023 a freight train being X-rayed in Blaine showed a series of anomalies that further investigation revealed were 28 Mexican nationals and one Columbian identified as the human smuggler being paid to facilitate their illegal entry into the US.  This incident was followed by the interception of another train with a further 13 Mexican nationals in November, 2023.  In both of these incidents, migrants were allegedly picked up in the Lower Mainland, driven to a rail yard and told to "climb aboard the train and hide in the natural voids within the rail cars of the freight train."  The human smuggling group was obviously aware of the train schedules as they needed to pick the right train in Canada plus have loading and off-loading points prearranged with transport for their paying clients.

Naturally yours,

Don Pitcairn.

I wish to acknowledge we live, work and play on the traditional lands of the Semiahmoo People

May 27, 2024

Locke-d in a Battle

Last week was a pivotal time in the Surrey police transition from the RCMP to the fledgling Surrey Police Service as the City of Surrey lost their court case to quash the order from Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth on Oct 19, 2023 mandating the changeover.  On Thursday B.C. Supreme Court Justice Kevin Loo gave his ruling on whether the Police Amendment Act 2023 infringed on Surrey residents' right to freedom and expression as guaranteed under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.   In explaining his judgment, Kevin Loo had this to say:  “I have concluded that although voting is undoubtedly a protected activity, the ‘result’ or ‘mandate’ arising from the 2022 municipal election are not activities which fall within the protected sphere of conduct guaranteed.  Regardless of whether the July decision was reasonable or within the Minister’s authority, the provincial legislature’s exercise of its authority over the City in respect of policing, through its enactment of the PAA, was valid.”

June 3, 2024

Border Disorder

The Semiahmoo peninsula has always had a close relationship with our American neighbours due to history and proximity.  Nowhere is this more prominent than at the two Surrey border crossings into Blaine, Washington; the Blaine-Douglas crossing (aka Peace Arch crossing) and the Pacific Highway crossing (aka Truck crossing).  The Peace Arch monument boldly declares "May these gates never be closed" but in fact the border is getting squeezed tighter by the day.  I'm old enough to remember when all you needed to cross the border between Canada and the USA was to show your BC driver's license.  That changed of course after 9-11 with passports being needed plus a variety of screening devices installed including nuclear detectors.  Then came the COVID-19 pandemic when cross-border traffic was severely restricted and only essential traffic allowed to pass through the border.   Recently, there have been several changes and heightened security that will likely lead to the border between our two countries resembling what we now see down at the US/Mexico border.

The US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has recently announced new rules for dog imports into America starting August 1, 2024 in order to keep rabies out of the country.  For years all you needed to take your dog into the states was to show a proof of rabies vaccine when at the border.  The CDC has now mandated you will need proof of that signed by a veterinarian within 30 days of your crossing with an estimated price of $200.  The animal will also need to be at least six months old and microchipped for identification.  This order will not only apply to Canadian dogs but also will cover American dogs returning home, including service animals.  You can expect chaos and confusion at the border over this change that has little scientific evidence it will help control rabies.  From 2009 to 2018, 25 cases of human rabies were documented in the USA, seven of which were contracted outside of the country. This equates to less than two people per year catching rabies.  Wild animals account for over 90% of reported cases, with bats (33%), raccoons (30%), skunks (20%), and foxes (7%) most often carrying the disease.  Somehow the CDC does not realize these animals cross the border at will without checking into US Customs.

Do you remember during the COVID-19 pandemic how the Peace Arch Park on the American side east of the crossing was used as a meeting point with Canadians being allowed to cross a ditch into the States from Zero Avenue for conjugal visits that included marriages and the fields lined with tents?  This was due to the Treaty of Ghent which ended the War of 1812, with a loophole in this treaty allowing Canadians and Americans to mingle in this 49th parallel park without technically crossing the border.  Well, that little freedom has also gone the way of the Dodo, with US Customs and Border Protection now closing this area and directing people to the nearby Canadian portion of the park on the west side of the border crossing.  The U.S. Border Patrol has seen a large increase in illegal border crossings through Peace Arch Park plus surrounding areas and are vowing to "preserve the legacy and traditions of Peace Arch Park while also preventing transnational criminal organizations from exploiting the park to gain illegal entry into the United States."  U.S. Customs Border Protection and Canada Border Services Agency officers along with the RCMP will continue to monitor the park and keep human smugglers out of the area.

Peace Arch Park isn't the only conduit for human smuggling at the US/Canada border that has recently been exposed.  It turns out that the adjacent BNSF Railway is also being used to help ship migrants into the US from Canada.  Charges were laid in Washington State last week by the US Dept. of Homeland Security against two American men who helped to facilitate the smuggling of mainly Mexican and Indian people into the United States.  In August, 2023 a freight train being X-rayed in Blaine showed a series of anomalies that further investigation revealed were 28 Mexican nationals and one Columbian identified as the human smuggler being paid to facilitate their illegal entry into the US.  This incident was followed by the interception of another train with a further 13 Mexican nationals in November, 2023.  In both of these incidents, migrants were allegedly picked up in the Lower Mainland, driven to a rail yard and told to "climb aboard the train and hide in the natural voids within the rail cars of the freight train."  The human smuggling group was obviously aware of the train schedules as they needed to pick the right train in Canada plus have loading and off-loading points prearranged with transport for their paying clients.

Naturally yours,

Don Pitcairn.

I wish to acknowledge we live, work and play on the traditional lands of the Semiahmoo People

CLUB 240 the "Rockin' 240" Legion - Now Open to Everyone

The Crescent Beach Legion #240 has been a fixture in our community since 1954 and at its present location of 2643 128 St. across from Crescent Park since 1975.  The Royal Canadian Legion's mission is "To serve Veterans, including serving military and RCMP members and their families, to promote Remembrance, and to serve our communities and our country."  With both of my parents serving in the RCAF and the time I spent in Cadets and on DND ranges, I have a connection to the Canadian military and both myself and my wife are card carrying members of the Legion.  We support our local Crescent Beach Legion, attend other Legions in Canada and are proud to help them either financially or through volunteer-ism.  Here is what the Legion does for you, taken from the legion.ca website (https://legion.ca/home)

Life's a Beach

Don Pitcairn

The main reason why I originally moved to the Semi-Pen was to be closer to the beach. The fresh air, better weather and warmer temperatures were definitely part of the decision.  As  a kid I loved to go to the beaches here, especially the rugged, secluded and less traveled areas where there was more wildlife and less people.  Not much has changed over the years with the White Rock weather and White Rock tide forecast being the sites online that I frequent the most. This last weekend was a textbook beach weekend with sunny skies, well above normal temperatures, extreme low tides in the middle of the day and even northern lights at night. To be quite honest, I thought it couldn't get any better.

We had planned on heading down to the south facing portion of Crescent Rock beach until an unscheduled shelf collapse in our hutch due to faulty shelf pins rained glass, broken crystal and smashed china down on our dining room floor. After taking pictures for insurance, picking up the pieces and moping up the blood (mine) we decided to simply walk down to the west facing shoreline south of the Crescent Rock boulder. I have to admit, I don't think I've ever seen more people on the naturist beach, with folks sunbathing for as far as I could see towards Kwomais Point. All of the regulars were there, some folks who I have not seen since last year and plenty more new faces happy to not have to drive to the far reaches of UBC to avoid tan lines. It has become quite the community down there with peace loving naturists using it to get away from it all or congregate with like-minded people.

After seeing fata morgana mirages many times last year I tend to keep an eye on the horizon for anything strange or out of place. Looking out across Mud Bay towards Ladner, I spotted what appeared to be the start of a waterspout down at the surface of the water. It happened a few more times and then I suddenly realized what I was seeing was actually a whale spout. If i had my SLR camera, tripod and a telephoto lens I could have taken shots of tail lobbing and breaching plus the misty spouts blown high into the air. As it was, I managed to capture some of the back lit spouts on my cell phone from a whale that was so far north into the bay it would have been almost due west of Crescent Beach. I posted about this on a community Facebook page and a member replied that they had been kayaking in the area at that time and saw two grey whales feeding together in the bay.

When the tide finally turned from the half metre low height, it came roaring back along the shore headed north towards Crescent Beach. All along the sand flats and beach edge was a carpet of thick brown bubbly foam. With extreme low tides these days and warm sunny weather combined with a mile of exposed sand baking in the heat, when the water does come back in it often brings a layer of sea foam or surf scum with it.  This is a natural phenomenon from algae and organic matter on the sand breaking down in the sun and then being transported to the shore with the incoming tide. It normally is non-toxic and is often an indication of a productive ocean ecosystem.  Most people will not walk through it as it looks like something you would expect to find at a sewage pipe outflow. Shortly after the water passed by, the foam began to quickly dissipate allowing folks to go skinny-dipping and cool off in clear water.

When we finally decided to head home for dinner we left the beach and climbed the Christopherson Steps that we use for our regular route. Heading out  onto 24 Ave. I noticed a dark Ford Explorer SUV parked illegally with the engine running at the entrance to the park. I had heard sirens earlier and thought it might be RCMP or Surrey Police responding to a call at the beach. Much to my surprise, when I approached the window I realized there were two Department of Fisheries and Oceans female officers sitting inside. I engaged then in conversation and asked if I could be of assistance, learning they were there looking for fishers leaving the area. I reported to them I had not seen anybody fishing or harvesting shellfish but had seen a man who had been crabbing. The best part about that was I had talked to him about his catch and he showed me the two large male dungeness crabs he had caught for dinner. The officers thanked me for the information and added that they had never seen Crescent Beach so busy.

Of course the main attraction at the beach this weekend was the intense northern lights on Friday night that were visible overhead from almost everywhere in the Lower Mainland. With the gates to the stairways being locked, I thought about driving down to Crescent Beach to take in the show. A call to a friend in the neighbourhood made me think twice as they reported a huge traffic jam of people trying to get to Blackie Spit to watch the lights. I guess I was not the only one who figured out this dark north facing beach would be one of the best viewing areas around. I have seen the aurora half a dozen times over my lifetime but there has never been a light show like the one on Friday night. The colours were amazing even at our house but I would have rather viewed them over the water with the mountains in the background. I hope you got to see it as I was likely a once-in-a-lifetime experience for people living in the Semi-Pen.

Naturally yours,

Don Pitcairn

I wish to acknowledge we live, work and play on the traditional lands of the Semiahmoo People.

These changes should make a marked improvement to the vehicle parking issue at Crescent Beach while improving pedestrian access and safety.  Unfortunately BNSF trains blocking Beecher Street will continue to add to traffic woes either in the morning when crowds of people are headed to the beach or at the end of the day when they are going home.  The idea of a railway overpass at Beecher Street is still sitting on a drawing board in the Engineering Department and the concept of a railway underpass at Bayview Ave. and McBride Ave. has yet to be considered.  If you do make it out of Crescent Beach without hitting a train, the 4-way stop sign at Crescent Road and 128 Street is still creating traffic jams.  I want to report that the City of Surrey is working to install a roundabout in this location that will likely be ready sometime in 2025.  Personally, I would love to see Translink provide a direct bus from the unused section of the Park & Ride lot in south Surrey down Crescent Road to Crescent Beach.  Not only would it get people out of their cars, it would be a lot shorter than the hour it currently takes to ride through White Rock and Ocean Park.

For more detailed information on the upcoming parking changes to Crescent Beach, please visit the following links:

Corporate report R223, Crescent Beach Parking Update, Dec. 2023:

https://www.surrey.ca/sites/default/files/corporate-reports/CR_2023-R223.pdf

Post Card on road allowance education, January 2024:

https://www.surrey.ca/sites/default/files/media/documents/Crescent-Beach-Road-Allowance-Postcard-9x6-WEB.pdf

Open House presentation boards, March 2024:  

https://www.surrey.ca/sites/default/files/media/documents/CB-Parking-Open-House-March-13%2C-2024.pdf

Corporate Report R075, Crescent Beach Parking and Walking Enhancements Update, April 2024:

https://www.surrey.ca/sites/default/files/corporate-reports/CR_2024-R075.pdf

Naturally yours,

Don Pitcairn

TNT Extra: 

While access is somewhat limited to the remote stretches of Crescent Rock Naturist Beach in South Surrey, at least the parking on top of the Ocean Park bluff at the stairways is free and will likely remain that way.  If stairs are a problem, you can simply walk along the shore from White Rock or Crescent Beach, ensuring you check out the tide forecast beforehand.  If you plan to visit the world famous Wreck Beach in Vancouver, there is very limited free parking along Marine Drive, plus a free gravel parking lot at Acadia Beach that leads to Tower Beach.  At UBC parking costs $4 an hour, max of $20, with the same hourly price after 6 p.m., max of $10.  Weekends are also $4 an hour but with a max of $10 for the day.   

I wish to acknowledge we live, work and play on the traditional lands of the Semiahmoo people.

TNT

April 2, 2024

101 Steps, 1001 Steps, 10001 Steps, 100000 Steps

The front page photo on this week's Peace Arch News  titled "Spring Steps" contained incorrect and misleading information.  The caption read as follows, "Christopherson Steps is always a popular springtime activity for many in the Semiahmoo Peninsula.  With sun forecast for the Easter Long Weekend, this spot, also known as 1,001 Steps, will likely be busy."  The stairs shown in the picture were indeed the Christopherson Steps, located at the west end of 24 Ave. leading to Crescent Beach.  They were originally called the 101 Steps before the name was changed to honour a local pioneering family who lived in Crescent Heights.  This was done because of these steps being confused with another shoreline staircase a mile to the south.

Here are the links to websites for both Christopherson Steps and the 1001 Steps staircases but unfortunately the Olympic Trail is not listed under any of its four different names.

https://www.surrey.ca/parks-recreation/parks/christopherson-steps

https://www.surrey.ca/parks-recreation/parks/1001-steps

Naturally yours,

Don Pitcairn

I wish to acknowledge we live, work and play on the traditional lands of the Semiahmoo people.

A Hump in the Road

It is not my job to notice issues affecting our roadways.  I do not get paid to do safety checks on bridges and highways.  I didn't go to Engineering school to learn how to build roads.  I do not work for a road maintenance company, the Ministry of Highways or one of the many cities in this province.  I could go one ranting further but instead I'll stop here and say that our traffic infrastructure here is third world.  I can basically drive down any roadway and point out problem after problem with everything from signage, lighting, layout, paving, painting, etc.  Some of this stuff is rather mundane, others are dangerous, and some have actually killed people.  The government could hire me to simply cruise around to make notes and take pictures of deficiencies on any roadway in the province.  It would be like the movie Groundhog Day with the same repetitive crap day in and day out without end leaving one hoping for death.

The closer you get to home, the more you drive.  It is because of this simple observation that 50% of all car crashes happen within five miles from home.  Going a little further, 70% of crashes happen within 10 miles from home.  These two stats tell me that people do most of their driving within the limits of their city, unless of course they live in White Rock that is only three square miles or 5 square kilometres.  Living in the big city of Surrey, I realize that most of my driving occurs within the 316.4 square kilometers of Surrey.  Heck, if it wasn't for so many good craft breweries spread across the Lower Mainland, I don't know if I would ever leave the Mother ship.  That being said, when you are constantly driving on the mean streets of Surrey, you tend to see the same old problem over and over again.  Like a burr under your saddle, you may not really care at first but after miles of riding that little burr can light a flame under your butt that is going to need a fire extinguisher to put out.

The City of Surrey is guilty of doing something here that is lazy, stupid, dangerous, and just like that burr is a big pain in the ass.  To make matters worse, they seem to be the only town in BC that somehow missed the memo on how to deal with this very simple problem.  Jurisdictions all across the province will put large speed humps in roadways to help slow traffic.  You no doubt have seen these in school zones, where they sit slowing traffic for 24 hours a day even though it is only a 30 kmh zone from 8 am. till 5 p.m. on school days, a little over 20% of the time.  These large asphalt mounds are painted with two large white triangles facing traffic to make them more visible.  Yellow/orange diamond warning signs showing what looks like a flat round hat are posted beside these speed humps to alert motorists that they are there.  Some places even go a step further, putting warning signs up that there are speed humps ahead.  For areas where a series of speed humps have been installed to slow traffic, "speed control zone" signs are usually posted on both ends of the road.

The problem with the City of Silly, oops of course I meant Surrey, is that they put speed humps on the road but don't install the warning signs adjacent to them as is normally done everywhere else.  In our Crescent Heights neighbourhood, from 124 St and 24 Ave to 128 St and 25 Ave. there are seven speed humps in this area used by transit buses, with only two of these speed hump signs properly posted.  The other two are at the entrance ways to this rough ride area on flat stretches of road.  The nearby 22 Ave from 128 St to 124 St. is the same with four unmarked speed humps.  Now this may not sound like a big deal but I have seen several boats almost come off their trailers after getting sent airborne when unsuspecting drivers drove over these unsigned humps at the speed limit.  I usually don't get to see delivery vans, you simply hear the massive crashing noise as everything in their vehicle flies in the air and then falls to the floor.  Landscaping and carpenter trailers fair equally as poorly with tools and equipment going airborne only to come smashing down.  The buses don't fare any better with passengers getting launched constantly.

Speed Humps are always marked with signs for driver safety.  In the winter when visibility is difficult and the roads can be covered in snow, speed hump signs often give drivers their only warning to their existence.  Flying off one of these humps in icy conditions can quickly turn into an uncontrolled skid and a crash.  It also allows snow plow operators to lift the blades when they drive over these bumps.  Not only is this easier on the snow moving equipment, it  ensures that the painted white triangles remain on the speed humps.  Often in Surrey you see this safety marking scraped off because the plow operators do not have x-ray vision.  Even worse is the many speed humps used in elementary schools with no marking signs.  The Crescent Park Annex at 124 St. an 24 Ave. that is not used as a school has speed humps on these arterial roads that are not marked.  I have heard vehicles crash over them with such force I thought it was an accident at the intersection.  Ocean Cliff Elementary on 20 Ave in Ocean Park has three speed humps that are not properly marked while Jessie Lee Elementary on 154 St. near 20 Ave. has two of these dangerous speed humps with no signage.

Over a city as large as Surrey the number of speed humps not properly signed could be in the thousands.  In our little neck of the woods this number sits at 13, which doubles to 26 with signs needed on both sides of the road.  The Surrey Engineering Dept. needs to look at their maps and drawings to figure out where all of these speed humps are and ensure they are properly marked.  To all the parents of young kids reading this TNT, please ensure the Principal of your elementary school is aware of this problem and gets the School Board to do something about it.  It is rather embarrassing that cities all around Surrey install speed humps correctly with the proper signage, but the Engineering Dept. here has obviously dropped the ball on this issue long ago. 

The remedy is really quite simple; install proper warning signs or remove the speed humps.  I know from server activity out of both Surrey and White Rock city halls that the content of this column does get reviewed by staff.  Hopefully this will be enough to get some traction on this issue but if not, you can always report this lack of safety signage to Surrey's Report-A-Problem line at https://www.surrey.ca/services-payments/report-problem-or-submit-request .

Naturally yours,

Don Pitcairn

I wish to acknowledge we live, work and play on the traditional lands of the Semiahmoo People.

Ivan Knows a Villain

Surrey Talk Radio's IVAN SCOTT

In a radical departure from my regular weekly column here in the White Rock Sun, I am inviting a guest writer to contribute to The Naked Truth. 

This is the first time this has ever happened but depending on the subject, copy and person involved, it may not be the last.  The following is a letter to the editor that Ivan Scott, founder of Keep The RCMP In Surrey (KTRIS) and the "Voice of Surrey" from Surrey Talk Radio, sent to the Peace Arch News (PAN) and various local politicos.  His diatribe was in response to three different letters published in the PAN disparaging Mayor Brenda Locke and the Surrey police transition from the RCMP to the Surrey Police Service.  While the PAN was more than ready to give ink to one side of this story, they neglected to print this letter from Mr. Scott.  I feel it is important for a two-sided public conversation on the police transition that will shape the future of law enforcement in Surrey and citizen's property taxes.  Without further ado (not adieu), here is Mr. Scott's letter titled "Who is the villain here?" that I have slightly edited for form and function without changing the context.

Dear Editor,

City of Delta's 112 St. pump house

A Short Walk on a Long Pier

Not many living here in the Semi-pen will ever forget the events of Dec. 19, 2018 when a Pacific storm system with high winds during a king tide hit White Rock.  In a howling gale, large waves tore apart the dock that had sat for years behind the breakwater, pushing it towards the shore with sailboats from the White Rock Sailing Club.  The southwest winds rammed the dock into the pilings below the middle of the pier with the waves pushing the bobbing boats underneath the structure.  The waves then lifted the boats up into the support beams and decking, where in only a matter of seconds the 104 year-old structure was quickly torn apart, leaving a 100 foot gap.

Of course, several brave (read foolhardy) folks had decided that the weather made for great storm watching conditions and they'd made their way out to the end of the historic pier where waves were crashing over the breakwater.  One of these was former RCMP officer turned professional photographer Tim Shields who was there to take pictures and videos of the storm with his daughters in tow.  Seeing the dock come apart and a large portion drifting away with a flotilla of sailboats, he started to video record the event.  When the boats began to smash against the pier, he realized the danger his family was in and they managed to run underneath falling masts and riggings only moments before the pier broke in two.  His amazing video of this disaster and their miraculous escape quickly went viral and was seen by millions around the world (https://globalnews.ca/video/4783771/dramatic-escape-from-collapsed-white-rock-pier).

This was not the only harrowing pier escape of the day as one man had not been so lucky and was left stranded at the far end surrounded by sinking boats, churning seas and a pier that continued to come apart.  First responders arriving to this crisis realized that a boat rescue, even by the Coast Guard, would be impossible in the conditions.  A call was sent out to the Royal Canadian Air Force for a helicopter to perform an aerial extraction.  Flying in from the Vancouver Island through the storm, they reached what was left of the pier and hovered above it while a throng of people watched the unfolding drama from the promenade.  A rescuer was dropped by a cable, put a safety harness around 42 year-old Oren Perry and the bright yellow Cormorant helicopter quickly lifted both men to safety.

Much has happened to the White Rock pier since that fateful day.  The structure was rebuilt and reopened eight months later with repairs costing $4.3 million.  After much bizarre infighting at City Hall, the historic White Rock pier measuring 1,542 feet or 470 metres was finally declared "Canada's Longest Pier."  A new archway erected at the pier entrance proudly declares this fact and one of the boardwalk planks also has this message carved into it.  It was decided that because of the danger, the dock where the White Rock Sailing Club had moored their sailboats for years would not be rebuilt.  I should note here that while repaired, long lengths of the pier still need to be replaced with the new steel and concrete standard that is topped with a wooden walkway.

Unfortunately, there continues to be a glaring safety issue with this antique pier.  Last Tuesday morning, fully aware of high tide warnings, flood warnings and wind warnings all happening at once, I decided to visit the White Rock pier, arriving shortly before dawn.  Venturing onto the promenade I was met with strong winds, churning seas and high waves.  The waves would hit the rip-rap boulders with water splashing up and over the tracks onto the promenade where people were walking.  I made my way onto the pier only as far as the archway sign.  A raft of logs washed in by the storm were beating on the support pilings like a drum.  You could hear the deep thuds and feel the jolting impact underneath your feet.  As I turned around for safety, I'll never forget the man who jogged by me with a crab trap in hand headed out onto the pier oblivious to the danger.

I understand it was later that morning when City of White Rock work crews finally arrived to put up barricades and close the pier.  Considering the weather and tide forecast, this should have been done the night before.  Unfortunately there are people who would simply duck under or push these out of the way and enter the pier when unsafe to do so.  It is for this reason that actual metal gates, which can be closed and locked, need to be installed at the shore end of the pier.  Most of the pier was rebuilt nearly 50 years ago and a walk underneath at low tide shows plenty of temporary repairs done after damage from the Dec. 2018 windstorm.  The City of Surrey has gates on their three waterfront staircases that can be closed in times of "adverse weather conditions."  White Rock needs to follow their lead and keep storm watchers and thrill seekers off the pier during severe storms for their own safety and protection.  

Naturally yours,

Don Pitcairn

I wish to acknowledge we live, work and play on the traditional lands of the Semiahmoo people.

Dec. 25, Christmas Gift List 2023:  One of the favourite TNT's of the year, this column gives out fun gifts we'd like to see under the tree for the movers and shakers of the Semi-Pen.  It's certainly a great way to find out who's naughty or nice.

Dec. 18, Pay For Your Propaganda:  Finding out the City of Surrey is spending half a million bucks on advertising the forced Surrey Police transition as an NDP Surrey Tax gets me hot under the collar for abusing taxpayer's dollars.

Dec. 11, Grin and Bear It:  With New Years fast approaching this TNT gives detailed information about ten different polar bear swims that are held across the Lower Mainland on Jan. 1st including three here in the Semi-pen with one that is rather cheeky.

Dec. 4, Beach Cam Conundrum:  I give kudos to White Rock about their online pier cam showing Memorial Park and Canada's longest pier, wondering why the City of Surrey with nearly thirty times the population does not have one of these cameras at Crescent Beach.

Nov. 27, Signs Of The Times:  I suggested that Surrey change the dates and times they lock the three beach stairways and they actually listened to my common sense ideas.  This TNT has everything you need to know to keep you from getting locked in.

Nov. 20, BNSF Off The Rails:  With petroleum tankers and chemical cars rolling on the BNSF tracks here, disaster finally strikes.  Fortunately it was in Delta along Hwy. 91 where a crash between two trains led to fuel oil spilling into the bottom of Watershed Park.

Nov. 13, It's Salmon Spawning Season:  With the return of the fall rains, four types of salmon swim up to spawn in the Little Campbell River and every fish is counted and sexed by a team of loyal band of volunteers at the Semiahmoo Fish & Game Club.

Nov. 6, Surrey Shows It's True Colours:  The massive WELCOME TO SURREY sign along Hwy. 99 at 8 Ave. and its stunning array of LED lights that can create 2.43 trillion colour combinations is examined in detail in this illuminating TNT.

Oct. 30, Signs of a Strike:  After a litany of bridge strikes by commercial vehicles in B.C., I examine this issue in detail on how it relates to Highway 99, less than two months before yet another impact damages part of the 112 St. overpass in Delta.

Oct. 23, 11,000 Words on the Hump.  Rather than write about my disgust with continued tree clearing on the Hump, I decide to let pictures do the talking with a pictorial of 11 photos showing the continued damage and desecration to this waterfront green space. 

Oct. 16, Crescent Heights Coyote:  You never know where I might find a story and his one ran by on the road in front of my house.  Everything you want to know about coyotes and how to cohabit-ate with them safely in the Semiahmoo peninsula.

Oct. 9, South Surrey is Semiahmoo:  Just after National Truth and Reconciliation Day I look at our treatment of the Semiahmoo First Nation peoples and their heritage, suggesting South Surrey should be called "Semiahmoo", just as South Delta is called "Tsawwassen."

Oct. 2, Time off for good behaviour

Sept. 26,  Stink, Stank Stunk:  Long before Christmas, I lean on Dr. Seuss and the Grinch as I examine the proposed biofuel plant planned for the Semiahmoo First Nation lands near the Peace Arch border crossing and its environmental effects.

Sept. 18, Grassholes Among Us:  In the middle of a record drought and Metro-Vancouver watering restrictions, I look at how some people think having a green lawn is more important than preserving our water supplies and following the sprinkling bylaws.

Sept. 11, Seafaring Shanty Town Shut Down:  It was hard not to jump for joy when I learned the floating shanty town in the Nicomekl River was finally going to be dealt with and the flotilla of derelict boats removed from this Surrey waterway.

Sept. 6, Chopped at the Top:  In a south Surrey first, BNSF Police catch arborists and a south Surrey strata cutting trees on the Ocean Park bluff in order to improve their views regardless of the increased slide risk they are causing to trains on the tracks below.

Aug. 28, Don't Get Locked In-sanity:  This TNT on the bizarre beach gate lock times started the ball rolling at Surrey City Hall to have the dates and times changed, something I later wrote about in my Nov. 27 column, Signs Of The Times.

Aug. 21, Choke on the Smoke:  Summer is here and with it comes a blanket of forest fire smoke to our region with morons still lighting beach fires on the shores of the Semiahmoo peninsula regardless of the risks or large fines.

Aug. 14, Biking to the Beach is Out of Reach:  A look at Translink and their illogical Ride & Shine program that directed people to go to the "beach" at Camp Kwomais in Ocean Park featuring steep cliffs, trespassing on the BNSF tracks, to access a boulder strewn shore.

July 31, Not Weed The Knotweed:  A chance encounter with the invasive species Japanese Knotweed at Harrison Lake leads to me discovering that this weed species is growing out of control all along the BNSF corridor from White Rock to Kwomais Point.

July 24, Stop Stumping the Hump:  Yet again, another TNT on White Rock cutting trees on the Hump with new Mayor Meghan Knight acting like former mayor Wayne Baldwin.  It includes a photo of what the Hump looked like before the chainsaws cut it down.

July 19, More Stumps On the Hump:  Arborists hired by the City of White Rock are once again working on clearing the Hump for views, cutting down trees on old landslides sites and in front of Marine Drive where a new long crack in the asphalt is now visible. 

July 13, Strange Days at the Beach:  In a story that made Global News Weather Window and the most read story of 2023 in the PAN, the bizarre optical illusion known as a "fata morgana" is examined in this TNT that also features an amphibious airplane making a crash landing.

July 4, The $0.316 Million Dollar Man:  Surrey taxpayers are left holding the bag for former Mayor Doug McCallum after his high priced legal dream team gets him off the hook on public mischief charges with the judge believing his foot had been run over by a car tire.

June 26, Sure Sign It's June:  If you liked the brown and white striped caramel candies grandma used to give you, you need to read this TNT on the 10 Lined June beetles that emerge from the ground in the late spring looking for a mate.

June 19, Our Home on Native Land:  The Tolest Aleng Indigenous Learning House at Elgin Heritage Park has its opening ceremony and I use this opportunity to reveal the dilapidated state of several totem poles and native carvings in south Surrey.

June 12, Gaggle of Geese:  The tale of two cities with the City of White Rock putting up Geese Crossing signs on North Bluff Road, while Surrey refuses to do the same on their side of 16 Ave., endangering wildlife, pedestrians and drivers.

June 5, Time and Tides:  With a full moon and huge tides forecast, I explain why anyone wanting to explore the beach or hit the water in a pleasure craft needs to keep an eye on the tide chart for this region for their enjoyment and safety.

May 29, Land For The Band:  I take on Alexandra Neighbourhood House in Crescent Beach, asking them to return their 2.5 acre property to the Semiahmoo band if they really consider it "stolen and occupied."  Needless to say, I never heard back from them.

May 22, Tarantula Terror:  The gardener in me could not resist doing a story on BC's only tarantula related species, the Pacific folding-door spider that I found in White Rock.  This was the only TNT printed in 2023 that contained a reader warning for arachnophobes.  

May 15, Crescent Log Beach:  White Rock, Delta, Vancouver, and Metro Vancouver all remove rafts of rotten logs from their beaches every spring but for reasons unknown the City of Surrey continues to ignore the log jam taking up much of Crescent Beach.

May 8, Ramping Things Up:  The extremely short and dangerous on ramp to Hwy. 99 at Ladner Trunk Road is examined in detail and this TNT is then sent to the Highways Minister plus area MLA's with this accident waiting to happen getting fixed immediately.

May 1, The State of Police in Surrey:  The Never Ending Story that is the Surrey Police Transition is reviewed after BC Solicitor General Mike Farnsworth finally makes a decision for Surrey to stick with the Surrey Police Service over the RCMP.

April 24, Head-on Crash Course:  Imagine if you will, a major arterial road in south Surrey with no painted lines or markings at all.  Welcome to 20th Ave that was ripped up and paved repeatedly without any of the lines being replaced until after this TNT.

April 17, The Middle of the Road:  Bridge repairs on Hwy. 99 result in the cable median barrier safety system being taken down and not replaced until a column on this important cross-over collision avoidance system appears in the White Rock Sun.

April 10, Soldiering On:  I broke this story about the War Memorial cenotaph in Cloverdale being damaged and then pushed for the RCMP to release the CCTV footage they had of this crime.  This video resulted in Lukasz Paprocki being charged with two counts of Mischief.

April 3, Weapons in White Rock:  MLA Elenor Sturko kicking a knife away from a man outside of Laura's Coffee Corner focused this TNT on the proliferation of edged weapons and a rash of stabbings and murders in our region that is a must read.

March 27, Catatonic Over Cougars:  Cougars prowling in the Semi-pen and not just at Sawbucks Pub?  All kidding aside, a proliferation of cougar sightings reported on social media result in this TNT that looks at how to keep pets and small children safe.

If there's one thing I love about Christmas it's the annual traditions and in the White Rock Sun this holiday TNT is always special.  Here's the list of naughty and nice gifts we hope Santa left under the tree for the movers, shakers and decision makers from the Semiahmoo peninsula, listed alphabetically so as to not offend anyone.

Diana Barkley, Semiahmoo Fish & Game Club President - Funding for a brand new state-of-the-art fish hatchery placed high above the Little Campbell river flood plain.  As a stocking stuffer, everyone in the Semi-Pen to bring their Christmas tree to the SFGC for chipping by donation.

Dave Chesney, WR Councillor - For the editor of the WR Sun and veteran WR Councillor, a pound of his favourite Holy Smoke Coffee Holiday Blend coffee beans.  As a stocking stuffer a vintage White Rock Sparkling Spring Water bottle featuring the topless fairy Psyche.

Rob Dixon, Staff Sergeant White Rock RCMP - His Christmas present came early as he was promoted from within the ranks of the WR RCMP to become the Commander of the detachment where he has worked for 5 years.  As a stocking stuffer, CCTV cameras for down at the beach to help curb crime.  

Kevin Falcon, United Party Leader - Sorry to say but the leader of the United Party plus the Official Opposition in the BC Ledge is no longer a mover and shaker in these parts, heading off to higher ground in North Vancouver in 2023 to better enjoy the doom and gloom.

Grin and Bear It

Don Pitcairn and Jamie Kwen in White Rock at the start of their 2023 Mad Hatters swim.

With Christmas and New year's Day both falling on successive Mondays to end the year, I thought now would be a good time to take an early look at the various polar bear swims planned for this region on January 1st.   Most people living here in the Semiahmoo peninsula know about the January 1st swim in White Rock but it is not he only game in town.  In fact there are at least 10 polar bear swims you can partake in across the Lower Mainland, including several that are of the polar "bare" variety.  Without further adieu, here are the list of swims, many purloined from Vancouver's Best Places at https://vancouversbestplaces.com/events-calendar/festivals-and-events/new-year-polar-bear-swims/

West Beach, White Rock, Polar Bare Plunge, 12 noon

In years when the event takes place, crowds gather to watch hundreds of brave souls in swimsuits and funny costumes celebrate the New Year by going for a first-day-of-the-year swim in the ocean.  The White Rock event typically attracts thousands of onlookers. It’s hosted by local Rotary clubs. The Royal Canadian Marine Search & Rescue Unit #5 is one of the sponsors.  The White Rock Polar Plunge is a free event to participate in. There is hot chocolate and coffee available by donation.  The plunge returned in its regular in-person format in 2023 after happening as a virtual event in 2022.  This dip in icy waters happens on Monday, January 1st in 2024, which marks the event’s 54th year. Registration is typically at 10:30 am and the plunge is at 12 noon.  The event is held at the beach just east of the pier right by the community’s landmark giant white rock boulder.

Crescent Beach, South Surrey, Polar Bear Swim, 1 p.m.

The neighbourhood of Crescent Beach holds an annual Polar Bear swim of their own on the north side of the village near the swimming area at the end of Sullivan Street.  This is not an organized event but it attracts a yearly crowd of around a hundred brave souls who mainly live in Crescent Beach or south Surrey.  Lots of free parking and not nearly as busy as the big swim in White Rock that happens an hour earlier.  

Crescent Rock Beach, South Surrey, Polar Bare Skinny-dip, 1 p.m.

The Polar Bare Plunge at Crescent Rock is a January 1st swim that’s different from all of the rest.  Hosted by Surrey’s United Naturists, it’s a polar “bare” swim because it’s clothing optional.  Crescent Rock Beach is a stretch of rugged and secluded shoreline located between Crescent Beach and White Rock in South Surrey. It can be accessed via the Christopherson Steps at the west end of 24th Avenue.  Although this is a skinny dipping event, participants are also encouraged to wear costumes like Santa Claus toques, body paint and other accessories.  Footwear is also recommended because of the rocks on the beach. The Polar Bare Skinny-dip has been running for 15 years. On January 1st, 2024 it happens at 1:00 pm by the 120-tonne Crescent Rock boulder. 

Centennial Beach, Tsawwassen, Delta Polar Bear Swim, 1 p.m.

The Delta Polar Bear Swim takes place on Centennial Beach at Boundary Bay Regional Park at 541 Centennial Parkway in Tsawwassen. Registration for the city’s annual event is at noon and participants take the icy dip at 1:00 pm. In 2023 there was entertainment to enjoy starting at 11:45 am, including face painting, a drum circle and more. Hot chocolate was also available. At the Boundary Bay Polar Bear Swim there are prizes for top swimmers. Awards are usually given to the oldest participant and the swimmer traveling to the event from the furthest distance.

Naturally yours,

Don Pitcairn

I wish to acknowledge we live, work and play on the traditional territory of the Semiahmoo Nation.

Beach Cam Conundrum

Being a lifelong beach bum, I'm always interested in anything involving the beaches here in the Semiahnoo peninsula.  I've done numerous shoreline cleanups from Crescent Beach to White Rock over the years including organizing the removal of a sunken and smashed 26' pleasure cruiser with help from the BNSF Railway, City of Surrey, Super Save Group and volunteers.  As a member of SmartRail, a local community rail safety group, I'm always concerned about BNSF Railway safety along our shorelines and I visit landslide sites from the bluffs to look for factors that lead to slope failure onto the tracks.  Throw in tree cutting for views, wave erosion of the corridor, plus oil spills from Cherry Point and you get an idea of the threats to our waterfront.

Of course, all of this is because I like going to the beach on a year-round basis including during winter storms.  I follow several weather forecasting websites (Environment Canada and the Weather Network) for our area plus the Tide Forecast that is regularly carried in the White Rock Sun during the summer months.  That gives you the weather, current conditions plus tide height but sometimes what you really want is a bird's eye view of the beach.  For this, online cameras or cams for short are indispensable.  By far, the best one here is the City of White Rock's pier cam available online at https://www.whiterockcity.ca/402/Pier-Camera .  It shows Memorial Park, Canada's longest pier, the wind on a Canadian flag plus water and wave height.  

This is all made possible by an Axis Q1798-LE network surveillance camera that is weatherproof, records in colour and operates both day and night with audio.  With all of the associated hardware, software and licensing, the unit cost about $3,500.  I was not able to get information about hits but was told by the City's IT guru that it is by far the most visited section of the White Rock website.  As if this wasn't enough, the City also has a wireless weather station by Intellisense Systems. All told this system cost a further $9,000 to install.  It shows temperature, pressure, wind direction and speed, peak wind info, dew point, wind chill and even lightning strike frequency and distance.  It is posted on the White Rock City website at the same address as the pier cam.

Hats off to the City By The Sea for their pier cam and weather station that is used by residents and visitors, especially windsurfers and kite boarders who visit on breezy days from Washington State.  Now you would think that if White Rock with a population of 22,000 has a waterfront camera showing the beach, that the City of Surrey with a population quickly closing in on 600,000 people would have a camera giving a view of Crescent Beach.  Unfortunately that is not the case with this seaside hamlet being all but ignored by City Hall.  Surrey does have a camera in Crescent Beach but it is at the Beecher Street train crossing where it is focused on the tracks to record how long traffic gets blocked by yet another broken down BNSF train.  Meanwhile, nothing is being done about a long promised new crossing, emergency vehicle access or removing the raft of rotting logs jamming the shore of Crescent Beach.

The naturists using Crescent Rock beach obviously don't want cameras on this nude-friendly shoreline but they do want to know what is happening before heading out for some fun in the sun.  It turns out that the naturists have a friend in naturalist David Hancock and his Hancock Wildlife Organization (hancockwildlife.org).  For years David and his volunteers have worked with Ocean Park residents in South Surrey to install cameras on bald eagle nests, beaming the images live onto the internet.  Besides checking out adult eagles and their young, these cameras give a birds-eye view of Mud Bay and Boundary Bay.  Wind speed and direction can be judged by the waves on the water and the movement of the trees.  The wide angle live stream also shows distant clouds and weather, which can be helpful when plans are being made for sunbathing.  You can see it live with audio at this link: https://youtu.be/or855zeZnm4

The City of Surrey has the perfect spot for a Crescent Beach camera on property they already own.  The Beecher Place Community Centre is centrally located on the waterfront facing west towards the bay.  The public walkway is directly in front of the building with sunsets over the water visible year round.  A camera mounted on the roof that panned showing a 180 degree view from north to south would show not only the sea and weather conditions but also any crowds on the walkway and beach.  In this day and age it is remarkable that Surrey does not not have a beach camera in place at their main marine recreational site.  I can save them money on a weather station; simply supply the link to Weather Networks Crescent Beach forecast that also gives times for sunrise and sunset, wind speed with direction and gusts, pressure, humidity, visibility and ceiling, plus air quality and UV rating.

Naturally yours,

Don Pitcairn

I wish to acknowledge we live, work and play on the traditional lands of the Semiahmoo people.

UPDATE DECEMBER 09, 2023

Signs Of The Times

For those who like to take a walk on the wild side, the 6.5 km stretch of rugged Semiahmoo shoreline beach between Crescent Beach and White Rock is a nature lover's paradise. Access is limited to walking in on the beach from either end or by descending from the Ocean Park bluffs by a number of trails, staircases and stairways. Because of its remoteness, difficulty in access plus rough terrain, it attracts naturalists and naturists alike, with the beach functioning as Surrey's legal nude beach, just as Wreck beach is to UBC and Vancouver. If you go out of your way to get away from it all, you should not be shocked to find people sunbathing, skinny dipping, or even going for a walk au' natural when it is warm and sunny on what is known as Crescent Rock beach.

The shoreline walks offer the easiest access but this is dependent on the height of the tides. When it is high tide the water can be splashing against the rip-rap boulders that line the base of the BNSF Railway corridor and provide wave protection. At this point you either have to stumble through the algae and barnacle covered rocks or trespass on the railway property, which is very dangerous, considered trespassing and carries a $550 fine. Surrey has three staircases; the Christopherson Steps at the west end of 24 Ave., the 1001 Steps at the west end of 15A Ave., plus the Olympic Trail on 13 Ave at the south end of 131 St.  White Rock used to have the Coldicutt Trail but it was destroyed by heavy rains and mudslides in the atmospheric river of 2021, with plans to put up fencing to close it permanently. There are a limited number of other trails but many are steep, unmaintained and dangerous so I won't be listing them here in order to keep people safe.

Because of the history of nocturnal parties on Crescent Rock beach including grad parties from our local high schools plus people being hit by passing BNSF freight and Amtrak passenger trains, Surrey locks the gates at the three stairways limiting access. All of Surrey's parks are closed from dusk to dawn, basically half an hour after sunset and half an hour before sunrise. The three staircases are all unlocked at dawn but instead of the dusk timing they have signs with selected dates and times that were installed decades ago. These signs at Christopherson Steps, 1001 Steps and the Olympic Trail read as follows:

Feb 12 - Apr 15 8 pm

Apr 16 - Aug 26 10 pm

Aug 27 - Oct 15 8 pm

Oct 16 - Feb 11 6 pm

The issue with these rather arbitrary times and dates is that they did not take into account the changing times of sunset, the dreaded twice yearly time change, or long weekends when crowds of people are at the beach. There were times when the gates were locked before sunset, let alone before dusk, so if you were at the beach taking in the light show, you would be locked out.  Without a name or number for the security contractor, people were forced to take a long walk on the tracks after dark, creating a very unsafe situation in an area where 34 people have already been killed by trains over the years.

To make matters worse, the city of Surrey website (surrey.ca) listed two of these trails as being open from dawn to dusk with no mention about the posted times and dates for lockup.  Strangely, the Olympic Trail does not have a listing even though it is now the only stairwell that provides access to the south facing shoreline between White Rock and Kwomais Point in Ocean Park. Adding to the confusion, at the top and bottom of the stairs, another set of signs welcomed people to the park and asking them to keep it clean also listed the opening times as being from "dawn to dusk." There is also a safety issue for security guards having to walk down the stairs hours after dark to lock the bottom gates at the beach, something I would be hesitant to do. Armed with all of these problems, I emailed the Manager of the Surrey Parks Department, giving them a full explanation of my concerns.

It did not take them long to realize that the times and dates made little sense and were blocking access to the beach unnecessarily. They considered all of the points I had made and decided to stick with times and dates but ones that actually made more sense in the real world. Here is the portion of the email I received back from Manager Neil Avens with the new dates and times for the various staircase access points to Crescent Rock beach:

• Daily closing/opening times are set out as follows:

• Feb 9 Mar 16 8pm

• Mar 17 Sept 21 10pm

• Sept 22 Nov 9 8pm

• Nov 10 Feb 8 6pm

• We recently implemented the above times and I understand our change out in the signage was a bit delayed (as such, the posted times did not match the actual scheduled times). The posted times now match the above schedule. The standard “dawn to dusk” signage will be removed so as to not provide mixed messages.

• The purpose of the seasonal closing/opening times is:

• To ensure practical and efficient scheduling for staff (developing staff schedules that change by a few minutes each day is both inefficient and impractical)

• To provide consistent times for the public (“dawn” and “dusk” change each day and each person may have a slightly different opinion on exactly what time that is)

• To provide the public with opportunity to be on the beach to experience sunset (the above closing times above are all past sunset)

• To provide an appropriate balance between access to the beach and the negative behaviours that tend to occur after hours

• For the13 Avenue Lookout, we generally do not close access to the stairs/lookout platform. From time to time, there are exceptions when we do close this site (such as Halloween night, when we have experienced greater incidence of vandalism or fireworks concerns).

The end effect of these changes is we get an extra two months of 10 pm closures from the start of spring till the beginning of fall. The 8 pm closures in early spring and late fall drop from four months to three and the 6 pm closures in winter does the same. Unfortunately the new date and time signs posted at the staircases contained a mistake but it was spotted and has now been corrected. For reasons unknown, the Surrey website still shows Christopherson Steps and the 1001 Steps as being open from dawn to dusk with no mention of the date and times posted. Also the Olympic Trail that they are now calling the 13 Avenue Lookout is not posted in the Surrey Parks directory, just as Sandy Trail leading down to Crescent Beach is also not mentioned. Please keep in mind that the Crescent Rock beach staircases can all be closed at any time for hazardous conditions, which include snow and ice on the stairs, risk of falling trees in windstorms, king tides with high waves or during periods of extreme precipitation when the risk of landslides on the bluff is greatly increased.

Naturally yours

Don PItcairn

BNSF Off The Rails

On Sunday morning, a buddy of mine woke me up early and sent an aerial picture of a train wreck that happened in North Delta, which was being shown on Global News.  I instantly realized it was orange BNSF locomotives with a line of black tanker cars apparently tangled up with an adjacent freight train with plenty of cars off the tracks.  It did not take me long to get dressed and head out the door to check out the crash that happened along Highway 91 just north of the truck pullout between Highway 10 and 64 Ave.  On the way out the door, I made sure to grab my white hard hat and orange reflective vest so that I blended in with the crews dealing with this railway accident.  I learned long ago the last thing you want to do when checking out a story is to identify yourself as a member of the media.

Upon arriving at the accident scene, I found that two BNSF engines on a northbound train had gone to ground (derailed) into the ditch beside the Metro Vancouver walking trail that runs between the railway and the large forced sewer main line.  At least one of these locomotives was leaking diesel into the environment and the smell of fuel was very strong in the area.  The BNSF Railway already had plenty of emergency vehicles, hazmat response vehicles (mainly from Washington State) and three fuel transfer trucks on the scene ready to pump the diesel from the locomotives.  Behind the engines was a wrecked bulk carrier car that was likely empty, followed by a string of 60 fuel tanker cars stretching out towards #10 Highway.  The front two of these black tankers carrying "non-deodorized liquid petroleum gas" (aka gasoline) was fully off the rail bed with the next one off the tracks but still sitting on the ballast rock.

Next to the accident scene was another train that had been headed south with a mix of various freight cars.  This train appeared to have been impacted by the engines of the northbound train with six different cars being smashed, torn apart, stacked up and destroyed at the accident location.  I had brought my bike along and rode the length of this second train looking for hazardous goods and inhalation toxic tankers but was glad to find the most dangerous material on board were cars with liquid limestone slurry on them.  While on the walking track next to the train, I met a family out for a walk who lived at the bottom of Sunshine Hills that said they were woken at 2:30 am. on Sunday morning by a huge crashing noise that they correctly believed might have come from the train tracks.  I should note here that while Highway 91 remains open to vehicle traffic the Metro Vancouver walking trail along the west side of Watershed Park in Delta will be closed during cleanup efforts.

While there is plenty of damage to the trains and infrastructure the BNSF has reported that none of the locomotive crews were injured in this accident.  The Railway dodged several bullets in this derailment, the first being that there was no fire involving the gasoline tankers that each hold 114,00 litres of 25,000 Cdn gallons of fuel.  The locomotives that went off the tracks ended up stopping near a switching box that contains electrical equipment which moves the rails allowing traffic to change from one track to the other, without doing any damage.  The lead locomotive came perilously close to the Metro Vancouver high pressure sewer main line that runs along the west side of North Delta and the south side of Panorama Ridge.  If there had been a fire, the switch box was destroyed and the sewer line was damaged, this would have been a major disaster and not just a costly inconvenience for the Railway.  Having the locomotive crews not get injured or killed was nothing short of miraculous.  

Looking at the photos of the wreck, it is easy to come to a conclusion as to what happened to cause this crash.  The southbound train was on the main line and should have had the right-of-way.  The northbound train was on the second set of tracks and from the impact into the middle of the other train, it looks as if the oil train did not stop in time to wait for the other train to pass.  I alerted former Cloverdale MLA and White Rock Councillor Ken Jones to this accident as he is the president of the community rail group SmartRail, of which I am a member.  While attending the crash scene he overheard BNSF employees talking who confirmed this hypothesis and reportedly stated that this was the second time the same engineer had been involved in a similar accident.  The TSB will investigate to ascertain that this was the cause of the crash but at 2:30 a.m., you have to wonder if the engineer was "asleep at the switch" as they say.

The BNSF Railway line will be closed to through traffic until the trains are put back on the tracks, the wrecked cars taken away and the damaged tracks repaired.  Already the Sunday night Amtrak was cancelled and it is likely there will be more before the tracks are once again operational.  Sitting on the BNSF tracks on the trestle bridge over the Serpentine River at Mud Bay is another BNSF train also carrying a long line of black tanker cars of gasoline, likely being delivered from the Cherry Point Refinery in Washington State.  The BNSF Railway along the waterfront of White Rock and south Surrey is always a concern because of these gasoline tankers trains, unit trains of Bakken formation crude oil heading to the Chevron Refinery, plus hazardous chemicals from the Canexus Chemicals Canada plant that include inhalation hazardous chlorine gas.

A train derailment in the Semiahmoo Peninsula carries its own element of risks.  Firstly, the BNSF Railway tracks run alongside the shoreline of Boundary Bay, where three locomotives over the past 115 years have already ended up on the rocky beach.  Any tanker cars rolling off the corridor will not land in a soft muddy ditch but will instead fall 3-5 metres onto large jagged rip-rap boulders that line the corridor.  With ever higher King tides, the tracks are subject to wave erosion during winter storms as has happened in the past.  The biggest threat is from landslides hitting passing trains, a risk that is exacerbated by hilltop residents draining water onto the bluff slope or cutting down trees for views.  Transport Canada warned the cities of White Rock and Surrey plus the BNSF Railway that they needed to work with residents to stop these practices.  Instead, nothing is ever done about the problem, with White Rock hiring arborists to chop down trees for views on the Hump hillside and the BNSF Police failing to lay charges against a Surrey strata recently caught red-handed having trees cut down for views.

I'd like to think that this train accident and derailment might serve as a wake up call for those living in the peninsula but from what I've seen in over 20 years of living here, this is not likely to happen.  I have seen the City of White Rock ignore the slope stability above the train tracks while cracks keep appearing in the roadway of Marine Drive.  I had to shake my head this week seeing a picture posted on their Opinon's page of the BNSF Railway being built near the Hump in 1905, with three landslides plainly visible on the clear-cut hillside.  I've visited hundreds of slope failures onto the BNSF tracks over the years including one that hit a train near Crescent Beach, which did not derail because it was stopped for an even bigger slide further down the corridor.  I have seen first hand the effect that tree cutting for views on the bluff hillside has in causing slope failures onto the tracks below.  If we keep playing railway roulette, instead of always dodging a bullet, one day the hammer is going to fall on a loaded chamber. 

Naturally yours,

Don Pitcairn 

I would like to acknowledge we live, work and play on the traditional lands of the Semiahmoo people.

The Naked Truth

Don Pitcairn

It's Salmon Spawning Season!

With the heavy fall rains upon us, spawning salmon are once again running at the Semiahmoo Fish & Game Club (SFGC).  Volunteers are at the fish fence netting every salmon for counting and identification before releasing them upstream in the Little Campbell River.  Select wild Chinook and Coho salmon, both male and female, are selected and retained for the breeding program overseen by officers from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.  Fertilized salmon eggs are raised by the tens of thousands at B.C.'s first volunteer fish hatchery for release back into the wild once they have become salmon-ids with a greater chance of survival. 

The SFGC's beginnings date back to 1957 when the club was first formed by conservation minded outdoors-men in White Rock, Surrey and Langley to help restore the Little Campbell River after years of unregulated gravel removal and damage to fish habitat.  In 1979 a plot of land in the Hazelmere Valley with the river running through it was purchased by the club.  In 1983 the first all-volunteer hatchery in the province was constructed including the drilling of a deep well and a water filtration facility for the raising of salmon.  A fish fence was designed by a SFGC member and then built across the Little Campbell river with this becoming the standard for fish fences at future hatcheries built across B.C.

At the fish fence, salmon are identified as either Coho, Chinook, Pink, Chum or Sockeye, sexed as male or female and checked to see if they are hatchery raised (adipose fin removed) or wild salmon.  Every fish is carefully counted and a running total of the spawning salmon to date is kept on a large board just inside the window of the fish fence shack.  To date there have been 2,340 Coho, 905 Chinook, 14 Pink and 51 Chum.  Over 3,500 spawning salmon are counted at the fence annually and in a typical year the hatchery produces an average of 10,000 Steel head, 35,000 Chinook and 100,000 Coho salmon-ids.  If you are wondering why there are no Sockeye, these fish do not breed in the Little Campbell river but one stray was netted there in 2022 for the first time in 27 years.

The original hatchery was built close to the Little Campbell river and due to extreme weather events has flooded several times.  The atmospheric river that flooded much of southern BC in Nov. 2021 also flooded the hatchery and the adjacent Coho rearing pond, with 30,000 salmon eggs dying in the hatchery when the power went out and the water pumps stopped working.  Because of this event, climate change and planned upstream development in Campbell Heights, it has been decided that a new fish hatchery needs to be built on higher ground with modern technology and computer controls.  This project is already at the preliminary phase with building plans being prepared and a permit applied for at the City of Surrey.  You can expect fund raising efforts in the new future that will be looking to raise $1.5 million for the construction.   

The 30 acre property has several open fields and a large forested section with an extensive trail system running on both sides of the Little Campbell River.  This allows for observation of the spawning salmon in their natural habitat with several bridges crossing the river providing great viewing platforms.  Besides running the hatchery and looking after the buildings, maintaining the trail system requires work from many volunteers.  The weekend wind storm brought down trees in multiple locations plus left branches strewn around and the paths buried in leaves.  It took only a day before the trails were cleaned up and again open to the public from dawn to dusk.  Please note, if you wish to bring your dog for a walk, you have to be a club member and your pet must be on a leash at all times.

Plan on coming to the Semiahmoo Fish & Game Club soon to see salmon spawning in action and the hatchery volunteers working at the fish fence.  Go for a walk through the trails, watching the river for tell-tale splashing as the fish work on moving gravel to create nests in which to deposit their eggs.  Keep an eye out for a variety of wildlife including black-tailed deer, raccoons, coyotes, martins, bald eagles, owls and other raptors.  There are colourful information boards along the trails with information on many of the plants and trees that can be found on the property.  Visiting the SFGC is fun for the whole family and kids love to see the salmon up close and learn about the four-year life-cycle of this amazing fish that plays a vital role in the marine ecology of the Salish Sea and the Pacific Ocean.

For more information on the SFGC and the Little Campbell River Fish Hatchery, hall and gazebo rentals or their archery and firearms programs, please visit the Club's website at https://www.sfgc.info/ or their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/people/Semiahmoo-Fish-Game-Club/100063641257252/

Naturally yours,

Don Pitcairn

I wish to acknowledge we live, work and play on the traditional lands of the Semiahmoo people

Surrey Shows Its True Colours

I never know when and where I'm going to come across a story for the TNT.  Case in point, I was driving on Hwy. 99 last Sunday looking for some extra details for my column on bridge strikes.  As I drove north from the Peace Arch towards 8th Avenue, I could not help but notice the huge "Welcome To Surrey" sign on the side of the freeway was bathed in an eerie red light.  I know this sign, its lighting and flagpoles very well from posting election signs and also taking pictures of it for the Surrey Shirts website.  I was surprised to see that the bright white halogen lights were gone, having been replaced by a series of LED lights mounted on five separate posts.  I took a picture of this sign that I surmised was lit up red for Halloween as it was way too early for Remembrance Day and decided to look into these lights through one of my contacts at Surrey City Hall.

A quick email to the Engineering Department got bounced to the Parks Department and I received the following answers to my questions regarding this rather dazzling light show. 

When were these lights installed? The Lights were installed in 2019

Who was the contractor and what was the cost? Firm costs are unknown, as the project was carried out in stages over a fairly long period of time as a joint effort between multiple departments and multiple contractors, each with their own expertise.

Was this the first time the coloured lights have been used?  No, colored lighting at the site has been used at different times in the past, such as on Canada Day (Red and White). 

How many colours are possible or is there a spectrum that can be used? There are over 300 colours that are programmable. 

Can the different light posts be set to different colours? Yes, each light can be programmed independently or in coordination with each other.

Are the lights set up so colours can change with motion or over time? The light system is activated by a photocell and turns on at dusk daily.

Can they still do boring old white and can the brightness be controlled? Yes they can illuminate white light. Brightness is fixed

How are the lights controlled, either by buttons, computer, cell phone or WIFI? On premise computer that is programmable.  Remote programming is an option, though quite expensive to set up.

Is there a calendar of different times and events set up for these lights?(ie. red for Nov. 11th). The lights are not set up on a calendar schedule. 

Is there a list of colour choices for the pre-selected dates like orange for Truth & Reconciliation Day The lights can be programmed to illuminate over 300 different colour shades.

Most importantly, has Langley Township done this with the "Visit Fort Langley" sign on the #1 Hwy.  If not, you need to contact them. I have no knowledge that Langley has a similar geographical marker sign. 

A day after I received these answers I drove by the sign again very early one morning long before sunrise.  Much to my surprise, there were no lights on the sign at all and it was completely hidden in the darkness.  Supposedly a photocell turns this display on and off as one would expect but for reasons unknown it was not working.  Preparing to write this TNT on Sunday night, I once again ventured down to check out the sign and was equally surprised to find out that it was once again bathed in red light.  I started to think that maybe those in charge of the programming felt they could just leave it red and cover Halloween and Remembrance Day together.  This didn't really make much sense, just like how there is nothing on the Surrey.ca website about this sign and its coloured light show.  I'm hoping to change this so the light can become a beacon for people living in Surrey and those visitors heading north into Canada from the U.S. 

As Surrey revealed, each of the five light poles are independent and can produce 300 different colours and shades.  This means that the total colour combinations of the lights is 300 x 300 x 300 x 300 x 300 which equals 2.43 trillion different lighting possibilities.  With this vast pallet of colours, I would think that orange, yellow, orange, yellow, orange would be a much better colour combination for Halloween.  Red certainly works for Remembrance day, which is coming up next Saturday, if of course, the lights are just not weirdly left red for another week.  Sunday Nov. 12 is the Diwali celebration, known as the festival of lights, with blue, red, green, orange and magenta being the five main colours, matching easily with the five light posts at the sign.  With the large Indo-Canadian population in Surrey and both Hindu and Sikh religions both observing Diwali, it would be a shame to not show the colours on this day. 

While the cost for the coloured light installation was not revealed, it obviously was not cheap and apparently is not being used to mark many holidays and observed days.  For Christmas it should be set on red, green, red, green, red.  The Ukranian New year (Jan 1) should be blue, yellow.  For Valentine's Day, red, pink, red, pink, red makes sense.  The Chinese New Year (Feb. 24) could be red, gold, red, gold, red.  April 22nd is Earth Day and I think that blue, green, blue, green, blue would be good colours to use.  St. Patrick's Day on March 17 should obviously be all green.  Easter is on May 5th and pastel colours like those used on Easter eggs can be displayed.  A no-brainer of Canada Day on July 1st with red, white, white, white, red.  Three days later on July 4th it is the USA Independence Day with red, red, white, blue, blue.  Heck, why not throw in Cinco deMayo with red, red, white, green, green and also Yom Kippur with blue, white, white, white, blue.  Truth and Reconciliation Day should be all orange, pink shirt day all pink, and a bright rainbow for Pride. 

I'm certain there are plenty of fun days where the coloured lights could be used that I have missed here.  Surrey needs to post information about this awesome sign and its light show on the city website.  There they could post the celebrations or days they were going to be using these lights and the colour combinations that were planned.  Having contact information listed for suggestions of days that should be marked and possible colours would be a great idea to help make it more interactive.  They only need to follow the lead of BC Place with their landmark Northern Lights Display (https://www.bcplace.com/the-stadium/the-roof/northern-lights-display).  One thing is for sure, the "Welcome to Surrey" sign with its trillions of colours is certainly a lot cooler than the similar "Visit Fort Langley" sign on the Trans Canada highway that is lit from above by three white halogen lights attached to the flag poles. 

Naturally yours,

Don Pitcairn  

I wish to acknowledge we live work and play on the traditional lands of the Semiahmoo People.

Signs of a Strike

Bridge strikes by commercial trucks have become so commonplace in the province of BC that the government of BC even has a webpage for bridge strike data (https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/transportation/vehicle-safety-enforcement/information-education/bridge-strikes-data).  In case you missed it, the last one was only six days ago on Oct. 24 when a Corrier Transport truck hit the CN overpass on Hwy. 1 near Glover Road.  This notoriously low railway overpass that fortunately is built like a proverbial brick sh%#house was also hit two months earlier on August 13th by Road Runner Freight Inc.  To date there have already been 15 bridge strikes in B.C. this year, with 5 bridge strikes on Hwy. 99 through Surrey, Delta and Richmond in the past two years.  One of these on July 18th seriously damaged the girders of the 17A overpass near the Deas Island Tunnel that will require extensive repairs, similar to what was done to the 152 St. overpass in south Surrey when it was hit by an excavator back in 2017.

With all of this in mind I decided to go look at our overpasses on Hwy. 99 and the associated height signage to see if I could understand why this has become such a prevalent problem.  I have to commend the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure who recently have installed advance height warning signs on both sides of the highway posted 200 metres before each overpass.  What I immediately noticed on the overpasses was that the height signs are small and difficult to read.  They measure 24" tall by 36 " wide but many of these are old and faded, losing their reflectiveness long ago making them invisible at night.  The other problem is that because there is a 10" tall arrow underneath the height numbers, leaving the metre number (4 or 5) only 8.5" tall with the centimeter numbers being only 6.5" tall and the meter letter m only 5" tall, or should I say small.  Imagine trying to read these signs while driving by at 100 kmh at night and trying to stop in time in a loaded transport truck when they are finally legible.

There are a host of other problems.  Most of these signs are attached to the bridge decks, not the large girders underneath where they would be protected from the elements and remain reflective much longer.  They are attached directly to the concrete and not angled downwards towards the highway where they would be more visible to approaching traffic.  Many of the overpasses are angled across the highway but there has been no attempt to attach these signs with brackets so that they face 90 degrees to oncoming traffic.  In many places these height signs are missing, were never originally installed, or are completely faded and non-reflective.  Also at night, the bridges are invisible because they do not have lighting even though there are mounting bolts and electrical outlets where lamp standards obviously existed when many of them were built back in the 1960s.  While the overpasses all have different heights, no one has considered putting "LOW" signs on the ones that are a problem and have been hit repeatedly by trucks.

Here is a detailed rundown of all of the overpasses on Hwy. 99 from the Peace Arch to Westminster Hwy. with information both north and southbound directions.  All overpasses have two newly installed advance height warning signs unless noted.  

8 Ave. N:  Two 5.25 m. height warning signs on girders.

8 Ave. S:  Two 5.84 height warning signs on thru lanes, nothing on exit lane.

16 Ave. N:  No height signs on bridge, 5.67 m. advance warning signs in place.

16 Ave. S:  No height signs on bridge, 5.59 m. advance warning signs in place.

24 Ave. N:  Two 5.0 m. height warning signs on girder.

24 Ave. S:  5.0 m. height warning sign.

Pedestrian overpass N:  5.5 m. height warning sign.

Pedestrian overpass S:  5.6 m. height warning sign.

152 St. N:  One 4.66 m. height warning sign on the replaced girder.

152 St. S:  4.34 height warning sign on right lane only, sign completely faded.

King George Blvd. N: Thru traffic height 4.84 m. on deck, entrance lane height 4.36 m. on girder, light standards removed.

King George Blvd. S:  Three height warning signs of 4.86 m., 4.56 m. 4.86 m. but all same level, signs old and faded.

Hwy. 91 N:  No height warning signs, thru lanes or bus lane, likely due to excess height.

Hwy. 91 S:  One 5.20 m. height warning sign on onramp.

112 St. N:  4.52 m. height warning sign, very old, light standard removed, impact marks.

112 St. S:  4.56 height warning sign, very old, impact marks.

BC Rail N:  5.04 m. height warning, sign old and angled, no lighting.

BC Rail S:  5.18 m. height warning sign, old and angled, no height warning on adjacent Hornby Road.

Ladner Trunk Rd. N:  4.64 m. height warning thru lanes (old sign), 4.66 m. height warning bus lane (new sign), impact marks.

Ladner Trunk Rd. S:  4.64 height warning sign (new), lamp standards removed, impact marks.

Hwy. 17 N:  No height warning signs on all 3 overpasses likely due to excess height.

Hwy. 17 S:  No height warnings on all 3 overpasses likely due to excess height.

Hwy. 17A N:  4.66 m. height warning sign on thru lanes, nothing on on-ramp lane from Tsawwassen.

Hwy. 17A S:  No height warnings on smashed bridge, no height warning on on-ramp from River Road.

Deas Island tunnel N:  Two 4.15 m. warning heading towards tunnel, nothing on actual entrance, no warning lights, impact marks.

Deas Island tunnel S:  Two 4.15 m. warning signs on overpasses into tunnel, nothing on tunnel entrance, no warning lights.

Steveston Hwy. N:  4.50 m. height warning sign (old), 4.55 m. height warning sign (new), no advance warning signs.

Steveston Hwy. S:  4.50 m. sign on deck, right and bus lane very old and non reflective.

Blundell Rd. N:  No height warning signs on thru lanes only large green direction signs, 4.54 m. height warning sign on bus lane only.

Blundell Rd. S:  One 4.44 m. height warning sign for three lanes, no right lane or bus, very old.

Westminster Hwy. N:  Two 4.70 height warning signs on thru lanes, 4.54 m. on bus lane, all very old.

Westminster Hwy. S:  One 4.64 height warning sign.

So here is where the rubber hits the road.  All of the overpass height warning signs need to be replaced.  Our highway speed limit signs are 30" wide by 36" tall with 15" tall numbers.  The new advance height warning signs recently installed before the overpasses are a good idea but the numbers are 8" tall for the metres and 6" for the centimetres because these diamond shaped signs have a large arrow on the top and bottom.  All bridge height warning signs on the overpasses need to be 3' tall x 5' wide and attached to the girders, not the exposed bridge decks.  They need to be mounted on brackets so the signs are 90 degrees to the roadways underneath and angled downward to catch vehicle lights at night.  Instead of having a huge wide arrow underneath the numbers taking up half the sign, put two thin ones on either side from top to bottom.  The height numbers need to be in a large bold font that is all the same size; currently using a height of 5.20 m. for example, the 5 is large, the .20 is medium and the m is small.  The actual current heights are 10" tall for the arrow, 8.5" tall for the metres, 6.5" tall for the centimetres and 5" tall for the m.  The numbers should all be at least 24 inches tall for maximum visibility and far distance.  

In addition to fixing all of the height warning signs, for overpasses 4.5 m. and under that keep getting hit by trucks, yellow and black signage reading LOW with diagonal hash marks should be placed on bridge girders alongside the big height signs.  In both England and New Zealand they paint diagonal hash marks on all of the bridge supports to make them more visible to drivers and this should be done here.  Most importantly, putting lighting back up on bridges where it was taken down or where there currently is none should be done.  Another good idea is to actually put lights on the girders and illuminate the overpass height signs at night so they can be seen.  This isn't rocket science, it's just a matter of creating bridge height warning signs that are big enough to read at a distance and ensuring that they are also visible at night.  Next time you are out for a drive on Hwy. 99 or anywhere else in BC for that matter, pay attention to our bridge signs and their dilapidated shape.  If we don't fix these antiquated signs and upgrade them, bridge strikes will continue to happen costing taxpayers millions of dollars to repair.  

Naturally yours,

Don Pitcairn  

I wish to acknowledge we live work and play on the traditional lands of the Semiahmoo People.

The Naked Truth

11,000 Words on the Hump

They say that a picture is worth a thousand words, so with 11 pictures of the most recent hatchet job on the Hump hillside and a look back to 2015, this TNT pictorial really says it all.  City Hall has once again hired arborists to cut down trees on the steep slope above the White Rock boulder, this time chopping down the trees growing from the stumps that remained from the clear-cut in 2015.  The largest of these was a maple tree that was a metre across with new sprouts measuring up to 20 centimetres in diameter growing out of it.  You can check out the most recent devastation for yourself with over a dozen piles of branches left waiting for the chipper along Marine Drive. 

All of this so-called "vegetation control" is being paid for by White Rock taxpayers on private property owned by the BNSF Railway.  It is being done in my opinion exclusively for the the views of hoity-toity condo dwelling folks living along the West end Marine Drive, regardless of the slope stability implications and slide threat to the BNSF Railway below. 

The East end of "The Hump" has been untouched supporting the theory the recent clear cut was for a select group of condo dwellers who appeared before council a few months back. The same group appeared before the previous council and their request for clear cutting was denied.

Recent delegation of Marine Drive condo owners which appeared before White Rock council requesting view improvements

Most of the recent tree clearing has occurred on a historic lateral slump landslide measuring 150 metres long east of the Pier that happened after this hillside was clear-cut in the late 1800s.  There is a photo available from the Archives taken from the pier in 1920 that clearly shows this slope failure and several more on the Hump.

With only blackberries holding the soil in place (plants that thrive in areas of soil disturbance), it will be interesting to see what happens in the future. 

I did notice there is a long crack on the Marine Drive roadway running along the area where most of the trees have again been cut down.

I could not resist the stacks of fresh cut maple sitting by the road and gathered up the larger ones to turn them into firewood.  I must admit, I was tempted to dump them at White Rock City Hall as a protest but didn't want to waste good wood members of the current council who seem to be following in Wayne Baldwin's footsteps who was acting mayor when the original moonscape clear cut/ vegetation control was done back in 2015.

One has to wonder when that tree planting to stabalize the hillside is going to begin?

BEFORE....2015

AFTER...... 2015

Naturally yours,

Don Pitcairn 

I wish to acknowledge we live, work and play on the traditional lands of the Semiahmoo people.

Crescent Heights Coyote

When we bought our house 15 years ago in Crescent Heights we decided to live on an arterial road for two reasons, bus service and snow plowing.  What we didn't expect was that our road, which doesn't have sidewalks, would be a constant parade of people out for a walk, many of them with their dogs.  Of course they are all leashed and our neighbours do an admirable job of cleaning up after their pets.  Our two smaller designer mutts, known by their breed name of "cutie-pies", love watching the show and know many of the passing dogs and the humans they have mastered.  

I was rather surprised on Saturday morning to look out my kitchen window at 10 a.m. to see a beautiful dog with nice thick fur and fluffy tail trotting up the side of our street, alone and obviously off-collar.  It took me a second to realize that this was no stray husky, it was a wily coyote (Canis Latrans) out prowling through our neighbourhood looking for its breakfast.  Unlike many coyotes that you see which are thin and mangy looking, this one was actually magnificent looking and sporting a thick coat of fur.  What shocked me was seeing one of these animals cruising down the street that is often filled with people and their pets during daylight hours.  This was not normal behaviour, especially given both the pedestrian and vehicle traffic normally present that time of day.

While mainly carnivorous, coyotes have a wide diet that varies throughout the season.  Rabbits and squirrels are a key food source that they can catch with their blinding speed of up to 65 km an hour.  Moles, voles, rats and mice are easy pickings for these smaller relatives of wolves who also scavenge meat from dead animals.  Besides large insects like grasshoppers, they also eat wild fruits like blackberries and occasionally will bite into a ripe apple on the ground.  Unfortunately domestic cats have become a favourite food source and if you notice lost cat posters in your neighbourhood, it is likely from coyotes.  My parents had their 23 pound Maine Coon cat stalked and killed by a coyote when they lived on Chilliwack mountain.  Smaller dog breeds are also at risk of being attacked by a coyote, even while on leash.

Like many wild animals, coyotes can easily get habituated to human food.  Unsecured garbage bags or compost piles with food waste are a tempting target for these animals.  Even worse is people who actually feed coyotes, often with dog food, so they become dependent on this food source.  When this food suddenly stops, this is often when coyotes will start nipping or biting people who refuse to give them their next meal.  This was likely the case in Mission last month where nine people were bitten by a coyote in only five days.  In June a lady gardening in Prince George was attacked and bitten, while earlier in the year a two year-old and a six year-old were bitten in parks in Port Coquitlam and Burnaby.  Back in 2021 there were 45 coyote attacks in Stanley Park in Vancouver that resulted in 11 coyotes being euthanized.

If you see a coyote during the day, you should be careful as it may be habituated to humans. If you are approached by a coyote in the Semiahmoo peninsula, do not run away and instead keep eye contact, yell loudly, wave your arms and throw something at it.  Standing their ground, raising hackles, growling, showing teeth and barking are all signs of an aggressive coyote.  If you have small children or dogs be sure to pick them up to protect them until the coyote leaves the area. Remember that it is an offence under section 33.1(1) of the Wildlife Act to feed dangerous wildlife, which includes coyotes.  You can call the Conservation Officer Service (COS) at 1-877-952-7277 to report anyone that is feeding or intentionally attracting dangerous wildlife. If a coyote has acted aggressively or displayed aggressive behaviour towards a human or pet, please report it to the COS Call Centre as well.  

Here are some links to websites giving general information on coyotes and how to avoid conflicts with these wild canines.  

https://www.hww.ca/en/wildlife/mammals/coyote.html

https://urbancoyoteresearch.com/coyote-info/how-avoid-conflicts-coyotes

https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/environment/natural-resource-policy-legislation/fish-and-wildlife-policy/response_guidelines_coyote.pdf

Naturally yours,

Don Pitcairn

I wish to acknowledge we live work and play on the traditional lands of the Semiahmoo People

Saturday, Sept 30th was the third annual National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Canada, with ceremonies in White Rock on the unceded traditional territory of the Semiahmoo First Nation and the Coast Salish people.  It was marked by a gathering of peoples at the Grand Chief Bernard Charles Memorial Plaza on East beach with a solemn walk along the promenade to Semiahmoo Park.  The crowd of thousands, many dressed in orange with the words "Every Child Matters", showed their support for the survivors of the residential school system that ran in Canada for over 125 years.  At the Spirit Stage in Semiahmoo Park speeches by Chief Harley Chappell, indigenous leaders and elders were voiced along with presentations by youth dancers and drumming groups entertaining those in attendance. 

One of the more moving speeches was delivered by the Chief's daughter, Kimora Chappell, explaining what this day meant to her.  I think it is important to share her words with you.

The Journey

Our word for non-natives is "Xwelitum" meaning "the hungry ones."

The original settlers came to our home for land and gold.

The governments made residential schools that were run by the churches.  My Grandma went to St. Marys Residential School in Mission B.C.

They were treated very bad at these schools and were forced to be somebody they were not and weren't allowed to practice their culture or speak their language.

Lot and lots of these children did not come home from these schools.

Today we learn about Residential Schools at our school to educate people about how others were treated to make room for everyone else.

My Dad works very hard to talk with governments about land and our rights.  It's a very hard job and sometimes he gets stressed out and crabby.

Reconciliation is important because others must learn about us as Semiahmoo people, to find ways to bring back our language and culture that was lost.

Reconciliation is important and we need to work together to make progress.

On June 19th, I wrote a TNT titled "Our Home On Native Land" that covered the official opening of the Totest Aleng Indigenous Learning House and carving centre at the Elgin Heritage Park on Crescent Road in South Surrey (scroll down to read).  Besides covering this ceremony, I took the opportunity to reveal the sorry state of the public art installation located on 20th Ave. and the South Surrey Athletic Park in the middle of the roundabout.  The Elder Moon and Double Eagle carvings by Semiahmoo First Nation artists Leonard and Leslie Wells were first placed there in 2009 and time and the elements had not been kind to them.  I posted photos and descriptions about their dilapidated appearance plus explained how the lighting, which is there for illumination and driver safety, was not working. I forwarded this to several of my contacts at Surrey City Hall and posted a link to this story on social media.  Well I guess it hit a nerve because several months ago the two carved disks were suddenly removed with signs posted that this indigenous art display was being restored.

As luck would have it on Friday, the day before Truth & Reconciliation Day, crews were at the roundabout with the two beautifully restored carvings putting them back up on display.  This work was done without fanfare, without ceremony, without speeches and without public notification.  I am thrilled that the City of Surrey saw fit to have these two amazing pieces of art restored to their former glory.  I was also quite impressed that they would work to have them installed in time for Truth and Reconciliation day.  What did disappoint me was that this restoration was done without anyone being told about it, other than a couple of small boulevard signs, similar to what you used to see springing up out of lawns at election time.  Considering the timing, it would have been nice to have had some official acknowledgment that these two pieces were being put back up in their prominent location.  I made sure that Mayor Locke and Chief Chappell knew about the return of the Elder Moon and Twin Eagles, sending them both pictures of the reinstalled artwork.  Hopefully they can work something out in the near future to properly commemorate this important event.

This small triumph marks two down and two to go.  The same TNT where I wrote about these carvings on 20th Ave. also revealed the terrible shape of the two indigenous poles at the White Rock Elementary School and the Ray Shepherd elementary School in south Surrey.  The White Rock carving stands next to Johnston Road but you can hardly see it because of the overgrowth of trees.  When the new White Rock school was built the pole was supposed to be relocated to the front entrance where a concrete base built for that purpose still stands empty.  The pole at Ray Shepherd sits directly in front of the office and yet it seemingly goes unnoticed as to what sad condition it is in (see July 19 TNT for photos of both). The Surrey School District and their Board of Trustees needs to step up to the plate and show these carvings the love that the City of Surrey put into the pieces carved by the Wells brothers.  If they really want to educate the youngsters that go to these schools, they could show that they care about reconciliation and actually repair, maintain and preserve these pieces of both art and history that were bestowed upon them.

My truth about reconciliation is that the community living here in this amazing corner of the Lower Mainland should consider how lucky we are to be living on the unceded traditional territory of the Semiahmoo First Nation and other Coast Salish People.  Much of Surrey is named after areas in England or colonial pioneers who were given large tracts of land without any thought to the indigenous people who had lived here for thousands of years.  Heck, even South Surrey isn't much of a name, it is more like giving directions on how to get here.  Most people living here realize it is called the "Semiahmoo peninsula", and in fact the White Rock Sun newspaper was originally named the Semiahmoo Sun.  With all of this in mind, I believe it is time we dropped the South Surrey moniker and replaced it with its proper name, "Semiahmoo."  If you think this is outlandish, consider that South Delta is known as Tsawwassen after the Tsawwassen First Nation.  If you search Wikipedia for "South Delta" you get nothing other than some listings for electoral boundaries.  If you search "Tsawwassen", you get the full description of the area due west of us across the waters of Boundary Bay.

Naturally yours,

Don Pitcairn.

Grassholes Among Us

Last year we saw an unprecedented drought from the beginning of summer lasting deep into the fall.  You used to be able to count on the PNE parade being the start of the rainy season with this event usually getting soaked by rain.  in 2022, the PNE parade did not get rained on and the entire PNE was dry  without a drop of rain falling on the midway.  It turns out that 2022 was only a dry run (groaner) for the drought of 2023.  If you delve into Vancouver weather stats at https://vancouver.weatherstats.ca/charts/normal_rain-monthly.html you will suddenly get an understanding of how serious this problem now is.  I added up the monthly rainfall rates we received for 2023 and compared them with the historical average.  Till the end of August, we had received 335 millimeters of precipitation, compared to an average of 607 ml.  We are currently at 55% or just over half of our regular yearly rainfall.  In fact, we have not received a regular month of rain in the past year and it is likely this Sept. will likely follow that troubling trend.

With the lack of rain and parched forest, 14,000 square kilometers of land in B.C. burned since April 1st, officially making 2023 the Province's worst wildfire season on record in terms of area.  If that sounds bad, this information was released by the B.C. Ministry of Forests on July 18th well before West Kelowna got scorched down to the shores of Okanagan Lake.  As of a week ago there are now 22,560 square kilometers of land burned in the province of BC and the fire season is still a long way from over.  If you think this is just a problem on the west coast, over 165,000 square kilometers of land have been scorched across Canada so far this year, smashing the previous record.  Currently there are 407 wildfires burning in BC, 11 that are fires of note which pose a threat to public safety, with so many out of control fires that I didn't bother counting them all.  You can see how dire the forest fire situation is on the BC Wildfire Service map at https://wildfiresituation.nrs.gov.bc.ca/map . Nearly 14,000 square kilometres of land in B.C. have burned since April 1, officially making 2023 the province's worst wildfire season on record in terms of area burned.Jul 18, 2023

Close to home, Metro Vancouver initiated level 2 watering restrictions as of August 4th that banned the sprinkling of lawns until Oct. 15th.  The rationale for this was that water use in the Lower Mainland increases 50% during the summer months, mainly due to lawn watering.  The north shore reservoirs are still at an average level for this time of year but with continued drought, it is prudent to preserve the supplies until such time as it starts to rain and these lakes get refilled.  With six weeks having passed since the Stage 2 watering restrictions were implemented, most lawns in the region should now be drying out and turning a golden brown colour. While most people are doing their part to conserve water and adhere to the lawn watering restrictions, there are still businesses, stratas and residences with dark green lawns throughout the Semiahmoo peninsula.  These scofflaws are what I like to call "grassholes" who seem to think that the rules somehow don't apply to them, especially if they have the luxury of an in ground sprinkling system that can quietly water in the middle of the night. 

Now don't get me wrong, I love a thick healthy green lawn a lot more than most people.  I take many steps to ensure my lawn is nice and healthy without watering outside of the dates and times that are allowed.  I don't have a sprinkler system but it would be easy for me to buck the rules and keep the grass watered enough to keep it green and growing.  The trouble is, I'm doing my part for conservation and don't want to be looked at by my neighbours with contempt as the only person on our street who still has to mow their lawn on a weekly basis.  I can sometimes be an a-hole, but I certainly don't want to be on display as being a self-centered grasshole.  With continued drought and more expected into the future due to climate change, the days of being the envy of the neighbourhood for having a lush green lawn are now a thing of the past.  Those who flout the rules and water their lawns on a constant basis during times of drought should now be looked at as the pariah of their neighbourhood for being an egotistical narcissist.   

Part of the problem with folks ignoring the lawn watering ban is that the City of Surrey Bylaw department's goal is to "seek compliance prior to issuing a ticket" that will cost the offender $300.  In layman's terms, grassholes will get a warning for illegal watering before they are hit with a fine.  Vancouver on the other hand enforces the watering ban with $500 tickets using a policy of more stick and less carrot.  Imagine how much of a speeding problem we would have in Surrey if the RCMP or SPS told drivers that they would get a warning before being issued a ticket.  Also, the low fines are not much of a deterrence when you look at mansions and estates worth a small fortune.  Without giving names or addresses, there is a property only a few blocks from us in Ocean Park that currently has grass that is greener than the Augusta golf course.  I highly doubt a $300 fine would not mean much to a homeowner whose property is valued over $30 million.  For those who think that the rules don't apply to them, imagine the sting if the fine was tied to the assessed property value.  Something tells me that getting compliance would not be a problem then.

If you still want green grass but don't want to be a grasshole, there are several options available these days.  Some people are fed up trying to keep their lawns green and healthy and instead are installing artificial turf,  While expensive, it does not require watering, mowing or fertilizing and will not get ripped up by raccoons or crows looking for chafer beetle grubs to eat.  Another option is to simply paint browned grass with products such as LawnLift that are non-toxic, safe for pets and which instantly turn your lawn a dark emerald green even while dormant.  A more natural option is to do what my neighbour's did and install a water-wise lawn last year.  This involved laying down a thick layer of organic topsoil and seeding it with a drought tolerant tall rescue grass with micro clover.  They fertilized as required and then did not mow it during the heat of the summer.  Only after a heavy rain a few weeks ago did they finally cut it, but still at a high mower height.  Even with zero watering this year, their lawn is still surprisingly thick and green as it also benefits from being shaded by nearby conifers.

Naturally yours,

Don Pitcairn

I wish to acknowledge we live, work and play on the traditional lands of the Semiahmoo people.

Seafaring Shanty Town  Shut Down

It was great news to me when it was announced last week that the City of Surrey along with Transport Canada will be removing the derelict boats from the Nicomekl river between the Elgin Sea Dam and Nico Wynd Estates.  Here is the Coles Notes version of the City media release:

Working in partnership with Transport Canada, the City of Surrey will be removing derelict boats on the Nicomekl River in South Surrey. Instead of using several marinas in the lower section of the river, derelict boats have been illegally mooring on a narrow section of the Nicomekl. In addition to dumping raw sewage and garbage into the water, the derelict boats are gathering salvaged debris creating hazards for other boaters.  “The Nicomekl River has many spots where boats can legally drop anchor,” said Mayor Brenda Locke. “There is no reason for any boater to illegally moor their vessel. The City is working with Transport Canada to remove the derelict boats and clean up the debris in that section of the river. The Nicomekl is for all to use and is not a place for boat owners who illegally dock their boats with a complete disregard to the environment and the safety of others.”  Governed by the Canadian Navigable Waters Act, the cleanup of the derelict boats and any associated debris will be conducted with through partnership with Transport Canada. The work will commence this month and will be continually monitored.

The problem of derelict vessels, sunken boats, release of raw sewage and dumping of garbage into the water at this end of the Nic has been an ongoing problem for decades.  Until now, it was a political football that was constantly tossed around with nobody wanting to take responsibility or assert jurisdiction over cleanup of the river.  There are marinas up and down the Nicomekl where people could moor their boats but likely not for free.  The Nic near the Sea Dam became a spot where those down and out but with a boat that still floated were able to drop anchor and apparently anything else without repercussions.  The same kind of situation has created an ongoing sanitary, environmental and public safety issue at False Creek in Vancouver where three boats lashed together caught fire on Friday with two of them sinking.  Kudos for Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke and S.Sry-WR MP Kerry-Lynne Findlay for working together to find a fix for this festering issue.

The boats currently on the Nic look like something between the post-apocalyptic Water World movie and a shanty town.  In some cases several boats are lashed together and strung with tarps, held together by tar paper and plywood. Some of them look more like floating junk piles than anything resembling an actual boat.  If not sheltered in the Nic and instead exposed to the ocean, it is unlikely that they would last a week before becoming nothing but flotsam.  My wife and I went canoing in the Nic several weeks ago and I have to admit that the problem with rotten boats in this region looked to have certainly gotten worse over the past five years.  Even the dingys that these freshwater pirates use to access the Mud Bay dyke are barely seaworthy.  One recently washed up against the Sea Dam and I stopped to pull it away from the control gates and up onto the rocks.  I know people who repair boats and this one was not worth salvaging, let alone trying to fix it up.

It is not just at the far end of the navigable stretch of the Nic where these derelict boats cause a problem.  When there are wind storms, they often break away from rotting ropes and drift down the river bouncing off other boats in the process.  Once they are pulled out into Mud Bay by the winds and currents, they then drift northward, running aground on the marshy shore along the Delta Dyke Trail.  Several years ago after noticing three vessels aground along Highway 99, I decided to go investigate what was going on.  On one of these boats I met a gentleman named Peter who lived on the Nic at one of these flotillas.  He was trying to free the boats, waiting for high tide to try and float them off the muck and return them back into the river.  I'm not sure whatever happened to these boats but eventually they all disappeared.  Currently there is another power boat aground not far from Hwy. 91that has been there for several months and it would not surprise me if it came from the river squatters living on the Nic.

I do realize that we are in a housing crisis and these boats offer living accommodations to some people likely struggling with substance abuse or mental health issues.  Having seen inside several of these vessels, the level of filth and squalor I witnessed was absolutely appalling with clothes, garbage and debris spread all around.  Being always wet and damp, the wood inside these boats were covered with black mold that can cause serious health issues.  I learned from Peter that when the river squatters die or move away, their boats and possessions are taken over by the other pirates, looking to replace vessels taking on water or that have sunk to the bottom of the river.  With candles and propane being used for light and heat, it is amazing we have not had a fire in what is basically a floating homeless encampment.  If we can remove these derelict vessels and find proper sanitary housing for those who call the Nicomekl river home, we would be doing them a favour while protecting the marine environment of the Semiahmoo peninsula.  

Naturally yours,

Don Pitcairn

I wish to acknowledge we live, work and play on the traditional lands of the Semiahmoo people.

In a related story, a Judge ruled last week that a Surrey woman must pay $150,000 after repeatedly trespassing and cutting down her neighbour's hedge.

The judge applied putative damages to achieve "retribution, deterrence, and denunciation to both punish the egregious action and also prevent similar future behaviour by the wrongdoer and other members of society.

It will be interesting to see if the BNSF Railway's legal department pushes for charges and then sues the arborists and strata for damages in this case.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/vancouversun.com/news/local-news/b-c-woman-destroys-neighbours-cedar-hedge-court-hits-her-for-150k-in-damages/wcm/279ee6a6-7e72-44ae-b964-6e16eb759919/amp/

Chopped at the Top

Last week we were relaxing quietly along the shore of Crescent Rock beach in south Surrey when there was a loud cracking noise followed by branches smashing behind us above the BNSF Railway tracks.  It was so loud that everyone at the beach instinctively ran towards the water thinking a tree was falling, including our dog who shook his way out of his harness to escape.  The cause of the ruckus was the top of a tall cottonwood tree suddenly snapped off from the drought and then bounced from branch to branch on the way down to the ground.  I immediately went up to the railway to ensure that it had not fallen onto the train tracks blocking the line.  It had landed onto the landslide detector fence and while it was stretching the wires they did not break, signaling trains to stop.  I reported this incident to my BNSF contact and the tree top was taken away by railway crews several days later.

This weekend we were taking advantage of the great weather and were again down at our favourite beach.  Once again we heard falling branches but this time it came from arborists cutting away at the top of the Ocean Park bluff.  We walked out onto the sand flats and could look up to see large branches falling onto the hillside above the tracks.  It was obvious that the strata at the end of Christopherson Road were having trees on BNSF property cut to improve the views from their in ground pool area.  What made this so alarming was that the Ocean Park bluff just south of the Christopherson Steps is the most active slide area in the Semiahmoo peninsula.  The vegetation between the beach and the tracks in this area that gives the nude beach its privacy is growing on a mound of landslide debris excavated off the tracks by the BNSF over the past century.  In fact, the area where we were sitting is a flat bench of landslide muck from a slide four years ago from the very same hillside.

It seems that the hoity-toity folks living at the top of the bluff figured out a long time ago to get illegal tree trimming done during the weekends when Surrey Bylaw staff are less likely to appear.  Bylaws were called hourly to investigate but the chain saws continued to roar to life for most of the afternoon with the constant sound of heavy branches landing on the slope above.  Talking with people on the beach who were by this time sick of the racket, it was decided that a call to the BNSF Railway Police was in order.  It turned out this was not a simple task since E-com does not have any contact information for the Railway.  Trying to find a listing for the BNSF Police in BC was a lesson in futility as well.  It was only after talking to CN Police that we were able to finally contact an operator in Fort Worth,Texas at their American head office who put us through in a 3-way call to our local railway cop.  In the future, a simple Google search of "BNSF Emergency Number" will give you the number.

Low and behold, the BNSF police did show up and put a stop to the illegal tree work being done.  I'm not sure if there will be charges but they found arborists trespassing on BNSF land, destroying Railway property and from what I was told, the strata were informed to cease and desist further tree cutting operations.  Amazingly this is the first time that the BNSF Police have actually caught someone in the act of chopping at trees on the bluff for views.  Stumps in front of a hill-top mansion are not evidence as to who did the cutting even though it is easy to deduce who might have been responsible.  There is also the problem of White Rock clear-cutting the Hump slope for views of Marine Drive residents, yet people in south Surrey do not get the same bizarre perks from their Council. The BNSF should not have a double standard of allowing tree cutting on one ocean-front slope, while trying to stop it only miles away in a neighbouring city.  It boggles the mind why the BNSF kowtows to White Rock and continues to allow this to happen.

Transport Canada warned the BNSF Railway and cities of Surrey and White Rock that tree cutting for views by hill-top residents was one of the top three causes for landslides burying the train tracks below.  The hillside just south of Crescent Beach is notoriously unstable and I have witnessed over a dozen slides onto the rail corridor in this area alone.  This was the place where the last landslide actually hit a BNSF freight train just south of Bayview Ave.  It did not derail because it was already stopped for an even larger slide event that happened just below the Christopherson strata that was having the bluff trees cut this weekend.  For those who still don't get what the big problem is, a BNSF freight train rolled by while the trees were being cut.  It was a unit oil train consisting of four engines, two empty boxcars and 104 black tankers ( yup, I counted them), likely full of Bakken crude oil headed for the Chevron Refinery in Burnaby.  A train derailment here from slide activity likely means these cars falling 20 feet below to the shore lined with jagged rip-rap boulders.  Imagine Lac-Megantic but at the edge of Boundary Bay and you get my concern.

If you hear or witness anyone cutting trees on BNSF property in the Semi-pen, you can call the Railway emergency line at 1-800-832-5452 and they will immediately put you in touch with the Railway officer who will attend promptly.  You can also call Surrey Bylaws at 604-591-4152 or go online to report a problem at https://my.surrey.ca/report-a-problem/home but I would not expect a quick response on the weekend, if at all.  It will be interesting to see how the BNSF Railway responds to this tree cutting issue.  They could lay charges or possibly put this ball in the hands of their legal department to sue for damages and reparations including having the strata remove all of the dead branches from the slope where they add to the forest fire risk.  At the very least I would send those responsible a letter that if there is slide activity in the future linked to the area where the trees were being cut, that they will be liable for any cleanup costs and loss of use that the Railway experiences.  Maybe then, people living above the tracks will get the message that their million dollar view just might cost them that.  

Naturally yours,

Don Pitcairn

I wish to acknowledge we live, work and play on the traditional lands of the Semiahmoo people.

Don't Get Locked In-sanity

So here we are in the middle of another hot summer weekend with many people wanting to beat the heat by going to the beach.  Besides White Rock and Crescent Beach, many people opt for the more rugged and secluded 6.5 km. of shoreline between the two known as Crescent Rock beach.  To enter this region you must walk in from either end or else use one of the three staircases that Surrey has built over the years.  This includes the Christopherson Steps at the west end of 24 Ave., the 1001 Steps at the east end of 15A Ave. and the Olympic Trail located at the south end of 131 Street.  All three of these staircases are locked at night to stop partying at this secluded shoreline and to keep people off the BNSF Railway tracks at night.

If you go onto the City of Surrey website at surrey.ca you can find information on the first two of these staircases.  Both the Christopherson Steps and 1001 Steps list the operating hours as "dawn to dusk."  This should not be a surprise since the Surrey Parks Department security contractor locks the parking lots to their parks throughout the city using the dawn to dusk timing.  In case you are not aware, dawn and dusk are calculated when the sun dips to six degrees below the horizon.  As far as timing goes, this is usually a little more than half an hour before sunrise and half an hour after sunset.  For most people wanting to take in an ocean sunrise or sunset, this gives them ample time to climb the stairs and leave the beach.  Oddly, the Olympic Trail, aka Pot Point, aka Stoners Point, aka 13 Ave. Lookout is not listed on the Surrey website.

So here is where it gets weird.  There are signs at all of the staircases to Crescent Rock Beach warning people "DON'T GET LOCKED IN" with the dates and times these park gates are locked listed as follows:

Feb 12 - Apr 15  8:00 pm

April 16 - Aug 26  10:00 pm

Aug 27 - Oct 15  8:00 pm

Oct 16 - Feb 11  6:00 pm

It is unsure why these signs are even posted since they do not agree with the information listed on the city website.  It is weird that these gates get unlocked at dawn but are then locked at these apparently arbitrary times.  Even more bizarre is why these random dates and times are used in the first place.  For August 27th the gate lock time changed on a Sunday when many people were at the beach with sunset being at 8:04 pm.  If you wanted to see the big red orb behind a veil of smoke, it was very likely you would get locked out of using the stairs to leave the shore.  If you stayed to watch the colours of the sunset before walking out, you would be in for a nasty surprise, with the gates guaranteed to be locked out with dusk at 8:36 p.m.  If you did not have a cell phone it is a very long walk to freedom from the 1001 Steps that could only be done by walking out on the train tracks.

This idiotic situation gets even worse when you look at the other gate lock times throughout the year.  Remember that it is still summer until Friday, Sept. 22 when the sunsets at 7:09 pm, nearly an hour before the gates get locked.  On Oct. 16, a Monday, the lock time then drops to 6 p.m., even though sunset is at 6:21 p.m. and dusk is at 6:53 pm.  This 6 pm lock time remains throughout the winter when I realize not many people would likely venture down to the beach due to cold and rainy weather.  On the shortest day of the year, Dec. 22, the sun sets at 4:16 p.m., an hour and 44 minutes before the gates are due to be locked.  On Feb. 12, 2024 when the time magically springs back to 8 pm, the sunset is at 5:26 pm, over two and a half hours before the gates get locked.  In the spring on Apr 16, the sunsets at 8:06 pm, nearly two hours before the gates get locked.

None of these arbitrary dates or times make any sense at all in the real world.  The signs should all be pulled from the staircases leading to Crescent Rock beach and replaced with ones that state they are locked closed from "dawn to dusk" and possibly even giving the clue "half an hour before sunrise and half an hour after sunset."  This would put the staircase locking times in line with all of the other Surrey parks and in agreement with the times posted on the website for the various steps.  Locking people down at the beach means a long walk on the train tracks after dark that puts them in mortal danger.  I should also note that the signs at the beach staircases do not state who the Surrey security contractor is or any phone number or email to contact them if locked in.  It is Surrey Securiguard at 604-689-7588.  If you like to go to the beach off Ocean Park to catch a sunset or possibly skinny-dip, you might want to save that number to your cell phone in case you really need it one evening.

Naturally yours,

Don Pitcairn

Choke on the Smoke

Lyrics to Smoke On The Water, Deep Purple, Machine Head album, 1972.

We are very fortunate to live in the Semi-Pen surrounded by water and beaches, fresh air and moderate temperatures.  This year has been extremely dry for most of the province with drought and high temperatures seeming to get worse every year.  It is heartbreaking to watch the devastation currently occurring in the Okanagan with forest fires marching through neighbourhoods burning them right down to the water's edge.  The scene around Yellowknife in the far north is no different, happening only weeks after Lahaina in Maui was scorched into the ground with over a hundred dead and reports of more than a thousand missing.  As the U.N. Chief recently stated, "The end of global warming has ended, the era of global boiling has arrived."  I think he would have been more on point to call it "global burning."

In case you missed it, July 2023 set the dubious record as the hottest month ever on planet earth since records began.  That was the same time that ocean water off the coast of Florida hit an astounding 101 degrees Fahrenheit.  Now this sounds pretty crazy but it really hits home when you know that is the same temperature we like to keep our hot tub set at during the winter months.  As I'm writing this TNT the remnants of hurricane Hillary is hitting California releasing torrential rains that are described as "life threatening" with extreme flooding expected.  It is the first tropical storm to hit Southern California in 84 years, the last one happening the year my now deceased father was born.  In case you missed it, BC is in a state of emergency, Northwest Territories is in a state of emergency, Maui is in a state of emergency, and California is in a state of emergency, from either fires or floods.

All of this brings us back to this little corner of the world.  On Friday night we were down at Crescent Rock beach cooling down and taking in the sunset over the glassy water of Mud Bay.  As the sun sank lower in the sky, it encountered what looked like a small cloud bank in the horizon off Vancouver Island.  As it sank into this grey mass, it was obvious from the red and then purple orb in the sky that it was in fact forest fire smoke from an unknown location.  We have been extremely blessed this year that as BC burns, the air here has remained relatively clear.  Seeing the sun disappear into this mess, we knew immediately that our days of blue skies were over.  It was no surprise that we woke up the next morning to discover that the sky was overcast with a thick pall of forest fire smoke that turned the sunlight a peachy orange colour.   

Of course there has been a burning ban here in effect for over a month and we are also on a stage 2 watering ban where sprinkling of lawns is outlawed.  Unfortunately some of the nocturnal visitors to the shoreline south of Crescent have obviously not gotten the word that fire risk here is currently at high on its way to extreme without measurable rain.  A couple of weeks ago, I met a group of younger Indo-Canadian gents down at the beach having a fire.  I informed them this was extremely dangerous and that they were risking fines of $1,150 for everybody sitting around it.  They basically told me to go snake my own toilet, so rather than pissing on their fire I went home and phoned the Surrey Fire Service to report what I had seen.  Imagine my surprise when I found out that the waterfront from Crescent Beach to White Rock is not their jurisdiction and that I had to report fires to the police instead.  When I phoned the RCMP non-emergency reporting line, they had so many calls that I eventually hung up after waiting forever for them to respond.

A buddy of mine went down to the beach south of 24 Ave. on Sunday morning for a walk and he phoned to let me know that there were three new fires on the beach from the previous night.  Even more concerning, one of the fires was still smouldering with large logs belching smoke from a thick bed of embers.  He dragged the burning logs 100 feet out to the water to douse them and then used an old barbecue lid to bring in sea water to drown the coals.  My friend was very upset that for all three campfires, there appeared to be no attempt by the folks who had lit them to put out their fires.  All you need is the wind to pick up, for embers to ignite the brush and for the fire to quickly climb the Ocean Park bluff.  From there the fire would be into the heavily wooded areas of Crescent Heights and Ocean Park where it would become an interface fire.  There have been fires on the bluff before and firefighters here have told me they were extremely difficult to fight because of the lack of access and the steep terrain.

There needs to be a change in Surrey where fires, regardless of where they are, get reported to the fire department and not the police.  I realize there are overlapping jurisdictions down at the beach from Federal, Provincial, BNSF and Surrey, but only the Surrey Fire Service has the ability to fight fires.  Knowing of the beach fire problems, the BNSF police and RCMP police need to enforce the fire ban with frequent patrols in the evenings by their high-railer truck.  Residents living along the bluff should be able to report the smell of smoke from the beach to the Surrey Fire Service, who if they need to can then contact the RCMP directly.  There are signs warning about the threat of fires at all of the bluff stairway entrances but missing from them is the fine of $1,150 per person that might make people think twice before flicking their Bic.  For me, I now know to simply drive to my local Fire Hall 12 where I report what I've seen or smelled and they respond immediately to the situation without a call to 911.  

Naturally yours,

Don Pitcairn

Biking to the Beach is out of Reach

Go car-free and bike, walk, ride, and roll to to your favourite summer spots. We've teamed up with local businesses to offer exclusive discounts for transit riders!

Translink is always full of zany ideas and concepts that don't quite work.  Case in point has to be the far side of the Park & Ride lot located at King George Boulevard and Hwy. 99.  This white elephant that soaked up $4.5 million of taxpayer dollars continues to be used as a driver training ground and not much else.  Of course nobody thinks about closing it off when the extra space is not necessary.  No, instead they pay for the lighting, gardening, maintenance and even snow clearing and salting in the winter.  A little bit of common sense would be nice or appointing people who actually take the bus on a regular basis as directors.  For the 21 mayors on the Mayor's Council of Regional Transportation, it should be mandatory for them to take public transit to the meetings if they wish to be paid for attending.  

This opening salvo takes us to Translink's summer program titled "Ride & Shine" that invites people to "Go car-free this summer and bike, walk, ride, and roll to events with convenient transit connections to your favourite summer spots."  You can find this great piece of marketing and promotion online at https://www.translink.ca/rider-guide/ride-and-shine .  The summer destination map shows you all the local hot spots and which buses to take to easily get there pus bike friendly roadways.  If you hit the beaches tab it shows you how to get to 4 area beaches, including Ambleside, Jericho, Kwomais Point and Old Mill Site Park.  Now, if you noticed something missing, you are not alone.  In case you are not aware there are 20 beaches in the Lower Mainland including Crescent Beach and White Rock. 

Now imagine being a visitor or new to the area and following Translink's instructions to check out the beach at Kwomais Point in Ocean Park.  You would be a little perplexed since there is no obvious pathway to the waterfront.  If you hop the chain link fence behind the Kwowmais Lodge and Sanford Hall, you will find the posts for the old viewing site and a literal goat path leading down some of the steepest bluffs in the Semiahmoo Peninsula.  I have climbed this hillside from below several times over the years while investigating the origins of landslides that buried the BNSF Railway tracks below.  The path is so steep that I have never climbed down it.  You would need hiking boots at the very least and if you wore flip-flops you would likely slip and get injured or killed.  A climbing helmet, several 100 foot lengths of nylon rope and a harness would be advisable to anyone thinking of scaling this slope.

If you made it to the bottom of Kwomais Point, you have to trespass on the BNSF Railway corridor in an area with wide sweeping curves that conceal trains from view.  If the RCMP catches you there on a track patrol you'll be hit with a fine of $500 for each member of your party.  Crossing the tracks you would then be met with a wall of large jagged rip-rap boulders that you must successfully scale.  Finally down at the so-called beach you will find a blanket of large slippery rocks and zero sand unless the tide is out at an extreme low.  Should you try to go swimming, you need to know that Kwomais point is swept by large currents as the tide flows to each corner of Boundary Bay.  I have been on this shoreline many times performing shoreline cleanups from Crescent Beach to White Rock,  I would not recommend it for anyone who is not in good shape and well prepared.  If you slip and get injured, cell phone service is spotty at best, adding to the risk of not being rescued.

Even more bizarre is the circuitous route shown in the Translink maps for biking to the non-existant Kwomais Point beach.  The first issue is that it does not show a starting point, which should logically be the south Surrey Park & Ride lot.  You would need to print out this map and carefully follow it due to all of the twists and turns that sometimes have you headed in the wrong direction.  The northern part of the map does show a bike path along Crescent Road but it ends at the entrance to the Crescent Beach marina, just before you would get to the nicest beach in Surrey.  Of course there is no route or mention of the beaches in White Rock that obviously are not considered a destination by Translink, regardless of the crowds of visitors it receives.  What kills me about all of this is the directors at Translink wonder why they can't help attract more people onto public transit.  Maybe if they got out of their cars or possibly tried to use their website they would find out it is not based in reality.

If all of this has not left you shaking your head, here is the final rub.  White Rock's Mayor Megan Knight and Surrey's Mayor Brenda Locke both sit on the Mayor's Council receiving $400 for every meeting they attend.  I'd like to think that someone else noticed the problems with the Ride & Shine program and brought it to their attention.  If not, I know that this column gets read by plenty of people at both White Rock and Surrey City Hall's because their servers show up on the computer visitor listings for the White Rock Sun.  Now maybe..., just maybe..., someone will copy a link to this TNT column and forward it to these mayor's or the braintrust (pun in case you missed it) at Translink.  My bet is that nothing changes and this website remains the same until the end of summer because from what I've seen, they are either totally incompetent or else they just really don't care. 

My guess is that it's both.

Naturally yours,

Don Pitcairn

It is interesting to know that the WR city website clearly states "The city cannot do tree removal or pruning on private property."  Obviously what they tell residents and what they decide to do behind closed doors are the complete opposite.  No word on whether the city had permission from the BNSF to clear cut the forest regrowth, or if they had a geologist conduct a slope stability study on the work area.  They also needed to hire a qualified environmental professional (QEP)  to perform a nesting bird survey to look for nesting birds between March 1st and August 31st.  It would be interesting to know what the cost to tax payers was for this tree cutting that the city says it cannot do, yet somehow manages time and time again regardless of their own rules and bylaws or the landslide risk.  What we do know is the city spent $1.7 million to shore up Marine Drive two years ago to keep it from collapsing.   I believe it would have been a lot cheaper to simply have left the forest on the Hump alone, protecting both Marine Drive above and the BNSF Railway below that regularly carries hazardous goods and 144 car long unit trains with tankers of crude oil along the waterfront.

I'm now starting to think that the only way to return the Hump hillside to its original state with a large canopy of trees is for residents to rejoin Surrey and put an end to to this ongoing madness tied to small town politics.  Until that time, the Hump should be classified as "Ravine Lands" and the cutting of trees for views should be completely forbidden except for rail safety.  Even better would be for the City of White Rock to purchase this area and designate it as a wildlife park, improving the overall tree canopy in the city that has been steadily whittled away.  When the Hump was forested only 15 years ago it made a great backdrop for pictures of the White Rock boulder and was a green gem for the City By The Sea.  Instead of cutting down trees on the Hump, we should be planting them instead, creating new nesting sites for raptors.  The Grand fir on the Hump that is called the "Eagle Tree" is not looking healthy, likely because all of the trees around it have been cut down.  When it goes, so do the eagles but not to worry, people can still look at the man-made pier now mainly composed of concrete and steel as it slowly disappears (dis-a-pier?) beneath the rising waves.

Naturally yours,

Don Pitcairn

I wish to acknowledge we live, work and play on the traditeional lands of the Semiahmoo people.

In the real world, it is highly unlikely that somebody would be willing to pay such high legal fees for a relatively minor offence.  The standards for when an elected official qualifies for their legal fees to be paid needs to be reviewed and new criteria selected.  Taxpayers should not be subsidizing high-priced legal dream teams, especially when someone is arrested for criminal behaviour that has nothing to do with their role or position.  If it is determined that an elected official or staffer needs legal representation paid for by the City, one of the lawyers already working for Surrey should be appointed to represent them.  If this is not agreeable to the person charged, then they should feel free to open up their wallet and pay for their own legal bills.  There should be no blank cheque given to the Mayor or anyone else to hire outside legal representatives regardless of the cost to the taxpayer.  

TNT - The Naked Truth

Don Pitcairn

Gaggle of Geese

I drove out to the Fraser Valley early this weekend on Saturday and Sunday mornings along the border separating White Rock and south Surrey.  On both occasions, I encountered large flocks of Canadian geese adults and their fuzzy offspring crossing North Bluff Rd./16th Ave. just east of Oxford St./148th St., which explains the double street names.  On Saturday morning all four lanes of this major arterial road were blocked to traffic as these geese slowly sauntered from the White Rock side of the road headed north over to the Southmere Village Park and the drainage ponds located there.  Thankfully all of the drivers were patient with letting nature take its course and they were apparently enjoying the spectacle by the smiles on their faces.

Now here is where the rubber hits the road on this issue that I already covered two years ago.  This has been a public safety and wildlife safety issue for quite some time as the flock of geese continues to grow every year.  People who are unaware of the situation have to swerve on the roadway or slam on their brakes to not hit these birds that show no fear of cars or trucks.  It really has been amazing that nobody has been seriously hurt or a large number of geese killed by an impatient or distracted driver.  The situation was so bad that two years ago an unknown person installed three yellow driver warning signs on lamp posts along 16th Ave. on the Surrey side reading "Caution, Geese Crossing" with the silhouette of an adult goose followed by five goslings.  While they looked legitimate, they were noticed and deemed non-conforming by the City of Surrey and promptly removed.

Several weeks later after the illegal Geese Crossing signs were taken down by the Surrey Engineering Department, the City of White Rock installed "Wildlife Area" signs on the south side of North Bluff directly across from the Southmere Village Park where the geese constantly cross the road.  This white sign with green lettering shows an adult goose followed by three goslings.  At that time White Rock's director of Engineering Jim Gordon stated "The City of White Rock was contacted by residents who were concerned for the safety of geese crossing North Bluff Road.  The City also wanted to prevent motorists from stopping suddenly when encountering unexpected wildlife."  Kudos to the City By The Sea for getting it right and reacting promptly and decisively to post this much needed nature signage.

Well folks, that was two years ago and on the Surrey side of 16 Ave. near Southmere Village Park, there is still no signage warning drivers about the wildlife crossing in this area.  Back then the City of Surrey's Parks Manager Neal Aven said the resident fabricated signs were removed "since they are non-standard and not appropriate in this location."  To make matters worse, Mr. Aven went on to say “The city has recently completed Biodiversity Design Guidelines, which includes considerations for wildlife crossings (that) will be used by city staff to determine appropriate locations for this type of signage throughout the city.  Exact sign locations will be determined through the consistent application of multiple factors to ensure that ‘Wildlife Crossing’ signs are installed where road users have a reasonable expectation of encountering wildlife so as to ensure drivers remain attentive when encountering these signs across the city.”

What is it going to take for someone at Surrey City Hall to get off their bloated bureaucratic butt and put up some conforming wildlife crossing signs by Southmere Village Park?  It is absolutely ridiculous that staff have done nothing in the past two years except to remove the warning signs printed and posted by an unknown resident that looked exactly the same as those used in Langley, Abbotsford and Chilliwack.  While they promised to do something about this situation that endangers both the public and the geese, they have instead chosen to ignore this problem.  Now maybe White Rock residents pay more in taxes and actually get service for their money but Surreyites should be outraged that what is good for the goose in White Rock is not good for the gander in Surrey.  It makes me wonder if those in charge of both Parks and Engineering in Surrey are a bunch of flocking idiots!

I'm ready to have my sign guy, Robert at Signman Signs on 20th Ave. (shameless plug) make me some Wildlife Area or Goose Crossing signs and put them up myself.  They are also readily available on Amazon in a variety of styles for under $20 (hint..., hint...).  The other option is for me to take a can of road marking paint and put "GEESE XING" and a big arrow onto the lanes of 16 Ave.  When faced with stupidity and inaction out of City Hall, I find the best way to get their attention is to embarrass them publicly, especially with TV cameras from news networks there filming the action.  The wildlife signage should have been posted two years ago by Surrey who have now let two spring seasons go by with hundreds of geese slowly crossing the roadway in groups and long lines.  For this snafu, the City of Surrey should be shamed and those responsible for this ridiculous delay in posting wildlife safety signage need to be tarred and feathered.

If you want to contact the folks at Surrey City Hall currently responsible for posting some "Geese Crossing" signs on 16 Ave. at Southmere Village Park, please take the time to call or email these two folks and voice your concerns. 

You might want to include a link to this story and tell them you read about it in the White Rock Sun at https://www.whiterocksun.com/

General Manager Surrey Parks
Laurie Cavan
Email: lacavan@surrey.ca
Phone: 604-598-5760

General  Manager Surrey Engineering

Scott Neuman

Email: Courtney.Cueto@surrey.ca 

Phone: 604-591-4042

Naturally yours,

Don Pitcairn

I wish to acknowledge we live, work and play on the traditional lands of the Semiahmoo people.

Here is where the rubber hits the road on this issue with me.  If people are in possession of stolen property and publicly acknowledge that it is such, should it not be returned to the rightful owner?  As an individual, being caught in possession of stolen goods can get you arrested and charged by the police, with the items being returned to the rightful owner after being used as evidence in court.  If Alex House wants to take the stand that the land they occupy is indeed stolen, then in the spirit of truth and reconciliation it should be returned to the Semiahmoo First Nation.  I highly doubt that the band office would refuse to take ownership of 2.5 acres of prime Crescent Beach property with buildings that currently rent for $3,500 a night.  If Alex House really wants to show proper respect and gratitude, maybe they should follow Midnight Oil's lead and give the land back.  To acknowledge they are on stolen property and continue to keep it shows that they are happy with being admitted thieves, regardless of their misguided woke intentions.  

Naturally yours,

Don Pitcairn

I wish to acknowledge we live, work and play on the traditional lands of the Semiahmoo First Nations

"The middle of the road is trying to find me
I'm standing in the middle of life with my plans behind me
Well, I got a smile for everyone I meet

As long as you don't try dragging my baby

Or dropping the bomb on my street

Now come on, baby
Get in the road
Oh, come on now

In the middle of the road, yeah"

This story and taking pictures of the damaged cenotaph minus the kneeling soldier, nicknamed Willy,  got me looking into the history of the monument and the following description that I found at on the Heritage BC website at https://heritagebc.ca/war-monuments-memorials/cloverdale-cenotaph/. 

Catatonic Over Cougars

If you live in the Semiahmoo peninsula and want to keep informed on what is going on in this beautiful little corner of the world, there are two things you must do.  First off is to check out the White Rock Sun on a constant basis where you can read local news, find out who is playing live music, get fantastic recipes and meet unique and interesting people.  Heck, you might get so excited about it that you contact the editor and start writing a weekly column for this online newspaper.  Next up is to join the White Rock/South Surrey Community Group on Facebook that is a public forum and has 36,000 members, making it a great way to connect with your friends and neighbours and find out what they are experiencing here.

Now imagine my surprise several weeks ago when a cougar sighting was reported in Ocean Park, south Surrey.  With this area fairly built up you have to take these sightings with a grain of salt unless someone has photographic proof of their encounter.  There are still plenty of connected green spaces and deer are living amongst us so having predators hunting them should not be unexpected.  Here is the FB posting about this recent local sightibng.

It turns out that this was not the only cougar sighting that was reported to this community Facebook group.  Last week another big cat was reportedly seen in the Country Woods neighbourhood north of Hwy. 99.  Here is the FB posting of this encounter:

"This afternoon on Country Woods Road at approx 3 pm I spotted a cougar, I’m 99% sure it was one (I was walking my dogs down the road and was about 100 metres from it).  It was about the size of a Labrador, tan coloured and was sleek. It looked like a young one.  What gave it away was it’s tail.  I have seen many coyotes in the area and it definitely wasn’t one of these.  I called it in to the Conservation officers.  It  was crossing the road and went into someone’s yard heading  in the direction of the trails off of Country Woods Road towards Highway 15.  Posting here for awareness."

This is not the first time that cougars have been reported in this area with two more FB postings on the WR/SS Community Group in July and August of 2021.  The comments on these posts included other alleged sightings in East Beach and the LIttle Campbell River including security camera footage that showed a cougar on the prowl.  Here are both of the posts that were only a month apart.

"Please be careful with your animals. I spotted a cougar 2 days ago walking up the hill of Royal Ave. between Foster and Johnson, around 1 a.m. on Saturday night, an ACTUAL Cougar!"  "I am reporting a cougar sighting yesterday in Kwomais park, Ocean Park yesterday afternoon. Take care with small dogs and children."

Now if you think that everyone has gone to the dogs, consider that in March 2021, a cougar was seen on CCTV footage wandering down a parkade ramp in Surrey near the Langley border a block from Willowbrook Mall at 196 St. and 64 Ave.  In August of 2021 another cougar was caught on a driveway security camera in Langley at 55 Ave. and 240 St. as it stood up against the 5-6 ft. gate and then easily jumped over it.  This cougar was very large, rippling with muscle and easily cleared the gate in a single leap.  Both of these incidents were filmed in the middle of the night on a weekday when traffic is light and things are quiet.  I have had the pleasure of encountering a cougar in the wild while hunting but for those who have not seen one, check out the video of the Langley cat at this link.  https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=429840315241481

With cougars on the prowl in Langley and apparently spotted over the past few years in the Semiahmoo peninsula, here is information posted on the WildSafeBC website about what to do if you meet up with a mountain lion.  "Cougar attacks are very rare, but if you encounter a cougar, keep calm and never run. Make yourself look as large as possible and back away slowly, keeping the cougar in view, and allowing a clear exit for the cougar.  If attacked, always fight back and never “play dead”.  If travelling with small children, pick them up immediately. Children are most at risk in a cougar encounter and they should be taught how to behave appropriately to stay safe (see "Children and Cougars" in "Safety").  For more information on cougars, check out https://wildsafebc.com/species/cougar/ .

Jan. 24, Historic Week For Surrey:  It was a historic time for citizens of Surrey as Mayor Doug McCallum had his first day in court on charges of Public Mischief while Metro Vancouver votes on changes to South Campbell Heights.

Christmas List 2022

If there's one thing I love about Christmas, it's the annual traditions and in the White Rock Sun this holiday TNT is always special.  Here's the list of naughty and nice gifts we hope Santa will be leaving under the tree for the movers, shakers and decision makers from the Semiahmoo peninsula, listed alphabetically so as to not offend anyone.

Diana Barkley, Semiahmoo Fish & Game Club President�- A brand-new state of the art fish hatchery placed high above the Little Campbell river flood plain above the Little Campbell River.� As a stocking stuffer, a jar of organic honey from the club's bee hives.

Dave Chesney, WR Councillor�- For the editor of the WR Sun and veteran WR Councillor, a pound of his favourite Holy Smoke Coffee Holiday Blend coffee beans (so damn good).� As a stocking stuffer for Mr. Music, a 45 speed vinyl record of the Jackson Five's hit song "ABC." 

Kevin Falcon, Official Opposition Leader�- Kevin got his present a month early when the BC Liberals voted overwhelmingly to change their name to the United Party.� As a stocking stuffer, a new party slogan courtesy of yours truly, "Nowhere to go but UP."

Norm Lipinski, Chief Constable, Surrey Police Service�- Kevin Bacon's twin also gets some Holy Smoke beans as he needs to wake up and smell the coffee, and stop wasting millions of taxpayer dollars until our policing debacle is decided on by Public Safety Minister Mike Farnsworth.

Brenda Locke, Mayor of Surrey - For the new mayor, a Gillet Venus shaver and a manicure set after she won a won a razor-thin nail-biting victory over arch foe Doug McCallum.� As a stocking stuffer for the leader of Surrey Connect, a "Surrey Girl" t-shirt courtesy of Surrey Shirts

Doug McCallum, Surrey resident�- For the former Mayor of Surrey who was recently found not guilty of Public Mischief, a boat where this Crescent Beach resident can now sail off into the sunset with the $56,000 separation allowance he received after getting voted out of power.

I wish to acknowledge that the land on which I live, work and enjoy is the unceded traditional territory of the Semiahmoo First Nation and other Coast Salish People

I wish to acknowledge that the land on which I live, work and enjoy is the unceded traditional territory of the Semiahmoo First Nation and other Coast Salish People

TNT Extra:  Former Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum was found NOT GUILTY on his charge of Public Mischief.  Judge Reginald Harris delivered his verdict on Monday morning in the Surrey Provincial Courthouse, saying he was satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt that McCallum had his food run over by a Mustang in the Save-On-Foods parking lot during a verbal confrontation with a KITRS supporter.  Judge Harris acknowledged that several statements made by McCallum were inaccurate but did not believe he was lying to police investigators, blaming the fear and stress McCallum was experiencing for these discrepancies.  You can read the reasons for judgement on the Provincial Court of British Columbia website at the following link: https://www.provincialcourt.bc.ca/judgments.php?link=https://www.canlii.org/en/bc/bcpc/

Now I do realize that the main reason for locking these steps is to keep nocturnal party-goers at bay (good one), especially during the summer season.  With the BNSF Railway corridor at the bottom of the Ocean Park bluffs, we want to keep people away from the train tracks at night as history has unfortunately shown.  What is asinine about the dates and times of these changes is how arbitrary they are and how the times listed fail to take into account the moment for both sunset and twilight.  First thing wrong with this is the dates are relatively arbitrary with odd dates selected instead of picking either the 15th middle day of the month for changing the closure times, or the end and start of months, eg. the 31st and 1st.  Is there anyone who actually remembered that Oct 16 was the dates the time changed for the stairways to the beach to be locked?  Wow..., you hear that..., crickets.

Now here is where the selected dates and times start to get ridiculous.  On Feb. 12 in White Rock, sunset was at 5:28 p.m., so the gates were then locked at 8 p.m. almost 2.5 hours after the sun had gone down and two hours after dusk.  On April 16, sunset was at 8:07 p.m., again almost two hours before the gates were locked.   On Aug. 27, sunset was at 8:07, close to sunset but long before dusk when people could be expected to be at the waterfront during summer vacation.  On Oct. 16, the gates went backwards from 8 o'clock to 6 p.m., a full 20 minutes before sunset and almost an hour before dusk.  It makes no sense for these draconian changes that lock the gates before sunset some times of the year and hours after the sun has gone down months later.  

Case in point, being a sun-lover I often go down to the beach at any time of the year to watch the sunset.  A week ago, my wife and i ventured to Crescent Rock beach, took in the light show and the Christopherson Steps were still open when we left.  A week later and we did the same thing but this time the stairs were locked shut down at the beach and at the top of the trail, almost half an hour earlier than the week before.  This was not a big obstacle for us as we can simply walk home through Crescent Beach but if you live in Ocean Park, the gates and fences at the staircases there pose a serious obstacle.  The signs say to call a security contractor but that doesn't help if you don't know the number that is not even posted!

Now, here is where it gets amazingly stupid.  While the times the gates get closed are posted on the stairs, they do not correspond to the times given on the City of Surrey Parks Department website.  The 1001 Steps is listed as being open from dawn to dusk but that certainly is not the case.  The same goes for the Christopherson steps that are listed as being open from dawn to dusk on the website but with different times on the staircase signage.  Interestingly the Olympic Trail, aka Stoner's Point that some in the Parks Department now bizarrely refer to as the "13th Avenue Lookout" is not even listed on the Parks Department information.  in neighbouring White Rock, the Coldicutt Ravine staircase leading to the waterfront where people had to cross the BNSF Tracks was never fenced off and locked before last year's atmospheric river caused landslides that closed it permanently.

What is the point of living near the ocean if the city restricts access to it before sunset let alone into twilight when the colours become their most intense?  Can you imagine not living in the area and getting locked in with no way to escape and no phone numbers posted?  These ridiculous times and how they change throughout the year need to be taken down and a simpler system enacted.  How about Surrey locks the gates at dusk throughout the year, just as they are already listed on the Parks Dept website?  This should be a no-brainer even for bureaucrats when you realize that the gates are unlocked by Securiguard contractors at dawn each morning.  The opening times for Surrey parks throughout the Semiahmoo peninsula is dawn to dusk and access to these beach staircases should be the same.

in closing, I leave you with a photo I took at Crescent Rock beach that would not have been possible if the gates were closed before the sun went down and the sunset colours blazed across the sky.  

Naturally yours,

Don PItcairn 

I wish to acknowledge that the land on which I live, work and enjoy is the unceded traditional territory of the Semiahmoo First Nation and other Coast Salish People.