Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke introduced two new council candidates Thursday evening who will be running under the Surrey Connect banner in the October 17 civic election with herself and incumbent councillors Harry Bains, Gord Hepner, Pardeep Kooner and Rob Stutt.
New to the fold is Ron Tepper and Noemi Victorino. Locke introduced them during a Surrey Connect event March 5 at The Gables in Panorama.
“Both of these women are incredible, and we are so happy to have them join Surrey Connect – welcome to the team Rona and Noemi,” Locke said.
Tepper is a long-time Surrey resident, mother, RCMP victim services case worker and station leader for the local marine search and rescue. Locke described her as an “impactful community volunteer across a number of great organizations in the city” including the Ocean Park Community Association and the Crescent Beach Swim Club.
Victorino is the executive director of Harvest to Hope, an outfit that helps people in need obtain healthy food. She’s also a mother, has worked in a leadership role within the federal government Locke said, “most notably serving as a Senior Officer of Trade and Compliance with the Canadian Boarder Services Agency.
“Noemi is a passionate volunteer, including serving in various roles in organizations that help empower women and girls,” Locke said.
Locke told her audience that serving as Surrey’s mayor is an “incredible privilege, and every day I carry that responsibility with pride, humility and determination.”
She said when her team was elected in 2022 it came in with a clear purpose to “restore focus, fairness, accountability and provide strong leadership that would get results.
“And that is exactly what we have done,” she said. “People often ask me what my vision is – but it isn’t my vision, it is your vision and together we have and will continue to set a path of success for Surrey. Together we will accomplish some amazing things.”
Since being elected mayor with a Surrey Connect majority, Locke said, the city under her watch has made major investments in transportation, “advocating for better transit, supporting RapidBus and the SkyTrain expansion, and helping ensure that about half of Surrey residents now live within a 10-minute walk of frequent transit.
“At the same time, we committed close to $300 million to major transportation infrastructure, including the 72nd Avenue expansion that will finally create a major east-west connection our city has needed for decades, major road widenings like 32 Avenue, 64th Avenue, 132 Street, and 152 Street,” she noted.
“We also created five new city-assisted truck parks, adding more than 400 parking spaces.”
Council under her mayorship has added more than half a billion dollars of investment in parks, recreation and culture projects and delivered the Bear Creek Stadium, first two sheets at the Cloverdale Sport & Ice Complex and has moved forward “transformational projects” such as the Chuck Bailey Recreation Center Expansion, $310-million Newton Community Center.
“This summer, we will complete a new ash-scattering pier on the Fraser River – a meaningful and compassionate addition that will give families a peaceful place to remember and honour their loved ones,” Locke added.
“We have modernized development and permitting, introduced better technology and faster processes and helped drive a reported 75 percent reduction in residential permitting timelines.”
Locke noted that Surrey has since 2023 approved more than 15,000 new housing units through building permits, representing “nearly $7 billion in construction value, with more than 40,000 additional housing units conditionally approved through rezoning.
“And in Bridgeview, we advanced a project that will deliver more than 400 units of affordable rental housing.”
Concerning public safety – which she described as “without question” a top priority in Surrey, Locke said council under her watch worked “very hard to secure $250 million in provincial support for Surrey’s policing transition costs, and we established a new Public Safety Department to better coordinate police, fire, bylaws and emergency management.
“Under this council’s term, we have also strengthened frontline public safety by adding 100 new police officers, 80 additional firefighters, and 40 new bylaw officers,” she told her audience. “Those are real investments in the safety and well-being of our city.”
On the extortion scourge targeting South Asian businesses and residents, Locke said she continues to press other levels of government for resources and “legislative tools Surrey needs to keep people safe.”
She listed among other accomplishments completing a joint venture agreement with Simon Fraser University for Center Block, future home to SFU’s School of Medicine, “the first new medical school in Western Canada in more than 60 years.
“And through private partnerships the first two City – supported medical clinics will open this fall, helping to recruit and retain those medical school doctors and connect tens of thousands of Surrey residents to family doctors,” Locke added. “We have taken bold city-building steps by establishing the City Center Entertainment District and launching the process for a new City Center Arena – a major city-building initiative that will help transform our downtown into a true metropolitan core.”
Meantime, Cloverdale is the subject of long-term planning to make it a “major destination in the region” through the Cloverdale Fairgrounds Master Plan. “And we have done all of this while maintaining a strong focus on affordability and fiscal discipline. In fact, the proposed 2026 property tax increase is just 2.6 percent – one of the lowest in the region. That is what responsible leadership looks like – delivering major results while respecting the people who pay the bills.”
Locke said that this current council has helped Surrey generate roughly 40,000 jobs, “welcomed more than 8,200 new businesses and seen billions of dollars in construction and investment activity.
“That is not talk. That is not symbolism. That is delivery,” Locke said.
“Surrey is not just growing – Surrey is rising.”