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If elected, George Harvie pledged to put “Delta families first.” But as the mayor-elect prepares to take office, some are wondering who he’ll be putting second — and if his plans could be discriminatory.

During the election campaign, Harvie pledged to “look at a user fee structure” that is higher for out-of-Delta residents who use the city’s recreation facilities. In a recent interview with The Delta Optimist, he singled out people from Surrey, Richmond and Tsawwassen First Nation, adding TFN was “growing rapidly.”

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“We want to ensure there’s a rate for Delta taxpayers and a separate outside rate,” he told the Optimist. “Delta taxpayers shouldn’t be paying the entire operational costs for a facility that is widely used by others outside Delta.”

But the pledge has some concerned it could be discriminatory.

Photo by Francis Georgian / PNG

“I’m really disappointed, ” said Rhiannon Bennett, who lives on TFN land. “I understand where this is coming from. They’re seeing an influx of people using their rec centres, but it’s such a knee-jerk response. It adds fuel to the divisions that already exist in our community.”