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Thank You and Good Night - Sea Festival Closing Fireworks

See you next year for the 75th version

Where You Can Vacation And Be Home The Same Day

 

 

 

 

 

Yell It Like It Is

We all will remember how we felt when we heard the news of the terrible tragic event at the Vancouver Lapu Lapu festival, when a man made it past the safety barriers and roared down a closed roadway packed with people. Eleven people died, dozens were injured many of them hospitalized. The Provincial government was quick to respond. An inquiry was ordered and the findings and recommendations were released in short order.

Some of the recommendations are listed below.

 

The Six Recommendations 

Retired B.C. Supreme Court judge Chris Hinkson led the independent commission. He was tasked by the provincial government to report back with his findings by June 30. The report is dated June 26.

Yung said the provincial government accepts the intent of the recommendations and will be working through them to determine how best to implement them.

"This is about keeping people safe, supporting people maintaining public confidence in the safety of our gatherings with our friends families and across the city and across the province, because everyone deserves and should be safe."

1. Risk assessment in event planning

In the first recommendation, the report noted that all public events in the province regardless of size should be support by a risk assessment.

The recommendation notes that while it doesn't need to complex, it should consider the event's scale, location, activities and potential hazards. It adds that it should also evaluate existing safety measures, identify any gaps and assign clear responsibilities for emergency planning, access and crowd management.

The risk assessment could be prepared by event organizers, municipal staff, or collaboratively, depending on local capacity.

2. Clarifying jurisdictional roles in event oversight

Hinkson said the province should establish clear criteria for consultation that defines the roles and responsibilities of all parties involved in the event planning, approval and emergency response. He adds the framework should determine who's in charge of decision making and how to coordinate between event organizers, municipal and regional governments, first responders, provincial agencies, and Indigenous authorities.

The report points to adapting elements of the United States' National Incident Management System.

3. Training for planning support and a centralized hub

4. Support for event delivery and local capacity

5. Foster local collaboration on event safety

6. Promote learning through event evaluation

 

Last Saturday evening July 26, I was tasked with delivering greetings on behalf of the city at the Salsa Dancing By The Pier evening in Memorial Park. This was the second such event I attended on behalf of the city this summer. Both events were packed with hundreds of dancers in Memorial Park enjoying our beautiful seaside.

When I left the event I couldn't help but notice the safety bollards dotted along the entrance to the park along Marine Drive, were unlocked. The bollards are there to prevent any unwanted vehicle access into Memorial Park. I thought given the recent tragic event at the Lapu Lapu festival this may be a safety violation. I imagined the bollards were unlocked so they could be removed to allow the organizers of the dance to be able to back a vehicle in to unload all their supplies including a transportable dance floor used for the event. I wrongly assumed the bollards would be locked at the end of the event by city staff once the event concluded Saturday evening @ 10 p.m.

On Sunday morning I had a meeting with a business owner on Marine Drive @ 10 a.m. As I walked along Marine Drive I cast my eyes over to check the safety status of the bollards. I was taken back in that the bollards remained unlocked? Again I will take full responsibility that I wrongly assumed city staff would be down there before crowds arrived. I was wrong.

Now knowing we may have a problem I drove down Monday morning to check the lock status. Still unlocked.

I immediately contacted JIM GORDON Director of Engineering & Municipal Operations / City of White Rock. I wished to make Mr. Gordon aware of the situation in order that he possibly would be able direct staff to remedy the problem. In that over the years I have come to depend on immediate responses from Mr. Gordon I was confident the problem was solved. I was in no way directing him to do anything, which of course is not the job of council, but I was confident he would immediately address the problem.

On Tuesday as I was driving along Marine drive I glanced over and was horrified that the bollard locks on two of the bollards were actually danging off of the top of the bollards in clear view. My call to MR. GORDON to follow up on my Monday call was met with a very agitated response. MR GORDON was shocked the problem had not been attended to as he had specifically followed up with the department of the city that was responsible to oversee the safety at civic events. He thanked me and assured me he would address this lapse in safety measures.

It gets worse. On Wednesday the problem still existed, I left a phone message for MR. GORDON. I have yet to receive a reply. The locks have now been installed and it appears there are new combination locks in place of the old original key type locks. The actual reason for combination locks I do not know.

In closing I will revert to a portion of our long time columnist DON PITCAIRN'S editorial in The Naked Truth column which ran back in April where he identified safety problems in White Rock and Surrey's Crescent Beach that clearly allowed a similar event to the LAPU LAPU festival to happen in our community.

Over two months ago on Feb. 24, I wrote a rather chilling column titled "TNT on VAW" that exposed the safety problems at both Crescent Beach and White Rock, which allowed vehicles unauthorized access to the waterfront walkways in both of these seaside communities.  The second paragraph began with "Now most people would not find this alarming but with vehicles being used as battering rams in pedestrian areas throughout the world, I thought this problem needed to be investigated." It ended with "The recent Mr. Chill ice cream van bombing attempt on the W.R. Bennett Bridge in Kelowna in January should serve as a wake-up call to the need for increased security around pedestrian walkways in this country including here in the Semiahmoo peninsula. This is even more important for those areas that attract large crowds for events, holidays or warm summer days." With the "Vehicle As Weapon" ramming attack at the Lapu Lapu festival in Vancouver this weekend, it unfortunately appears that my fears were both accurate and prophetic.

(click here to read the full archived article)

When the article was brought to the aforementioned MR. GORDON much to his credit he immediately put in motion measures to address the majority of the areas of concern Don Pitcairn identified.

So here we are on the eve of our annual Sea Festival where thousands of visitors and residents will visit our waterfront. Fingers crossed all safety measures will be in place.

I for one will be watching.

We can do better. And we should.

DAVID CHESNEY

Editor/Publisher

 

 

 

 

 

Local News

August 04, 2025

Our Man IS On The Job

Prime Minister CARNEY was in Vancouver on the weekend to meet with Premier EBY to discuss forward tarriff steps in the negotiations with the U.S. President.

Newly elected MP for our area ERNIE KLASSEN was front and centre as the Prime Minister and his travelling entrouage visited the Vancouver Pride Parade.

 

Congratulations

Steve "Cowboy" Marsden photo

Christy Fox photo

For the second year in a row The Silver Diamond Dancers picked up an award for BEST FLOAT in the White Rock Sea Festival.

 

August 02, 2025

Charges laid in homicide of 19-year-old Abbotsford man

Charges have been laid following an investigation into a January 2025 homicide in Abbotsford

On January 27, 2025, at 1:52 a.m., the Abbotsford Police Department (AbbyPD) responded to a suspicious occurrence in the 2900-block of Victoria Street in Abbotsford. Witnesses reported seeing a man being assaulted before being taken away in a vehicle.

Around three hours later, the 19-year-old victim was located in the Crescent Beach area of Surrey with severe injuries. On February 1, 2025, the victim succumbed to his injuries at the hospital and the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) assumed conduct of the investigation.

Based on the initial investigative steps, IHIT believed this to be a targeted incident, not related to the BC Gang Conflict.

Update:

Over the past six months, IHIT has been working in close partnership with AbbyPD, RCMP Surrey Provincial Operations Support Unit, Surrey Police Service, the Integrated Forensic Identification Service, BC Coroners Service, the Winnipeg Police Service and Manitoba RCMP Division Major Crime Unit to advance this investigation.

On August 1, 2024, the BC Prosecution Service laid charges against five men in relation to the incident and homicide of the 19-year-old.

The following four individuals have been charged with first-degree murder and forcible confinement, in relation to the homicide:

  • Ravdeep Gill, 21-years-old, residing in Winnipeg

  • Harmandeep Gill, 26-years-old, residing in Brampton

  • Jaskaran Singh, 20-years-old, residing in of Surrey

  • Bipanpreet Singh, 22-years-old, residing in Surrey

Additionally, Inderpreet Khosa, a 19-year-old residing in Abbotsford has been charged with forcible confinement in relation to this incident.

 

July 31, 2025

White Rock Makes The Top 10

Top 12 British Columbia Towns To Visit In 2025 according to World Atlas

Between glistening turquoise lakes, jaw-dropping coastal scenery, and mesmerizing mountainous landscapes, Canada's Pacific Province is renowned for its diverse landscapes. When you combine fascinating cultures, incredible eateries, world-famous vineyards, and various outdoor activities, this extraordinary province makes for the picture-perfect getaway for all kinds of travelers. 

White Rock, a breathtaking beach town on the Canada-US border, is another of the top British Columbia towns to visit in 2025. Soak in the stunning views of Semiahmoo Bay as you wander down the White Rock Pier. Stretching 470 meters into the bay, this extraordinary landmark has a sign marking itself as “Canada’s Longest Pier.” Listen to live music at Blue Frog Studios, a state-of-the-art venue where concerts are held in an intimate and immersive setting. Taste mouthwatering, authentic Mexican food or enjoy delicious Vietnamese cuisine made with fresh, locally sourced ingredients at two local restaurants.

Whistler, Tofino, Nelson, Osoyoos, Pemberton and Golden also made the list as the best cities in BRITISH COLUMBIA to visit.

 

Police arrest man with firearm in South Surrey

Police have arrested a man armed with a firearm in South Surrey (District 5).

On Wednesday (July 30, 2025), at approximately 2:15 pm, Surrey Police Service (SPS) was notified by Richmond RCMP of a man allegedly armed with a firearm in a residence near 158 Street and 20 Avenue, Surrey.

SPS members attended the area and contained the residence with assistance from Lower Mainland Integrated Police Dog Service (IPDS) and RCMP Lower Mainland Urban Patrol Helicopter (AIR1).

SPS trained negotiators made contact with the man and after successful negotiations, he exited his residence and was arrested.

SPS Frontline Investigative Support Team (FLIST) were contacted and are assisting with the investigation.

The man is currently in custody and the investigation is ongoing.

 

July 30 2025

Soft Opening

Surrey's newest facility, Cloverdale Sport & Ice Complex, is conveniently located in the heart of Cloverdale's community.

Parks and Rec. GM Laurie Cavan told Mayor Brenda Locke and Surrey City Council July 28 the city will start putting the building through its paces mid-August.

This facility has two sheets of ice with a third sheet planned, skate and helmet rentals, skate sharpening, multipurpose rooms, food services, and free parking.  

This fully-accessible facility offers registered and drop-in arena programs for everyone in the community from preschool to seniors.

How to register

Drop-in schedules

Sign up for most drop-in activities 72 hours in advance

Join your favourite drop-in activity or find a new hobby! Seniors services and youth membership drop-in activities are exempt. Please note: public skating and swimming do not require 72 hour early sign up. Payment can be made at the time of visiting recreation facilities.

VIEW THE DROP-IN SCHEDULES

 

Nothing To Worry About

Following the powerful earthquake in Russia around dinner time our time last evening, the city of White Rock posted a Tsunami Watch.

Coastal area along the BC coast and the outer edge of Vancouver Island we on alert but there was no concern for Lower Mainland residents.

A Tsunami Watch Advisory has been issued by BC's Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness for the Coast of BC. 

The City of White Rock is not under advisory, and no evacuation is required. 

The following safety measures are in place from Tuesday, July 29 at 11 p.m. until Wednesday, July 30 at 10 a.m.:

  • Stay off beaches and above the high water mark

    Do not access the floating dock off the Pier

  • Stay out of the water as stronger currents are expected 

Stay updated at emergencyinfobc.gov.bc.ca or the National Tsunami Warning Center website at tsunami.gov

 

Surrey Gets New Radio Station

A new radio station has launched in Surrey. Goodbye SPICE RADIO hello SWIFT.

Sudhir Datt launched Spice Radio in 2005 she became the first Canadian woman to receive a broadcasting license from the CRTC. She's also been named Broadcaster of the Year by the British Columbia Association of Broadcasters and is a Member of the Order of British Columbia.

SPICE RADIO signed off this past Friday and instantly the airwaves were filled with a dynamic mix of news, talk shows, music, current affairs, and community programming in a variety of South Asian languages—including Punjabi, Hindi, Urdu, and more. The new radio station will be known as RADIO SWIFT and is located at 1220 on your am radio dial.

(click here to listen to SWIFT'S broadcast day)


Sunday Funnies

(more funnies - click here)

 

Video of the Day

 

From the archives.

The late BRIAN WILSON with his two daughters performing the BEACH BOYS classic (Do it Again)

 

Thought For The Day

 

 

 

 

 

Community Events

 

 

White Rock Bi-Election Nomination Packages

There are two vacancies on White Rock council that need to be filled in September.

For Potential Candidates – Councillor 

Nomination period begins Tuesday, August 12, 2025 at 9:00 a.m. and closes Friday, August 22, 2025 at 4:00 p.m. 

Voting takes place on September 27, 2025

The election results will be made public on October 01, 2025

(Click here for more information and your download form to run for White Rock council)

 

 

 

Tomorrow In THE SUN

TNT The Naked Truth

Don Pitcairn

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

Check the weather in White Rock in real time.

It's always sunny in White Rock 

 

 

East Beach Camera

 

 

West Beach Camera

   

 

 

 

 

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