Sex offenders living in Surrey is ‘bad for business,’ says Board of Trade CEO
Posted May 23, 2024 10:41 pm.
Last Updated May 23, 2024 10:42 pm.
A woman who speaks for the business community in Surrey is making the case that having sex offenders live in the city is bad for business.
Surrey Board of Trade CEO Anita Huberman made the comments in response to the RCMP’s warning to residents last week that 29-year-old Ezaz Razak, who has served time for sexually assaulting two women in 2017, will be living in their midst. Rezak is the third dangerous sex offender in six weeks to be released into the city.
“There’s some concern here around livability and safety for our workers, for our businesses, for residents,” she told CityNews.
“And so that is most concerning for us from a branding perspective [while trying to] bring business into the city.”
Huberman says her organization has issued a letter to both the Solicitor General and the Attorney General of British Columbia, asking for transparency and accountability as to why this is happening for the third time in recent weeks.
“They need to say that they care about our city,” she said. “They need to say that they’re going to look at this right away.”
Mayor Brenda Locke also released a statement last week, saying Razak is not welcome, and that the province needs to review laws pertaining to the sentencing and release of sex offenders.
