1pound extra-large or jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined (tails on or off)
⅓cup honey
3tablespoons soy sauce
1tablespoon minced garlic (from 2 large cloves)
½teaspoon grated fresh ginger
⅛teaspoon crushed red pepper, plus more to taste
¼teaspoon cornstarch
1tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil or vegetable oil
Thinly sliced scallions, for serving
Directions
Step 1 Place the shrimp in a large bowl.
Step 2 In a small bowl, combine the honey, soy sauce, garlic, ginger and crushed red pepper; whisk until smooth. Pour 3 tablespoons of the marinade over the shrimp and toss to coat. Marinate for at least 15 minutes at room temperature, or up to 1 hour in the fridge.
Step 3 While the shrimp marinate, combine the cornstarch with the remaining marinade and set aside
Step 4 Lift the shrimp from the marinade to paper towels and pat dry; discard any marinade remaining in the bowl.
Step 5 Heat a large (12-inch) skillet over medium-high. (A cast-iron skillet will help the shrimp brown more deeply than a nonstick skillet.) Add the oil, swirling to coat the pan, then arrange the shrimp in the skillet in one layer. Cook for 2 minutes, until lightly browned on the bottom, then flip the shrimp and cook for 1 more minute.
Heat a large (12-inch) skillet over medium-high. (A cast-iron skillet will help the shrimp brown more deeply than a nonstick skillet.) Add the oil, swirling to coat the pan, then arrange the shrimp in the skillet in one layer. Cook for 2 minutes, until lightly browned on the bottom, then flip the shrimp and cook for 1 more minute.
Step 6 Add the reserved marinade to the skillet and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until the pan sauce thickens. (If your shrimp are on the smaller side and already cooked through before it’s time to add the sauce, transfer them to the serving dish and reduce the sauce on its own. Pour the sauce over the cooked shrimp.)
Step 7 Transfer the shrimp and sauce to a serving dish, sprinkle with scallions and serve.
In My Opinion
Staff writer DON PITCAIRN this past week pondered future land usage in Crescent Beach and Ocean Park. I have to admit with my plate very full with White Rock development future I have not paid close attention to what our neighbours to the north have been up to. Oh don’t get me wrong, on my rather infrequent trips to Whalley I am constantly blown away at the number of highrise towers that have popped up over the years. There never seemed to be a huge public push back on the densification of Whalley. For years Whalley which at one time was a major town centre in Surrey, had devolved into triple x video stores, rundown bars, thrift shops etc. It pained me to see my hometown become the butt of too many Surrey Jokes.
Regarding development in Ocean Park & Crescent Beach, I learned first hand a number of years back in the 80's when I lived tucked away in the forest on Dogwood Drive. I would come home from work and often I would find a handwritten note in my mailbox urging me to come to a community dinner/gathering to discuss sometimes an item as simple as how high a neighbour could erect a fence. For years there was NO development in the Ocean Park area, they were beyond organized and concentrated on having their opinion heard on any future development. For instance the little strip mall where the pet food, Dude's coffee shop and Beef and Brine is located was delayed for years.
Of interest in PITCAIRN’S article was the fact Surrey had not overhauled its OFFICIAL COMMUNITY PLAN OCP for 12 years. Not since 2014 had the city of Surrey made any significant changes in their OCP. By provincial law every city must “review” its Official Community Plan. that can be as simple as pulling it out of the virtual file having a look at it, agreeing nothing needed tweaking ant put it away for another 5 years.
Conversely here in little old White Rock with each change of council (every 4 years) the majority of the council of the day has decided the rip up the previous councilor’s OCP and rework to fit their vision and the vision of their supporters.
The current reworking of White Rock’s OCP has now been driven in part by the Provincial government issuing density numbers for each city to attain. Very difficult for a city with 22.000 residents packed into 2 square miles.
We have been working through creating a new OCP that each council member must weight their version of what the residents and or political backers would like to see. Recently councillor ANTHONY MANNING called for a reworking of some densification of the proposed Official Community Plan that was created by staff, consultants input, residents feedback and the inherent vision of individual council members.
The call for another round of public input was met with questioning by members of council. I have to admit I somewhat bristled when my fellow councillor ELAINE CHEUNG proclaimed we were reworking our OCP based on such a small percentage of resident’s feedback? I bristle because if and when we ask resident’s what their opinion is, we should very seriously take it into consideration. To that extent if we want to talk about percentages, over 85% or the respondents in the community via email or in person participation said NO to densification anywhere other than along North Bluff. That is exactly what staff has been reworking and it will be presented to council on March 20. If the majority of council follow councillor MANNING’S lead there will be another legislated Public Hearing before final adoption.
If you care, we are giving you another golden opportunity to be heard. We're listening.
Editor/Publisher
White Rock Councillor
David Chesney
Night Owl
Tonight (Saturday) AL WALKER turns Club 240/Crescent Beach Legion into a Texas Roadhouse.
Guaranteed to be one of the best shows of the year.
Our band schedule for the rest of Spring 2026 is as follows:
Mar. 22/26 - White Rock Rhythm Kings with Ben MacRae and Jocelyn Waugh
Local News
March 21, 2026
Today
Join us for Anti-Racism and Anti-Discrimination in Practice: Building Community and Belonging, a community forum hosted at the White Rock Community Centre. This forum brings together community members, advocates, and leaders to unpack the realities of racism and hate-based incidents in White Rock and Surrey and explore what an inclusive and meaningful path forward looks like.
Event Details
Date & Time: Saturday, March 21st, 2026 Location: White Rock Community Centre | 15154 Russell Avenue, White Rock, Hall A, B, and C Please RSVP here
Through facilitated discussion, a community panel, and open dialogue, we’ll examine local and regional trends, hear lived experiences from community leaders, and discuss what actionable anti-racism looks like in practice. Whether you’re new to anti-racism work or have been engaged for years, this forum is a space for learning, reflection, and action. Join us to listen, share, and be part of the change our community needs.
March 19, 2026
Did You Hear The One About The Driver On The Sidewalk?
Video shows a Tesla travelling on the sidewalk in White Rock before a pedestrian stops them and points it out.
White Rock invites submissions from local artists for its 2026 Street Banner Program
Applications end this weekend!
Have your art displayed all year in White Rock.
Applicants are encouraged to explore one or more of this year’s themes: Nature; The City; History; Arts + Culture. Selected designs will be displayed for two years, rotating between spring–summer and fall–winter seasons.
The City of Surrey and TransLink are working to update Surrey’s transit network. Movement has created our own plan for what we think transit in Surrey should look like.
Buses in Surrey are slow, indirect, overcrowded, and sometimes downright unpleasant to ride.
Surrey transit riders deserve better, so we’re proposing 3 big ideas which could improve your ride:
White Rock City Council has awarded $24,400 in Grants in Aid funding to 35 local community organizations, as part of the 2026 program.
Eligible recipients represented a wide range of community focused initiatives, including arts and culture, environmental stewardship, social support services, youth and senior programming, recreation, and animal related initiatives.
Each year, White Rock City Council provides Grants in Aid to support community based groups whose work benefits residents and enhances civic pride. These grants help strengthen local initiatives and highlight the many ways organizations enrich life in White Rock.
City releases draft Official Community Plan: Surrey 2050
Surrey’s new Official Community Plan. Surrey 2050 is a blueprint that will guide how the city grows and evolves over the next 30 years.
Surrey’s last OCP, PlanSurrey 2013, was adopted in 2014. Significant growth, new provincial housing legislation, and evolving community needs have made an update essential. Surrey 2050 modernizes the framework to better support long-term City planning by:
Reducing policies from over 600 down to approximately 200
Simplifying land-use designations to reduce the need for future bylaw amendments
Adding policies on housing affordability, climate change, and economic and infrastructure pressures
Managing growth in a sustainable, resilient, and community-focused way
Since fall 2023, staff have led one of the City’s most comprehensive and diverse engagement processes in shaping Surrey 2050. Staff engaged with residents, community partners and key stakeholders through surveys, workshops, open houses, pop-up forums and online tools, totalling over 301,800 interactions.
Surrey 2050 reflects community values and Surrey’s role at the neighbourhood, city, regional and global level. Read through the draft OCP document at surrey.ca/ocp.
Workshop: Senior Driving
Tuesday, March 31, 2026
What are you doing to reduce your risk and improve your driving? Assess your driving skills and habits. Update your knowledge of vehicle safety features and road regulations.
Tuesday, March 31
Time: 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Location: White Rock Community Centre, 15154 Russell Avenue
Co-sponsored with White Rock Community Policing, the RCMP and the Semiahmoo Community Safety Society.
Surrey launches eCheck tool to speed up building plan reviews
The City of Surrey has launched an innovative digital compliance tool designed to streamline the residential plan review process. eCheck provides rapid, automated reviews of building plans to help home designers identify potential zoning compliance issues before submitting a formal building permit application. This tool is now available for all residential home designers.
“The launch of eCheck marks a major step in modernizing how we support home designers and applicants,” said Ron Gill, general manager of planning & development. “By leveraging technology, we’re improving efficiency, reducing delays, and making it easier for applicants to navigate the permitting process.”
How eCheck is expected to make home building faster:
Reduces costly and time-consuming resubmissions
Improves accuracy and completeness of applications
Accelerates residential permit timelines
Supports collaboration between applicants and staff
“We’re thrilled to partner with the City of Surrey to support their development objectives using Archistar,” said Joe Philbrook, vice president of customer at Archistar. “By automating newly defined houseplex design compliance reviews, we’re helping the City accelerate housing delivery for Surrey residents.”
The City is rolling out eCheck in phases beginning with single family homes, coach houses, garden suites, duplexes and houseplexes for R3 zones, with expansion to additional zones in the coming months. This approach ensures designers and homeowners can quickly benefit from faster, more accurate permit reviews.
With just a few days to go, everyone in the orchestra (and our guest artists) are excited to share with you our music and art.
We would like to introduce to you our Concertmaster Monika Niedzielko who will be the Violin soloist in The Lark Ascending by Ralph Vaughn Williams. Monika was born in Poland into a musical family spanning three generations. She holds a Master degree of Music in Violin Performance from the Music Academy of Krakow, Poland. Monika began her career as a student, touring across Europe, performing and recording CDs. She has played under many esteemed conductors. She also toured the USA and the Caribbean Islands as a classical trio performer. Monika currently performs with the Postmodern Classical Trio Crimson Crescendo with 2 other members of the orchestra.
