Petition seeks to unite White Rock and Surrey as a single city | Daily Hive

White Rock Pier. (Chris Allan/Shutterstock)

A group of White Rock residents and business owners is calling for the merger of the small seaside city with neighbouring Surrey, citing what they describe as persistent governance failures, rising costs, and poor transparency at White Rock City Hall.

They argue that the City of White Rock’s small administrative structure is no longer capable of delivering efficient and accountable governance. They contend that integration with Surrey would provide access to larger, better-resourced systems, ultimately improving services and reducing costs for municipal taxpayers.

Among their grievances, they allege double standards in tree-cutting rules for the City and residents, unanswered objections to “taxation and development on unceded Indigenous lands,” blocked emails from critics, and the use of legal threats to deter public questioning.

They also point to steep financial concerns, rising property insurance rates, and a doubling of White Rock’s property tax since 2018.

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These proponents of amalgamating White Rock and Surrey point to the larger city’s more robust administrative capacity, faster permitting systems, and established mechanisms for transparency and accountability. They suggest amalgamation could improve public services, deliver infrastructure upgrades, expand recreational amenities, and make more efficient use of tax dollars through economies of scale.

The City of White Rock is contemplating the construction of a brand-new replacement and expanded White Rock City Hall due to the age of the existing facility, seismic risks, and the need for more space. It was previously noted that its future City Hall requirements for current and long-term growth span a floor area of just 35,000 sq. ft., including new municipal administrative offices and a new City Council chamber theatre.

Recently, following public consultation, the City rejected any further consideration of building a new City Hall at a different location, instead exploring options to redevelop and improve the existing location.

Surrey has a land area of 316 sq. km. and a population of over 660,000 residents — just behind Vancouver. In stark contrast, White Rock has a land area of about five sq. km. and a population of over 22,000 residents.

White Rock is surrounded by Surrey to the west, north, and east, and White Rock Town Centre — its designated downtown area — is immediately adjacent to South Surrey’s Semiahmoo Town Centre.

Launched a week ago, the online petition now has about 100 signatures as of the time of writing. However, this petition effectively requests a reversal of a decision made nearly seven decades ago.

Previously, White Rock was a part of Surrey. White Rock is separate from Surrey because the provincial government approved its incorporation as a separate municipality in 1957, breaking away from Surrey, after years of local dissatisfaction with governance and services.

At the time, residents of White Rock felt they weren’t getting enough attention or infrastructure investment from Surrey’s municipal government, despite paying taxes. There were also strong local identity and community pride factors — White Rock had developed as a distinct seaside resort town with its own business district, waterfront culture, and tourist economy.

By forming its own municipal government, it gained direct control over zoning, public works, policing, services, and other local matters.

Recently, the South Surrey & White Rock Chamber of Commerce merged with the much larger, better-resourced, and more influential Surrey Board of Trade, forming a single new entity called the “Surrey & White Rock Board of Trade.” The merger was driven by a desire to create greater organizational efficiencies and to strengthen the collective voice of businesses and economic interests in the area.

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