Where You Can Vacation And Be Home The Same Day

Yell It Like It Is

David Chesney Editor/Publisher & White Rock city councillor

Friday May 01, 2026

White Rock council rewind.

In 2022 then mayor DARRYL WALKER ran for re-election and was defeated at the polls due to a pair of sitting councillors who both ran for mayor. SCOTT KRISTJANSON and ERIKA JOHANSON both threw their hat into the ring for mayor. Even though both were close confidants in my opinion their well documented battles with WALKER caused them to attempt to split the mayoral vote. Which if you look at the numbers they did. If only one of them had run the expectancy would have been those votes would have parked in support of WALKER, you see the three of them were elected as part of an electoral group called Democracy Direct. Coming right up the middle of the pack and inadvertently profiting from the split vote for mayor was MEGAN KNIGHT. KNIGHT was returning from a four year sabbatical when her and the entire WAYNE BALDWIN council supporters including current BILL LAWRENCE were shown the door due in large part to approving 10 high-rises in four years. Some are yet to be built. Mayoral candidate MEGAN KNIGHT in the 2022 election did not even receive enough votes to even be elected as a city councillor.

When the votes were counted myself, Ernie Klassen and Christopher Trevelyan were elected alongside Knight and councillors Cheung, Partridge and the aforementioned Lawrence. Allies were quickly aligned, perhaps even aligned prior to the election, though they never ran as a slate. For the first three years the majority of votes on the council docket went down 4-3 with KNIGHT'S supporters following lockstep behind her lead.

All hell broke loose at the end of 2025 when reporter and council watcher and ALEX BROWNE reporter for the Peace Arch News revealed what he believed was a "not so secret slate" of KNIGHT, CHEUNG, PARTRIDGE and LAWRENCE. Immediately the city/mayor dispatched the communications director to the Peace Arch News office demanding a retraction from ALEX BROWNE. When he informed the city he was sticking by his story, they immediately went to the editor who supported BROWNE and told the complainants the matter was closed.

Next step into the spiral of disaster was councillor ERNIE KLASSEN putting his name forward for the local federal seat. He won. Now a by election had to be called to fill his seat. At that point councillor MICHELLE PARTRIDGE thought it was the perfect opportunity to step aside as well, citing health reasons.

In my opinion the reigning power on council led by KNIGHT was confident they would win at least one seat for the candidates they would support, and accept the fact that former councillor ANTHONY MANNING would be returning and likely be re-elected. What they didn't bank on was the election of SUSAN BAINS in the by-election. BAINS ran an incredibly strong campaign and deserved to win, whilst the "secret slate" stumbled and fell ..........a major power shift occurred on council.

Since the by-election myself, and councillors Manning, Bains and Trevelyan have in large part put forth a unified vision for the future of White Rock. That vision was established long before the by election. When we stalled and pulled back the Official Community Plan (OCP) to rework some of the heights in particular 10 storeys along Thrift avenue the KNIGHT coalition was left reeling. The loss of power was a bitter pill. It all publicly boiled over this past Monday when Mayor Knight accused councillor Trevelyan of taking his marching orders from a member of the community who was sitting in the council chambers. TREVELYAN was livid, and rightfully so. I have no idea where this shameful public display by the mayor ends up, but it is in my mind a true indicator the former power base is reeling.

Scroll through the video to the 2:30:00 minute mark

(click here to watch the archived video of the Mayor's comments during Monday's council meeting)

Stay tuned. At the very least it will make Monday afternoon council meeting well worth watching as we jockey for the upcoming election in October 2026.

David Chesney

Third term city councillor...11 1/2 years served and counting.

Recipe of the Week

White Rock City Council adopted the 2026–2030 Financial Plan Bylaw on April 20, 2026, at a Special Council Meeting. The Financial Plan prioritizes community needs, enhances service delivery, and advances Council’s strategic priorities over the next five years.

The budget and its investments are supported by a 5.04% increase to property taxes, of which 1.38% is for core municipal services, 1.53% is for RCMP, and 2.13% is for Capital and Infrastructure.  

“White Rock City Council has taken a balanced and responsible approach that protects essential services while strengthening the city’s long‑term financial resilience during shifting economic conditions. As part of this commitment, Mayor and Council remuneration will be reduced by 10% in 2026 to help offset rising costs,” said Mayor Megan Knight. “Our focus remains on delivering high‑quality core services to our residents as efficiently as possible while adhering to new regulatory requirements, and to ensure a bright and sustainable future for White Rock.” 

Public feedback on the Financial Plan was gathered through a community survey conducted in July 2025, public engagement in February 2026 on the Talk White Rock platform, as well as a public feedback session at the March 9, 2026 Regular Council Meeting.

Key items residents identified, which are reflected in the Financial Plan are:

• Public Safety and Emergency Services emerged as the top priorities in 2026, with stronger support compared to 2025.

• Satisfaction was highest for Emergency Services, Parks and Open Spaces, and Arts and Cultural Programming.

• Respondents most often supported maintaining current service levels (62%), with fewer supporting service reductions (21%) or expansion (11%), compared to 2025.

• Capital investment priorities shifted toward Recreation Facilities (57% in 2026, up from 37% in 2025), while Fire and Emergency Services and Engineering Infrastructure remained consistently high.

For more information, view the Draft 2026–2030 Financial Plan at www.talkwhiterock.ca/2026financialplan