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Tuesday February 28, 2012 Serving Surrey and North Delta www.surreyleader.com
Crown sale of land in Surrey gets First Nation’s attention
Students from Sands Secondary in North Delta practice painting their palms pink in preparation for Anti-Bullying Day tomorrow. Students in all Delta high schools will be stamping their hand prints on doveshaped posters Wednesday to make an oath to eliminate bullying and all forms of violence.
Property at Highway 10 and 152 Street eyed by Katzie band
EVAN SEAL / THE LEADER
by Jeff Nagel THE PROVINCE has very little urban
Crown land available to offer in treaty negotiations with First Nations to settle unresolved land claims in Metro Vancouver. So Finance Minister Kevin Falcon’s budget announcement that B.C. will raise money by selling off a 15-acre parcel of surplus land in the middle of Surrey has raised eyebrows among treaty negotiation observers. “It’s an interesting move on their part since Crown land is so scarce,” First Nations Summit spokesman Dan Smith said. “We’ll see whether or not this takes place.” Metro Vancouver has previously raised concern the province may – because it has so little property to negotiate with – raid more Dan Smith farmland in the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) or even take from civic or regional parks to settle future treaties. Unlike the ALR land turned over for the Tsawwassen Treaty, the vacant parcel in Surrey, near the northwest corner of 152 Street and Highway 10, is zoned for commercial/multifamily residential and surrounded by existing homes and businesses. The Katzie First Nation, based in Pitt Meadows, has signalled its interSee KATZIE / Page 3
Handing it to bullying Delta and Surrey students mark Anti-Bullying Day by making pledges by Sheila Reynolds
resolve and ultimately eliminate bullying in society. All Surrey schools have also been provided with pink wristbands printed with “See SomeTHOUSANDS OF STUDENTS in Delta and Surrey are taking a pledge thing, Say Something.” tomorrow. The student pledges mark Pink Shirt Anti-Bullying Day, an annual Some will dip their hands in paint, while others will pen their names campaign that began four years ago. It was inspired when two students on posters. But it’ll all be for the same purpose: to help eliminate bulin Nova Scotia witnessed a younger student being bullied for wearing lying. pink to school. They went out and bought dozens of pink In Delta, teens at the seven high schools will demonshirts and encouraged all their classmates to wear pink the strate their promise by painting their palms pink and next day to send a message to the bullies as well as show stamping them on large, dove-shaped murals that will their support to the harassed boy. remain on school walls as an ongoing reminder to treat Since then, the movement has spread across Canada one another with respect and kindness. Spearheaded by and now, on the last Wednesday in February each year, members of the Delta Police Youth Advisory Committee, schools and individuals and businesses take a day to don the initiative targets not only bullying, but all forms of their rosiest hues to show they’re against bullying – be it in Yogita Sharma schools, in the workplace, in the grocery store or at home. relationship violence. The dove shapes symbolize peace and love and also represents the D.O.V.E. (Delta Opposes Tomorrow (Wednesday) in Grade 10 classrooms at Violence Everywhere) community committee. Surrey’s Enver Creek Secondary, student members of the Students at all Surrey schools will be adding their signatures to large Stand-Up People (SUP) Action Team will be sharing stories and talking anti-bullying posters (designed by student Kayla Wold and featuring See BULLYING / Page 5 the words “you are not alone”) to vow to help recognize, prevent,
“Emotional scars will always stay.”
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