BUCHOLTZ: Get mayors from other communities out of Surrey’s business
Published 9:00 am Monday, February 16, 2026
Members of Surrey council had little good to say about Metro Vancouver, while discussing conflicts between the regional government and the three major South Fraser cities – Surrey, Delta and Langley Township – at the Feb. 9 council meeting.
Unfortunately, this isn’t a new story. It has been going on for more than 40 years, with no end in sight.
Metro Vancouver (formerly the Greater Vancouver Regional District) has long held the view that politicians from cities far removed from the South Fraser area have special expertise and authority to weigh in on land use decisions. The regional perspective has been that the Metro area needs a co-ordinated planning approach as it continues to grow.
The most controversial and long-lasting interference came in the 1980s over what was known as the Spetifore lands in Tsawwassen. As the land was then in the Agricultural Land Reserve, the province was also involved. Delta council wanted the land developed as urban. Many Tsawwassen residents opposed the plans, and in fact much of the council (including the mayor) was thrown out of office at the next election as a direct result.
The end result was some of the land was eventually developed, with other portions set aside for community use. The long-running controversy did cause the GVRD to lose much of its authority over land use decisions, but it has slowly clawed back some of those powers.
The latest controversy stems from Metro’s response to a June 2025 joint letter from the mayors of Surrey, Delta and Langley Township over a framework which they say interferes in land use planning. The three South Fraser municipalities have most of the available land within the region for housing and employment lands, including industrial parks.
Metro responded with four options, none of which are acceptable to Surrey council. As Now-Leader reporter Tom Zytaruk reported, Mayor Brenda Locke said “Surrey needs to control its own destiny,” noting that the regional board weighs in on where industrial development may take place.
Some of the discussion revolved around the weighted regional voting system. Metro Vancouver has been under a lot of scrutiny for its excessive spending – some of the mayors sitting on the board make more money than the prime minister. While a review of the board structure is underway, little has changed so far.
There are 41 directors on the board, with weighted votes based on population. As some Surrey councillors noted, cities with small populations have undue influence.
Small communities like Anmore (pop. 2,356), Belcarra (pop. 687) and Bowen Island (pop. 4,256) have votes as if they had 20,000 people each – thus having more clout per vote than large cities such as Vancouver, Surrey, Richmond and Coquitlam. Surrey has six members of the Metro Vancouver board, and it has a total of 29 votes. Vancouver has seven board members, with a total of 34 votes.
It is obvious to almost everyone outside the rarified atmosphere of Metro Vancouver’s boardroom that there are far too many directors, making far too much money. Metro Vancouver has been misspending money on a huge scale, most notably on the North Shore sewer plant. Metro taxes go up relentlessly.
If Metro Vancouver is to be reformed, a good place to start after cutting the size of the board would be in reducing or eliminating its role in regional planning. Cities have the staff and expertise to deal with land use decision. Local councils are responsible to their citizens.
Let’s get unaccountable mayors from tiny cities far away from Surrey’s business.
Frank Bucholtz writes twice monthly for Black Press Media publications.