A fresh way to learn page 14
Impact of school move concerns teens page 3
Tuesday May 1, 2012 Serving Surrey and North Delta www.surreyleader.com
Ability to alter school year is not new: Trustee
Gateway Casino and Entertainment shares proposed plan with Surrey mayor
Newton casino rebuild forges ahead
Laurae McNally says Surrey won’t alter its education calendar
by Kevin Diakiw by Sheila Reynolds and Tom Fletcher
PLANS FOR a Newton casino are forging ahead and look even
more ambitious than those previously considered by city council, Surrey’s mayor says. The 7093 King George Blvd. property has had a long and troubled history. In 2009, Boardwalk Gaming promised a $25-million investment that would see a revitalized mall and community policing station in exchange for a lucrative zoning change that would allow slot machines at Newton Square Bingo Country. The rezoning was in violation of Surrey’s existing gaming policy, but it passed on a five-to-four vote. Last June, Boardwalk flipped the property to Gateway Casinos and Entertainment, which now has the legal authority to fire up slot machines, but no obligation to invest the $25 million Boardwalk had promised. Until now, very little work has been done except on the interior of the building, which Randy Sears, marketing officer for Gateway and executive manager for Starlight Casino, says has been extensive. “We’ve got a lot of work to do on the building, so we’ve had some contractors in there, smartening the place up and re-doing the wiring and getting it up to code,” Sears told The Leader last week. He said nothing firm has been regarding more ambitious Dianne Watts decided construction. “We’re exploring all options, but we’re really not committing to anything at this time.” However, Mayor Dianne Watts met with Gateway on Thursday to look at rough drawings of the plans to completely renovate the mall and casino. “The architectural drawings are almost completed and by the looks of things, they will be redeveloping the entire site,” Watts said. She said the Gateway plan is more ambitious that the one pitched by the previous owner. “Boardwalk was just going to do some façade work on those old buildings,” Watts said. “Right now, they’re looking at redeveloping the (entire) mall.” How soon the work will happen is as yet unclear.
“... by the looks of things, they will be redeveloping the entire site.”
Canine choreography Afghan hound Zerin, 4, (above) hops over owner Leah Blackwood during Prancing Paws 2012, a canine musical freestyle and dressage competition held by Paws 2 Dance at Shannon Hall on the Cloverdale Fairgrounds on Saturday. At right, Grazyna Pstrong directs her dog Lina during a rollover choreographed to the song ‘What a Feeling.’ For more information about the club, visit www.paws2dance.com BOAZ JOSEPH PHOTOS / THE LEADER
WHILE MUCH fanfare has been made about school districts now being able to alter their school calendar, the head of Surrey’s school board says that’s always been the case. “It’s not new,” said Laurae McNally, chair of the Surrey Board of Education. The discussion about school calendars came about Thursday after Bill 36, the School Amendment Act 2012, was passed in the B.C. legislature. According to a Ministry of Education press release, the legislation eliminates the Standard School Calendar “to enable boards of education and education authorities to offer more creative scheduling options Laurae McNally that better meet the needs of their students.” McNally said Friday that B.C. school districts have always been allowed to propose the concept, as long as they consulted parents and staff. The only difference now, she said, is districts don’t have to get ministry approval to do so. In fact, Surrey floated the idea two years ago, inviting public input on shortening summer vacation and instead spreading school breaks throughout the year. But the conversation was shortlived. The idea received such an overwhelmingly negative response that the school district abandoned the idea almost immediately. Parents opposed to the so-called balanced calendar were concerned about high school kids being unable to get summer jobs, the impact on family
See RESIDENT / Page 3
Editorial 6 Letters 7 Classifieds 19
See BILL 36 / Page 4
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