The Achieving for Delta slate has announced a safety action plan for the city.
In a press release, mayoralty candidate George Harvie said that during his 17-year tenure as city manager, Delta realized one of the lowest crime rates in the country, with a crime index less than half the rate of neighbouring Surrey’s.
Harvie is pledging to build on that, and “in a time where Delta is up against major regional and national safety issues, he’s making the pitch that he is the only candidate with the team and experience to navigate it all.”
He said, “We can be proud of our excellent record in keeping Delta one of the safest cities to live in – but now, more than ever, we can’t afford to rest on it. In the face of marijuana legalization, a growing regional gang problem, and a national opioid crisis, keeping Delta safe will require steady leadership and bold, innovative thinking. That’s why I’ve worked so hard to recruit a diverse team of community leaders and first responders to our Achieving for Delta team because building out an action plan for a safer Delta is not a one-person job.”
First announced at his campaign launch in May, the plan includes establishing a Public Safety Committee chaired by former Delta fire chief Dan Copeland and former Delta police sergeant Cal Traversy. This committee will work closely with the Delta fire and police department directors and other community representatives to provide feedback on city initiatives to keep Delta safe.
Part of this work will include ensuring that Delta Fire and Police continue to operate with adequate funding, a major reason Copeland made the decision to run on Harvie’s ticket earlier this year.
“As Delta Fire Chief for 11 years, I worked closely with George and Mayor Jackson, and what I saw from them was unwavering support for Delta’s fire and police services, which are some of the most well-funded and best-staffed in the region,” said Copeland. “During the 2016 Burns Bog fire, it was because of this that we were able to fight not only this 55-hectare emergency – but another barn blaze happening simultaneously in west Ladner, while stopping the bog fire from hitting Tilbury Industrial Park.”
Copeland added, "In this moment, I realized how truly important it is to have a well-resourced emergency first response team – and I’m running under the Achieving for Delta banner to build on that.”
Achieving for Delta has also committed to expanding funding for organizations that support families and individuals struggling with mental health and addictions. Re-iterating this commitment at Tuesday’s all-candidates forum hosted by Little House Society, Harvie is the only candidate to announce a plan to invest casino revenues back into Delta while leading an effort to stop money laundering should the project receive final approval by the Province.
In a further effort to protect Delta’s most vulnerable, Achieving for Delta’s plan also includes working closely with a renewed school board to ensure that Delta’s at-risk youth are protected and educated early on the dangers of drugs, gangs, and violence – a topic that Traversy says is close to his heart.
Traversy said that an Achieving for Delta council, led by Mayor George Harvie as chair of the police board, will work harmoniously with the renewed school board, school liaison officers, and other community groups to develop programs that proactively protect children from drugs and gangs on the field, in the classroom, and to and from school.
Copeland and Traversy join Param Grewal, Alicia Guichon, Lois Jackson, and Dylan Kruger on the Achieving for Delta council slate. Erica Beard, Daniel Boisvert, Jessie Dosanjh, and Sujay Nazareth are running for school board.
Delta voters will head to the advanced polls starting this Saturday, Oct. 6, with more advanced voting opportunities falling on the 10th and 11th. General voting takes place on October 20
