Rasode’s ‘One Surrey’ Team says it will build a safe city

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SURREY Mayoral candidate Barinder Rasode rolled-out an experienced team of community leaders committed to fixing Surrey’s crime problem and making the tough decisions necessary to move the city forward.

“The One Surrey team is united by a commitment to building a safer and stronger Surrey,” said Rasode on Friday. “It’s time for new ideas and new approaches at City Hall – complacency has led to a culture of neglect and residents deserve better.”

Rasode pointed out that the challenges facing Surrey were highlighted earlier this week in a report issued by the SurreyCares community foundation which gave Surrey a D+ in crime and public safety.

One Surrey is anchored by people with expertise in public safety – Kal Dosanjh, a police officer with the Vancouver Police Department, and Merv Bayda, a former RCMP officer.

Rasode also enlisted the help of Canada’s longest serving Chief of Police, Delta’s Jim Cessford, to work with her in drafting a 10-point plan to crack down on crime and make Surrey one of the safest cities in Canada.

“The status quo is not working. We need to stop talking about Surrey’s crime problem and actually take action to fix the long-standing issues that are holding our city back.”

Rasode’s One Surrey team includes:

Maz Artang, Merv Bayda, Mike Bose, Darlene Bowyer, Narima Dela Cruz, Kal Dosanjh, and Brian Young.

The One Surrey team will present a full election platform in the coming weeks which will focus on public safety, transportation, controlling spending at City Hall, and community facilities for families.

 

Maz Artang

Maz has a diversified background, working in both politics and at the executive level of management in the private sector. He currently works as the General Manager of Browns Socialhouse Sunshine Hills where he oversees a multi-million dollar business. He was born and raised in Surrey and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts with a major in communications from Simon Fraser University. He currently lives in Guildford.

 

Merv Bayda

Merv Bayda served as an RCMP officer for over 35 years and has spent the last 10 years working as the Surrey RCMP Auxiliary Constable Program Manager, overseeing 100 auxiliary constables who volunteer over 25,000 hours to safety. For his many years of community involvement, Merv was awarded the Queens Golden Jubilee Medal and the Queens Diamond Jubilee Medal. In addition to working in Surrey, Merv has lived in the community for 17 years, and currently lives in Fleetwood.

 

Mike Bose

Mike’s family has farmed in Surrey for over 100 years and he currently manages the family’s poultry farm. He has chaired the City of Surrey Agriculture and Food Security Advisory committee for 16 years and spent four years as a commissioner with the Agricultural Land Commission. He is currently a director at Surrey Cares and Mutual Fire Insurance, and has previously served as a director of the Surrey Memorial Hospital Foundation. He has coached minor hockey for 24 years and lives in Newton with his wife and two sons.

 

Darlene Bowyer

Darlene has been a small business owner in Surrey for over 35 years. She currently serves on a number of organizations including, President of the Port Kells Community Association, Executive member of Surrey Environmental Partners, Co-ordinator for the Surrey Association of Sustainable Communities, and part of the RCMP Community Consultant Group in Cloverdale / Port Kells. She has previously served as the City of Surrey Heritage Commissioner and on the Tourism Advisory Committee. She was recently honoured with a Queens Golden Jubilee Medal for her community work. Darlene lives in Port Kells with her husband and has two grown children.

 

Narima Dela Cruz

Narima is a passionate community volunteer and a Founding Director of the Surrey Philippine Independence Day Society. She has served with organizations such as S.U.C.C.E.S.S. and Options Community Service Society, and as Vice-Chair of the Johnston Heights Secondary School Parent Advisory Council. She has received numerous awards for community work, including being named one of the Top 25 Canadian Immigrants, and being honoured with the Realtors Care Award for excellent community volunteerism. Narima is a licensed realtor and lives in Guildford with her husband and two children.

 

Kal Dosanjh

Kal is a veteran police officer with the Vancouver Police Department. After serving 15 years as a patrol officer, he recently transferred to the Investigative Division as a Detective. For the last eight years, he has served in the Downtown Eastside. Kal has received numerous policing awards for his dedication, integrity and outstanding performance. He currently serves on a number of community organizations, including the BC Human Rights Coalition and SOAR Philanthrophic Society. Kal is dedicated to empowering youth to make positive life choices, and has spent many years raising awareness about how sports and fitness can help divert our kids from a life of drugs and gangs. He lives in Newton with his wife and two children.

 

Brian Young

Brian is the Chief Operating Officer of the Surrey Golf Club and Delta Golf Club, and is the President of Cloverdale Chamber of Commerce. He is a member of the Ad Hoc Committee for Surrey Schools, and has held the position of president at two different Rotary Clubs, founded a Tourism Organization and served as the VP at Tourism Surrey. Brian is a Business School graduate with under graduate studies at UWO and Graduate studies at Athabasca U. He lives in South Surrey and is the proud parent of two school-aged children.