Gill says ‘investing in our kids’ critical to public-safety plan
Surrey First mayoral candidate Tom Gill announced Wednesday part of his public-safety plan for Surrey: free pool, rink and gym access for 125,000 kids and teens under 18.
Estimated to cost $1 million annually, the free access to the city’s recreation facilities is part of a larger, five-year $50-million Surrey First commitment to prevention, intervention and new policing meant to stem the tide of gang violence in the city of 500,000 and the indoctrination of children and teens to gang life.
Gill said he believed the move was a first for a B.C. municipality and there was funding for the multi-year program.
Surrey has an accumulated surplus of $8.5 billion.
The plan includes the creation of a centralized information hub to help parents find anti-gang information and programs with a hotline and website.
“We spend $160 million every year on policing, and we’ll continue to spend more, but I also want to make sure we’re investing in our kids,” Gill said at an announcement in Surrey. “We must take a proactive approach and free access to our facilities is an important step. Regardless of the financial means or where you live in Surrey, kids are going to be able to participate in recreational activities within their community.”
Surrey has 14 swimming pools, five rinks and 11 community centres in Surrey.
Although for years gang violence, shootings and murders have been part of life in the rapidly growing city, the community was rocked by the murders of two teenagers last June who were found at the side of a road in a farming area in the south of Surrey.
Jaskarn (Jason) Singh Jhutty, 16, and Jaskaran (Jesse) Singh Bhangal, 17, both still in high school, suffered gunshot wounds. The pair weren’t known to police, but investigators believe the killings were targeted.
Police have identified all seven murders in Surrey this year as “not random,” targeted or linked to gang violence.
The murders of the two teens sparked a rally that brought thousands of people to City Hall to protest the ongoing violence and launch a call for all parties to work together to stem the violence and prevent kids from getting involved in gangs. Gill noted that it’s known that gangs are targeting children as young as 10 years old.
He said that’s why it’s time to put a focus on prevention and intervention and find a way to invest in and help children make critical choices to become good citizens.
“We understand that kids are getting in trouble from 3-6 p.m., right after school,” said Gill.
Of the $50 million, $30 million will be targeted at prevention and intervention programs.
Gill said he’ll be approaching the federal and provincial government to partner with the city on the public-safety programs, but he’s willing to go it alone for the next five years.
More details on the policing component of the public-safety program will be announced next week.