Mayor Watts and Surrey First Councillors made taxpayers fork out $30,000 in security costs for fancy summit

CTV News exposed the weasel ways of Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts and her Surrey First councillors on Wednesday when it revealed that taxpayers coughed up some $30,000 for security costs for the private Surrey Regional Economic Summit.

Why weren’t Watts and her Surrey First councillors like Linda Hepner and Bruce Hayne who want to be the next mayor honest with Surrey residents about these exorbitant costs?

Watts had enough money to spend on fancy summits but not enough to pay for extra cops all these years.

CTV said that according to documents they obtained, RCMP officer overtime accounted for about $24,300, while other costs including toilet rentals and lunches for officers cost $5,600.

Speakers at the February event included former Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, former Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou, and former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak.

CTV also noted that in 2011, taxpayers forked out about $45,000 for security costs when former U.S. presidents Bill Clinton and George Bush were the speakers.

With tickets costing $650 a person and with corporate sponsorships, many wonder why the City didn’t cover the costs for the security with those funds as well.

CTV noted that some private events in Surrey, such as the Vaisakhi parade, must repay the RCMP for their security costs. But the Surrey Economic Summit like the Canada Day celebrations are considered to be a city-sponsored event.

So South Asians want to know why they must pay for security costs for the Vaisakhi Parade that attracted as many as 240,000 people this year and generates so much business besides tons of goodwill.

Why these double standards, Mayor Dianne Watts?

South Asians need to be shown more respect by City Hall and they need to assert themselves more.

BY RATTAN MALL