I went to the National Indigenous People's Day Celebration at the Bill Reid Amphitheatre this weekend in Cloverdale and took the opportunity to visit the many tents with information for the indigenous population living in Surrey. I ended up talking to a member of the Surrey Fire Service and telling them about a fire in Crescent Park last summer next to the #12 Fire Hall that a buddy who was a former VFD Captain found while walking his dog. It was this female firefighter who informed me about the Alertable Emergency Notification System that Surrey has been using for the past three years. What I found really interesting about this app based alert system is that I had never heard about it before. Considering the SFS has made emergency visits to our house three times in the past 17 years, I take fire safety very seriously.
Most people here are quite aware of the BC Emergency Alerts from the tests that come in over our cell phone networks and also for amber alerts. The Alertable Emergency Notification System is different from that and allows you to receive emergency alerts tailored to your specific needs, location and delivered via three different delivery methods that you choose. This Canadian made app can be downloaded for free on OIS or Android from the App Store and you can also get email, text messages or even a phone call. What really makes this system interesting is that the notifications can be tailored by the type of emergency and level of severity. Even more impressive is that you can select many alert locations, including home, work, school, family, friends, vacation spots and more.
A visit to the Alertable website shows the various alerts presently ongoing on a map across Canada. On a side table it lists the current alerts that are in effect, their location and detailed information. When writing this TNT there were alerts for thunderstorms, heavy rainfall, tornadoes, earthquake report, heat warnings, air quality, wildfire, recreational swim advisories, road closures, transportation incidents, drug poisonings, planned power outages, fire bans, and even a report from Athabasca, AB advising residents when their property taxes are due. Looking at the various advisories that were in effect, they did correlate to different emergencies and warnings that I had heard about across Canada through media sources. Alertable is an indispensable tool when travelling, if you own more than one property or are worried about friends or family in an area affected by an alert advisory.
On the subject of community safety here, the Surrey Fire Service operates HomeSafe to help reduce residential fires in neighbourhoods with high fire rates. They do this by providing or installing free smoke alarms, giving out fire safety information and conducting free visits to identify potential fire risks in your home. Your home can be inspected by a firefighter or HomeSafe volunteer to ensure that smoke alarms are properly installed and working, check extension cords for inappropriate use, move heating appliances and candles away from combustibles and look for cooking and smoking hazards. It is important to realize that single family homes are the most common building in Surrey to have fires. For this reason, we have fire extinguishers at every exit point of the house, which are always charged and easy to locate.
Here are some important points to consider when reviewing fire safety for your home:
Smoke alarms need to be changed every 10 years, tested monthly, with batteries replaced yearly.
Working smoke alarms are required by law to be mounted on the ceiling outside of all sleeping areas.
Having anyone under the age of 6 or over the age of 64 in the home increases the likelihood of fire.
Smoking materials at home, located in low socio-economic zones or rural areas increases fire risk.
Half of residential fires are caused by cooking, usually from grease fires or leaving food unattended.
Using space heaters, wrong size extension cords and the burning of candles heightens fire risk.
70% of all structure fires in the City of Surrey occur in people's homes.
Here are some links to emergency alert and fire safety websites from this TNT. Stay safe out there!
Recreation and Culture made a splash at the Hyack Parade on May 24 in New Westminster, where White Rock’s summer themed float won the Mayor’s Award for Best Float!
Huge thanks to the organizers for celebrating our contribution to this vibrant multicultural event!
Look out for it right here in White Rock at the Torchlight Parade during Sea Festival and Semiahmoo Days Aug 2!
Surrey/White Rock residents—did you know this is happening?
A 225-truck, industrial-scale gravel parking lot is being proposed right next to the Little Campbell River, a salmon stream fed by a sensitive, shallow aquifer—and it’s being pushed through using a Temporary Use Permit that skips key environmental protections.
According to A Rocha Canada, the City’s own storm-water management plan says this kind of development is not recommended in this area. The groundwater here supports important fish habitat, and increased runoff could have ongoing impacts on water quality.
Clean fresh water and wild salmon are among BC’s most important resources. They shouldn’t be the price we pay for poorly planned development.
Surrey residents—you currently have an opportunity to let City Council know how you feel about this project. A Rocha has made it easy to send a letter before the June 23 deadline
The Surrey Eagles are pleased to introduce our new General Manager & Head Coach Brian Passmore!
A native of Mississauga, ON, Drafted to the NHL Minnesota Wild 7th round in 2000. Brian played for 13 seasons at the major junior and professional level, including four seasons in the OHL putting up 171 points.
Brian previously served as GM & Head Coach with the Cowichan Valley Capitals & Merritt Centennial’s of the BCHL.
“I want to thank the Surrey Eagles organization for the incredible opportunity to be part of its rich history and tradition of success. Coaching is a true passion of mine, and I’m excited to help our players reach their highest potential both on and off the ice.” - Brian
Plan Your B.C. Holiday Driving
Manning Park Forest Fire Sign 1960's and 70's
People driving throughout British Columbia this summer can get access to reliable road and weather conditions on provincial highways with a newly updated DriveBC platform.
The new DriveBC platform features a simplified map and a cleaner, more intuitive design for desktop and mobile users. A new interactive map replaces the previous mobile text-based layout, offering a more visual, streamlined way to explore road conditions and updates.
The platform integrates provincial and regional travel advisories and bulletins, offering clearer updates on challenging weather conditions, emergencies and other events happening on provincial highways.
The updates are based on feedback from user surveys, interviews, and consultation with the public, commercial drivers and stakeholders. To help the site continually improve, users will be able to provide ongoing feedback.
To help with the transition, users will still have access to the legacy site for a few months: https://legacy.drivebc.ca/
Surrey's National Indigenous Peoples Day Celebration & Wellness Event
Surrey's National Indigenous Peoples Day Celebration & Wellness Event on June 21 at Bill Reid Millennium Amphitheatre.
Hosted by s?myám? (Semiahmoo), q?ic??y? (Katzie), and q???:n????n? (Kwantlen) first nations, this event is an opportunity to acknowledge and show respect and admiration for Indigenous Peoples past, present and future; to share cultural history; and to share spirit, experiences, stories, song, art and dance with each other and the community.
There are also Indigenous Day ceremonies taking place today in Richmond, New Westminster, Maple Ridge, West Vancouver, Burnaby, Langley and various locations throughout Vancouver.
The city if White Rock has heard from hundreds of White Rock residents who shared their insights by completing the first Community Hub survey, which focused on Community Needs and Services. With over 400 responses and many more joining us at public engagement events, your input has been invaluable.
Now, Survey #2 is live! This time, the city is exploring Space Use, Amenities, and Location.
In 2016 58 year old PATRICIA ANN WILSON was found to be unresponsive in a jail cell in the White Rock RCMP lockup.
It is the usual process when a death in police custody happens an inquest is ordered to determine the cause of death.
In a May 2024 report, IIO's chief civilian director Ron MacDonald concluded “that (Wilson’s) death was the cumulative result of poor training, lack of adherence to established policies, the misinterpretation of her symptoms, and the established protocols that invited mistakes by those charged with her care, in particular the police officers and civilian guards.”
The inquest was originally scheduled to begin yesterday (June 16) and continue through to June 25.
There is no further information and no new date has been confirmed at press time.
June 16, 2025
A Surrey business owner who says he’s been the target of extortion-related shootings hosted a public safety forum this weekend. Representatives from all levels of government attended to hear concerns from the public. As Sohrab Sandhu reports, the town hall comes after a surge in reported extortion threats targeting the South Asian community.
A Surrey, B.C., man says two recent shootings at his businesses are connected to ongoing extortion attempts targeting the South Asian community.
Satish Kumar (far right)
Satish Kumar, the president of the city's Lakshmi Narayan Mandir temple, said he received video voice-mails on May 28 from numbers listed as being from Italy and New Zealand that demanded $2 million.
He said he refused to pay and reported it to police at the time, but officials took no action.
Kooner further called on the province to set up a multilingual anonymous hotline to encourage community members to report any extortion attempts.
In response, B.C. Attorney General Niki Sharma told CBC News that residents can already call local police and stay anonymous, and she wants to encourage people to use low-barrier ways to report extortion attempts.
UPDATE June 21, 2025
Surrey Police Service (SPS) officers are investigating a shots fired incident at a business in an industrial area in northwest Surrey
On Thursday, June 19 at 3:00 am, SPS Frontline officers were called to a business located in 12800 block of 116 Avenue for a report of shots fired. Officers arrived on scene and located several bullet casings and damage to buildings and vehicles. Officers determined that there were no injuries to anyone despite staff being on scene at the time of the shots being fired.
This incident took place just under 24-hours after vehicles were damaged at that same location. On Wednesday, June 18 at approximately 3:50 am, suspects used gasoline to damage vehicles but were scared off by on-site security. SPS officers arrived on scene and gathered evidence from this incident as well.
SPS’s Frontline Investigative Support Team (FLIST) has assumed conduct of both investigations. These investigations are continuing and connections to other incidents and potential motives are still being explored.
Anyone with information about this incident should contact the SPS non-emergency line at 604-599-0502 and quote file number 25-50413 (SP) or contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or www.solvecrime.ca.
We'd like to recognize Cst. Damong, Cst. Nijjar, and Cst. Cebryk for their selfless efforts that helped save the lives of 8 people. Early Wednesday morning, officers responded to a call of a suspicious house fire in Newton, Surrey. Without delay, the officers ran into the flaming building and rescued all residents from within, including an elderly couple who were trapped upstairs.
Thank you for your bravery and dedication in the face of danger.
Vancouver singer BARRY GREENFIELD lived an unparalleled journey on his LIFE'S musical odyssey that began in Vancouver.
Best known for his radio hit NEW YORK IS CLOSED TONIGHT, GREENFIELD shares wonderful recollections of where his music took him.
It is all in his newly released book MY JOURNEY TO BLUE SKY.
The sixties and seventies - a period that changed popular music forever.
A period that made the transistor radio the most popular electronic communication device of the age and gave birth to pirate offshore radio stations.
Barry Greenfield's, 'My Journey to Blue Sky' takes the reader on a ride through the halcyon days of music. Beginning in 1968 auditioning for John Lennon at Apple
the halcyon days of music. In 1973, working in Hollywood, where he recorded his first LP, 'Blue Sky'
The Barry Tales he tells are the intimate moments and interesting details he lived while he attended 'music school'.
His teachers and mentors were Cher, John Lennon, Harry Nilsson, 10cc, Supertramp, Kenny Rogers and Monkee Mike Nesmith.
If you are a lover of sixties and seventies music, then for you this is a must read.
Join the City of White Rock for the second Open House for the Official Community Plan (OCP) Update 2025 project on Thursday, June 26, 2025, from 4 to 8 p.m. at the White Rock Community Centre.
Rotary Club of White Rock's
AUGUST CHARITY BOOK SALE August 22-26
Location: Peace Arch Curling Centre, 1475 Anderson St. White Rock - Free Parking available / Bring your own bags.
BOOK DONATIONS VERY WELCOME:
Drop off at blue bin behind Rotary Field house before the sale and at the book sale.
The Rotary Field house is located at 2197 148 St, Surrey, south of the Surrey Eagles Hockey Arena.
Large donations can be dropped off Monday or Thursday mornings 9-11.
According to 
Clean fresh water and wild salmon are among BC’s most important resources. They shouldn’t be the price we pay for poorly planned development.
Surrey residents—you currently have an opportunity to let City Council know how you feel about this project. A Rocha has made it easy to send a letter before the June 23 deadline 
