'Amalgamate' isn't a buzz word, but an 'action' word to be used by Mayor 'Cat' Ferguson in White Rock, & Her Councilors......'
'Amalgamate' is not a buzz word, but an 'action' word and directed to call on citizens and the folks in City Hall of White Rock; the Mayor and Councillors; that it is time to join Surrey.
Living above one's means and having to tax heavily to keep programs and ambitions in check are not components of roads leading to progress and improvements and true sustainability for our city.
Amalgamating..becoming a district of Surrey is not bad. Who really said it would be negative from a residents point of view? Very few object to the idea of the name and identification hence, White Rock - A District of Surrey.
Imagine for White Rock residents to benefit from much of what Surrey has to offer....population, excellent moderate or less costs for leisure services, cutting the fat in the overhead and organisational, administrative costs [budgets] of today's City of White Rock..wow. It would be advantageous for all concerned to join Surrey
http://www.cloverdalebia.com/cgi-bin/itsmy/go.exe?page=7&domain=1&webdir=cloverdale
You can see the above link to a website as an example of how White Rock could project itself; cut the 'bureacrazy' and as amalgamated to Surrey experience huge 'benefit of scale of economy' improvements as White Rock, a District of Surrey never can realize by its meager taxation base today. White Rock can not stand on its own. It's a fiscal and socioeconomical impossibility in the long perspective. Property taxes and parking revenues are the only tangible revenue sources I can see in White Rock today.
I hear about never ending plans and costs to realize and modernize a sustainable community soon ready to put up its sign saying : NO VACANCIES. The longer the Mayor and Council remain in its state of lacking no vision and of utter denial the less attractive it becomes for Surrey to serious consider helping our seaside resort to remain as such; a magnet during summer months getting a high before nosediving into and off-season nirvana on its 'comfortable' sleepcountry mattress of , complacency and mediocre funding to sustain the demands of its citizens; 'do not tax us any more'!
Is the rumour I hear true..does it have substance...I mean that the 'City Vision' of White Rock, is to encourage restaurants and merchants to 'evacuate' and in a five year plan, see, anticipate and encourage an increase and migration, perhaps to up-town and termination of businesses on Marine Drive, from East to West? I can guess businesses, restaurants, gelato/coffe and gift shops to go the road of trying to perform the model of 'business as usual' or will it be another ... ?
Or will the financially still strong stake holders, property owners venture into a business format,perhaps supported by and blessed by the City Council and Mayor 'Cat' Ferguson, and convert and restructure and becoming, as independent property owners, groups to develop and make apartments/condos, a hotel or two and offices left as a legacy.
This instead of the legacy and heritage one may see part of today. I will pre-empt any commentaries to this that may be expressed after reading this. To anyone that may write and speak in response to this; 'Hey, the man is mad and off in more than one dimension; maybe he walks on water too?' But to that I reply and insist that without dreams, man or woman, would be empty, hollow and poor and short of the stuff we call imagination and a vision or two. A dream it may be Times do change. I would hate to see mcuh of the soul of Marine Drive be transformed into a mundane and non-imaginative cluster of cubicles or cells or condos to become inhabited part time or full time and around the clock. Times change.
Ask President Obama or 'Stevie Harpun'. 
Years ago we missed out on applying for a casino which in itself [if it had come to fruition] would have 'saved the bacon', the economy, for White Rock for many, many years ahead. White Rock could have been a Canadian Riviera with its own 'Monaco' by the sea. Who stopped the casino idea? I bet you it was a politician or a a whole gang of them. I'm sure it couldn't have been the maffia or any other benevolent societal organisation.
Another bummer to frown at. Again White Rock missed the train. 'No casino equals no bread in the basket'. This in-spite it [the train BNSF] runs several times a day, back and forth, and is polluting our seaside and jeopardizes our safety should an accident and derailing take place.
White Rock never got its seminar and mini-convention centre to draw business and weekend visitors by its planned commercial and seminars and expo activities and more. It could be a great revenue generator for its owner and business year around, for restaurants and B&B's and merchants.
Each 'core-review' made by the White Rock CFO and CEO and staff and supportive research do unfortunately point in no other direction than to join Surrey. 
Anyone thinking different or otherwise must be suffering from severe denial syndrome or loss of comprehension ability jeopardizing the capacity of 'objectivity in mind', [lack of oxygen so we have to check all those smoking, eh?] when reading what the 'books and reality' cites and is reflected in various of the core- and economical reviews' performed by the city. 'What about us?' many employees and elected may ask. Hey, trust my intuition. A transition period for joining with Surrey would be just fine as is now.
It would likely take White Rock the time that's left on Council's and Mayor's mandate to get its house in order and ready to sign-off to Surrey. That time period of transitional tasks of preparations will be healthy but traumatic and very painful bummer for some but on the other side of the coin [I'm still dreaming..OK?] I can see a sunrise and a clairity in the face of our Queen,never seen since 1957 when White Rock got its papers to 'rule itself'. Times are such that we must face a new era.
Allow presiding Mayor and elected councilors to sit where they are sitting until their time is up. By default and normal process of succession covered in a civil election and official transfer of powers and responsibilities to those left to administer and run the day to day business for the White Rock, as a District of Surrey.
Cloverdale, as an example is not a city, but reports a population of about 60,000 people in the area of service and a vibrant functional business community and a hugely positive and effective 'department' of Tourism, to do the jobs required.
The district of White Rock still has the tasks to brand itself and become known and set up signs so tourists can 'find us'; our merchants by the seaside and up-town. I have been one of hundreds awaiting the signs, for years to be a reality. ;Not yet..not yet...it's about to happen;...is usually the answer one gets from the City of White Rock. White Rock is suffering from the 'some-day-honey' syndrome which in essence in my company means it will be too late for action. Complacency and comfort can be devilish companions when on a mission.
I sincerely had anticipated more from both the Mayor's office and part of Council. It took a year to get into the seat and now two years to adjust for a planned amalgamation process is probably required when reviewing the history of the pace of progress of the present terms as elected.
'An amalgamation is nothing else but an event based on economical and financial factors for White Rock and an issue of improved services for its citizens'. "
Editor 1 Feb 2010
