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White Rock pier repair should be an infrastructure priority – Scheer

Conservative leader visits Marine Drive to survey damage, talk business
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Alex Browne photo Conservative leader Andrew Scheer talked about city priorities with local business owners during a meal at Cosmos Restaurant Friday.

Conservative leader Andrew Scheer made a brief stop in White Rock Friday afternoon to talk to local business owners and survey storm damage to the pier first-hand.

And the visit was not without a slap to the Liberal government, with Scheer using the pier as an example of the kind of infrastructure project that he accused Ottawa of being slow to respond to.

“Infrastructure money is not flowing from Ottawa,” he said, adding that a Conservative government would place a priority on White Rock’s need to restore its iconic pier in time for this year’s tourist season.

Escorting him on his brief tour was Kerry-Lynne Findlay, Conservative Party of Canada candidate for the South Surrey-White Rock riding in the next federal election.

At lunch at Cosmos on Marine Drive, Scheer and Findlay chatted with business owners, and former mayors Hardy Staub and Wayne Baldwin and South Surrey White Rock Chamber of Commerce executive director Ritu Khanna.

Then he and Findlay went to the White Rock Museum and Archives building where, using the pier as a background, they shot a brief video for social media use.

“Infrastructure projects were held up as the reason for the government going into a deficit, and yet there are delays on important projects such as this,” Scheer told Peace Arch News.

“There are some unfortunate situations that come along where you really do need responsive action,” he said, adding that the federal government needs to be more flexible to avoid bureaucratic delays that can have serious impacts on communities such as White Rock.

Scheer said he and business representatives had discussed other issues such as the affordability of housing in White Rock and the impact of the high cost of living.

“”We want people to get ahead, not just get by,” he said.

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Alex Browne photo White Rock pier repair should be a federal infrastructure grant priority, Conservative leader Andrew Scheer said during a visit to the city Friday.