Mayor Brenda Locke is seeking re-election this October 17, 2026, campaigning to continue the progress made by Surrey Connect over the past four years.
Q1. As you seek another term this October, what do you believe are the three strongest reasons Surrey residents should give you another four years as mayor?
My Surrey Connect Team and I have delivered 140 more police officers in 2025, a $250,000 extortion-reward fund, and a clear plan to add hundreds more public-safety staff. Second, we advanced a record $1.6 billion in capital projects: the Newton Community Centre, major roads, and the Surrey-Langley SkyTrain, while cutting the average housing permit wait time from 16 weeks under Doug McCallum to four weeks under my administration. Third, we kept tax increases among the region’s lowest while growing jobs and fighting for fairer Metro Vancouver representation.
Q2. Looking back at your first term, where do you believe the city has made the most progress, and where do you acknowledge there is still significant work to be done?
We made significant progress on housing approvals, road and sidewalk delivery, and moving along the police transition. Permit times dropped sharply, and we delivered major capital projects like the Cloverdale Sport and Ice Complex. Our Surrey Connect Team funded 140 new police officers in 2025 alone, and we have a plan to hire 560 additional public safety personnel over the next five years. Not just police, but bylaws, fire and other support staff who can address a spectrum of public safety issues.
Q3. Affordability remains a major concern for residents, and your opponents have criticized increases in property taxes during your term. You’ve said freezing taxes would mean cutting services and staffing. How do you strike the right balance between keeping taxes manageable and funding the services Surrey needs?
Freezing taxes while Surrey’s population and demand for services continue to grow forces service cuts or deferred maintenance that costs more later. During Doug McCallum’s last term, we saw capital projects deferred and a hiring freeze that meant no police officers or firefighters were hired. That is reckless, and I won’t allow that to happen under my watch. The balance is disciplined spending, process efficiencies, senior-government partnerships, and growing the tax base so existing residents are not overburdened.
Q4. Public safety continues to weigh heavily, particularly amid shootings and extortion cases. If re-elected, what more would you like to see done at the municipal level?
We certainly don’t need a Mayor and Council who will freeze taxes and require cuts to spending on public safety. What we need is a team who will complete our multi-year public-safety plan: hundreds more police, firefighters and bylaw officers, expanded public safety facilities in City Centre, South Surrey and Cloverdale, a new police training campus, and better tools against extortion and organized crime. Stronger local partnerships with businesses, clearer performance reporting, and continued pressure on the province for faster justice outcomes will help residents and shop owners feel safer.
Q5. The new 10,000-seat arena is one of the biggest projects being undertaken by the city. Why do you believe this is the right investment at this point?
Every major city has a major arena. With a population of 740,000, it’s time Surrey had one as well. That’s why we are building the 10,000-seat City Centre arena, which sits across from City Hall and SkyTrain, secured through an independently appraised land swap. At a $360-million net cost, it will host the Vancouver Giants, concerts and events, generate projected $2.4 billion in benefits, and stop exporting Surrey’s entertainment spending to other cities. Residents of Surrey should be able to experience world-class entertainment in their own city.
Q6. You have been vocal that Surrey does not receive adequate representation within Metro Vancouver. What specifically needs to change, and why should this matter to an average resident?
Surrey’s population and growth are not matched by real influence at Metro Vancouver. The weighted voting system falls far short of proportional representation. Belcarra, with under 1,000 people, still gets a guaranteed vote while we remain under-represented. Capping directors at three does nothing to fix that. We need governance that reflects actual population, ends scope-creep, controls costs, and delivers transparency. That is why we called for a public inquiry. This matters because regional overruns and unfair decisions land straight on Surrey tax and utility bills. Residents deserve a real seat at the table and a Metro that gets back to its core mandate.
Q7. What is your vision for ensuring Surrey grows into a complete city rather than simply a bigger one?
A complete city pairs new housing with the roads, transit, parks, recreation centers and public-safety facilities people need every day. We have expanded parks and recreation infrastructure, advanced the Surrey-Langley SkyTrain, major road projects and the Newton Community Centre, and expanded police and fire capacity. My vision is to keep that momentum: finish the infrastructure already underway, and deliver parks and infrastructure in growing neighborhoods so Surrey becomes more livable, not just larger.
Q8. What do you believe your administration has delivered that Surrey residents can see and feel today?
My team and I have made record investments in infrastructure across Surrey. $1.6 billion in investment to be exact. These investments, many of which are complete, include road widenings on 16 Ave, 24 Ave, 32 Ave, 64 Ave, 80 Ave, 132 St, 140 St, 152 St, 192 St. We are widening and extending 72 Ave to create a new east-west connection across Surrey. We have added new parks, advanced major projects like the Newton Community Centre and Cloverdale Sport and Ice Complex, and we’re just getting started. When re-elected, we are building three new ice sheets in South Surrey and a new Aquatic Centre for Cloverdale and Clayton. Residents already see faster housing approvals, new sidewalks and roads, SkyTrain construction, recreation projects, more police officers, and comparatively moderate tax increases.
Q9. What is the biggest commitment you are prepared to make to voters for a second term?
My biggest commitment for a second term is finishing the public safety buildout and delivering the major projects already underway so people experience a safer, better-served and more complete city. We are delivering for Surrey, and we are doing it while keeping taxes amongst the lowest in the region.
Q10. Your political opponents have questioned the city’s financial management. How do you respond to those criticisms, and what assurances can you give taxpayers about financial accountability?
We have a solid record. Staffing at City Hall is lean: despite having a similar population to us, Vancouver has over 11,000 city staff while Surrey has less than 5,000. We have kept tax rates among the lowest in the region. Doug McCallum should really take a look in the mirror. His last term was complete chaos, and he delivered very little for our city. He did sell off hundreds of acres of city land and froze the hiring of police officers. He promised a 0% tax increase, but still raised taxes. I will take my record over McCallum’s any day.