Our opposition to the crematorium was featured on Global News today. Councillor Linda Annis is the only elected official who is opposed to the crematorium.
We need to keep voicing our opposition because the City of Surrey seems much more favourable to the crematorium in their recent Planning Report (for the upcoming June 23 meeting). The report states:
"RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommend that Council either:
A. Direct staff to continue working with the applicant to continue the technical review of the project, and once complete bring the project forward for by-law introduction.
OR:
B. Direct staff to close the file and work with the applicant to find an alternative site for a future application."
However, this is NOT a recommendation. It is a merely a statement of the obvious: "You can either proceed or not proceed".
This so-called recommendation is a significant departure from the actual recommendation that was made in the previous report (October 30 2023) which is on page 18. In the previous report, the recommendation was clear and strongly worded:
"RECOMMENDATION
The Planning & Development Department recommends that this application be denied."
It seems that the City's Planning and Development Department is succumbing to political pressure and is unwilling to make a recommendation against the crematorium.
So please attend the meeting on Monday:
What: Land Use Council Meeting
When: Monday June 23 , 2025
Where: Surrey City Hall
Time: Be there by 5:00 pm as meetings sometimes start early and move fast. Normal start is between 5:15 pm. The crematorium is number 10 on the agenda.
Attire: Wear an article of white clothing to show opposition and unity.
Also, the City of Surrey is keeping track of how many emails are in opposition, so it's important to write in! Please email your opposition to the City of Surrey at these email addresses.
Mayor and Council: mayor@surrey.ca, doug.elford@surrey.ca, ghepner@surrey.ca, harry.bains@surrey.ca, linda.annis@surrey.ca, mandeep.nagra@surrey.ca, mike.bose@surrey.ca, pardeep.kooner@surrey.ca, rob.stutt@surrey.ca
City Staff: citymanager@surrey.ca, Robert.Ordelheide@surrey.ca, RGill@surrey.ca
Thank you!