A four-member majority on White Rock council has rejected city staff’s recommendation for a $46,000 public engagement process on proposed Official Community Plan (OCP) amendments — opting instead for a simpler $10,000 open house to present the plan summary.
Push for simplicity over cost
At the Nov. 3 meeting, councillors Susan Bains, David Chesney, Christopher Trevelyan, and Anthony Manning voted against hiring consultants Urban Systems for an extensive engagement process.
Instead, they approved Chief Administrative Officer Guillermo Ferrero’s compromise to host a public open house using summary materials developed by Urban Systems.
Coun. Bains had originally called for a two-page, plain-language summary of the OCP to help residents understand proposed changes.
Divided council debate
Mayor Megan Knight and councillors Elaine Cheung and Bill Lawrence opposed the motion. Knight questioned spending $10,000 “for another open house,” while Trevelyan clarified that the public had yet to see the final version of the OCP.
“The public has not had a single opportunity to see the final OCP,” he said, emphasizing transparency before the required public hearing.
Balancing deadlines and public input
Delaying the OCP bylaw’s first readings has already set the city back from its provincially mandated Dec. 31 deadline, but Ferrero said the open house could help the timeline recover by early 2026.
Planning director Anne Berry and Ferrero stressed that summarizing the OCP’s seven interrelated aspects requires professional resources. They argued that isolating topics like building height would misrepresent the plan’s complexity.
What’s next
The open house will present storyboard-style panels summarizing the OCP’s major sections, with staff available to answer questions. The event aims to provide accessible information ahead of the final public hearing, expected in early 2026.
(Source: Surrey Now-Leader, Nov. 5, 2025)
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