Conservatives promising to build a women and children’s hospital in Surrey if elected
Published 12:30 pm Thursday, October 15, 2026
The Conservative Party of BC appears to have borrowed an election promise from Surrey mayoral candidate Doug McCallum to see a third hospital built here if it wins the provincial election.
The party’s leader, Lorne Doerkson announced October 15 that if a Conservative government is elected on October 24 it would build a new Women and Children’s Hospital in Surrey “so families no longer have to travel an hour or more into Vancouver for care.”
Toggling back to the October 17 civic election, on September 21 McCallum’s Safe Surrey Coalition issued a press release under the heading “FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE McCallum to Build a Children’s Hospital for Surrey on City-Owned Newton Land Sept 21 2026.”
Further into that same press release McCallum indicated it would be a full-service general hospital at 6965 King George Boulevard.
McCallum welcomed the Conservative’s promise and also noted that on October 13 NDP leader David Eby committed to working with “Surrey leaders who have offered City land to the Province to build a new health care facility,” a subsequent SSC press release noted.
“Three weeks ago I said Surrey was going to tell Victoria what its priorities are, and that a hospital came first. Both leaders have now answered, and I thank them for it,” McCallum stated.
“This is not a partisan issue in Surrey. Vancouver has six hospitals for 730,000 people. We have one. Our mothers are sent to other cities to give birth, and our children are driven across a bridge because there is no pediatric intensive care anywhere in Fraser Health. Whoever wins on October 24, Surrey’s answer is the same. Good. Now let’s get it built.”
McCallum says if he’s elected with a majority on council it will dedicate the Newton land for the hospital and issue all required City of Surrey permits within 60 days. “The way you get a hospital built is you put the land on the table, you issue the permits, and you never let anyone in Victoria or Ottawa off the hook,” McCallum said.
Meantime, during a campaign stop in Newton on October 7 Doerkson made a vague allusion for voters to stay tuned for a Surrey hospital-related announcement.
“I will say on the Surrey hospital is that we’re contemplating all of that for our platform rollout and we will have definitely information going forward on that,” he said last week.
On October 15 Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke’s campaign joined the fray, calling on the provincial parties to commit to five Surrey asks including a Surrey women’s and children’s hospital.
“These commitments are vital to Surrey’s future and will ensure we have the services Surrey deserves as we become the largest city in British Columbia,” Locke stated in a press release. Her Surrey Connect slate wants the provincial parties to commit to building a second tower at Surrey Memorial Hospital, repeal Bills 44 and 47, legislate a Surrey Charter, ensure reform at Metro Vancouver and “complete an equity review of provincial funding in Surrey versus Vancouver.”
Her press released noted that on October 1, Surrey Connect rolled out its platform and “committed to providing a piece of land to the province to build a Women’s and Children’s Hospital in Surrey” and claimed “Surrey Connect is the only Party to commit to helping build a Women’s and Children’s Hospital.”
“Surrey Connect is calling on all parties to give Surrey the support it needs. For too long, Surrey has been treated as second to Vancouver – it’s time we get the funding and resources we deserve.”
Bill 47 mandates municipalities to designate Transit-Oriented Areas (“TOAs”) surrounding SkyTrain stations and bus exchanges within their jurisdictions with each TOA consisting of three “tiers” of density, with minimum allowable densities established for each tier. Bill 44, aka the Housing Statutes Amendment Act) mandates that cities with populations over 5,000 permit three to six dwellings on residential lots that were reserved for duplexes and single-family residences.