Jinny Sims and her Surrey Forward are accusing mayor Doug McCallum and councilor Brenda Locke of voting together to eliminate the Surrey City Development Corporation.  Sims and her Surrey Forward team said they propose a comprehensive audit of the decision – who benefited, who lost and what the overall economic impact has been for the City of Surrey since the dissolution.

By DESIBUZZCanada Staff

SURREY – Jinny Sims and her Surrey Forward are accusing mayor Doug McCallum and councilor Brenda Locke of voting together to eliminate the Surrey City Development Corporation.  

Since its dissolution, questions have centred on whether this decision was in the best interest of taxpayers, a way for the City of Surrey to balance its budget or a way for those close to McCallum and Locke to gain economic advantage.

Sims and her Surrey Forward team said they propose a comprehensive audit of the decision – who benefited, who lost and what the overall economic impact has been for the City of Surrey since the dissolution.

 “These development corporations exist in virtually every major city,” said Jinny Sims, Mayoral candidate for Surrey Forward. “They create business opportunities with developers, enable the City to participate as a partner reaping long-term financial rewards and speed up the revitalization process.”

 “Brenda Locke and Doug McCallum both have hidden behind the in-camera nature of this decision. They owe residents of Surrey a full accounting of the decision and its impact on the cost of living.”

 “I strongly feel that the City of Surrey needs a seat at the development table,” continued Sims. “A fully owned corporation allows the City to partner to create projects that benefit the entire city, not just the developer. Projects like 3 Civic Plaza produce surpluses for the City, creating value in that immediate community.”

 “What happened to the $250 million in assets? Where did the $30 million in dividends go? And, as Anita Huberman from the Surrey Board of Trade said at the time, ‘what (is) Surrey’s future economic strategy?’”

Should the audit be completed and show that the City of Surrey has lost investment, jobs, return on investment or any other opportunities, Surrey Forward will immediately recreate the Surrey City Development Corporation.

Sims said losing $30 million in dividends is the equivalent of a 6% property tax increase on Surrey property owners.