FridayNovember 5, 2010 (Vol. 35 No. 89) No. 89)

V O I C E O F T H E S E M I A H M O O P E N I N S U L A

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Watts up? Or a Falcon quest?Jeff Nagel, Tom Fletcher, Kevin Diakiw & Alex BrowneBlack Press

Minutes after Premier Gordon Campbell stunned colleagues Wednesday morning by announcing he’s stepping down, two high-profile South Surrey residents said they haven’t ruled out campaigning for his job.

Health Minister Kevin Falcon contacted Black Press to discuss Campbell’s legacy but would not say whether he will seek the BC Liberal party leadership at an upcoming convention, which Campbell said should be held “as quickly as possible.”

“I haven’t ruled anything out or in,” Falcon said. “That’s not a discussion I’m prepared to have right now.”

And while Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts as recently as September had dismissed a possible run for the premiership, she did not take the

same stance this week.“I think right now it’s important to focus on

the good things that have occurred in this prov-ince,” Watts said. “I think it’s really premature to

have any discussion for any-body about leadership.”

Asked if she would con-firm her previous claim that she would not run for the leadership position, Watts declined.

“I’m not going to say any-thing further on that. I think now is the time to look at the legacies we’ve seen in the city and in the province,” said Watts, a resident of Falcon’s

Surrey-Cloverdale riding.Falcon – who lives in Ocean Park, in the

neighbouring Surrey-White Rock riding – said

he has done nothing to organize a bid for the premier’s job and that he would have to consult his family before considering the possibility.

“Anyone who is seriously thinking about that job would never make that decision lightly,” Falcon said.

(Surrey-White Rock MLA Gordon Hogg, a former cabinet minister, is on government business in Israel and could not be reached for comment. Surrey-Panorama MLA Stephanie Cadieux – Campbell’s most recent appointment to cabinet as minister of sports and culture – also could not be reached by Peace Arch News press time Thursday.)

In his announcement, Campbell acknowl-edged the fallout from the introduction of the harmonized sales tax in July. He said recent efforts to cut taxes, create jobs and improve the education system have not been accepted, and

Surrey mayor, MLA won’t rule out premiership run

Gordon Campbellstepping down

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Request made last July

East Beach landscaping jeopardizes safety: BNSFTracy HolmesStaff Reporter

Landscaping installed by the city two years ago along White Rock’s East Beach is being ripped up this week, after BNSF officials expressed concern the grass, trees and shrub-bery created safety issues.

“They feel that the existing land-scaping encourages people to linger in close proximity to the railway tracks,” Rob Thompson, the city’s director of engineer-ing and municipal operations, said Wednesday. “This is not discretionary work. This has been requested by the railway specifically for safety reasons.”

The work, which began by the city Tuesday and is to end next week, is on a strip of BNSF land approxi-mately 1½ metres wide, stretching for about 400 m from the totem poles to the east end of the prom-enade.

BNSF spokesperson Gus Melonas said the work was requested after numerous close calls were reported by railway staff. The vegetation obstructs sight lines and the grass draws picnickers – a dangerous combination, he said.

“There were far too many inci-dents occurring with the public that jeopardized their safety,” Melonas said. “Just recently, a small child was within feet of the tracks.”

Shrubbery between the rear of the Balsam Street washrooms and

Brian Giebelhaus photoA train passes ‘picnic’ area.

❝Just recently, a small child was within feet of the tracks.❞

Gus MelonasBNSF

� see page 4

Going the distance:Aft er dreaming for 20 years of joining a medical mission trip, Lisa Bruhm is preparing to volunteer in the Philippines a second time.

� see page 11

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