McCallum makes impressive promises at Surrey election campaign event
Published 3:24 pm Wednesday, July 22, 2026
Zero per cent property tax increases for four years. All building permits approved within 60 days or permit fees will be free. A forensic audit of the books at city hall. Affordable food.
These were just some of the promises Surrey mayoral candidate Doug McCallum made at an announcement at 99 South Vineyards in South Surrey Wednesday (July 22), where he also introduced his Safe Surrey Coalition slate for this year’s Oct. 17 municipal elections.
Former Surrey councillor Laurie Guerra, former councillor and naturopathic practitioner Allison Patton, public administration professional Suhana Gill, Our Global Village Charitable Foundation founding president Meera Gill, and former Surrey Now-Leader editor Beau Simpson join current city councillors Mandeep Nagra and Doug Elford to comprise the slate.
In addition to promising a forensic audit of city hall, McCallum also said it’s time for Surrey to break free from Metro Vancouver Regional District, “a sprawling regional bureaucracy that taxes Surrey families and answers to no one.”
“Surrey gets nothing from (Metro Vancouver) but a huge tax bill. So here is my announcement: No more studies, no more task force. We are getting out. We will keep the basic core services, water, sewer, waste. The pipes that have to stay connected will stay connected. Everything else goes,” McCallum said at the announcement. “Surrey is about to be the largest city in British Columbia. We are big enough to run our own affairs. We will keep our money in Surrey.”
McCallum, who current Mayor Mayor Brenda Locke defeated in the 2022 election, said the forensic audit will be one of his first acts if he’s elected mayor.
“My priority is a city hall that is efficient with your money, and that starts with rooting out waste, abuse and fraud,” said McCallum. “Look at what has been happening under the current Mayor. Major land deals done behind closed doors. Public assets traded away with no explanation. Prices that make no sense to anyone who knows this market. And taxpayers still have no answers. So we will get the answers. Your money deserves honest books,” he said.
McCallum also promised all building permits will be “guaranteed (ready in) 60 days. If city hall misses the deadline, your permanent fees are free … because city hall should work at the speed of the people it serves,” he shared. “And for every new business that opens in Surrey, your license fees are waived for the first two years. Mom and Pop shops are the backbone of the city. They create the local jobs.”
McCallum said if elected, he and his slate will create a Farm Local plan to protect Surrey’s farmland from development and allow farmers to sell directly to residents in an initiative that will make food more affordable.
“Every dollar between the farmer and your fridge goes to a middleman. Cut the middleman out and food becomes affordable. Grow local, buy local. This is our plan,” said McCallum, noting the projects being completed across Surrey today “are the result of our leadership and initiatives we put in motion.”
McCallum also promised new pools for Clayton Heights and for city center, and a new community center with a pool for Newton, as well as heritage protection for Crescent Beach and Ocean Park.
He also said if elected, there will be no more in-camera meetings for city council an no increases to Surrey residents’ property taxes for four years.
“There’s lots of areas in our city that we should be looking at to reduce costs. When I was mayor before, I did freeze taxes … for three years.”
A vote for mcCallum and the Safe Surrey Coalition means “affordable food on your table. Honest books at city hall. Your money kept in Surrey. A city government that moves at your speed,” he concluded, noting he has “a coalition standing behind me that has delivered before and is ready to deliver again.”
Other Surrey mayoral candidates include current mayor Brenda Locke (Surrey Connect), Troy Van Vliet (Surrey NOW), Honveer Singh Randhawa (Conservative Party of Surrey), and current Surrey City Councillor Linda Annis (Surrey First).