Randhawa slams \u2018questionable\u2019 land purchase by Surrey<\/p>\n
Published 10:30 am Monday, July 6, 2026<\/p>\n
Conservative Party of Surrey mayoral candidate Honveer Singh Randhawa is claiming city hall paid $6.8 million in a \u201cquestionable transaction\u201d for a 13.07-acre property at 7580 \u2013 152 Street that had been listed for $4.9 million and sat on the market for two years until finally selling for $3.35 million a few weeks before Surrey then bought it for the higher price.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese numbers raise a very simple question \u2013 what due diligence was done before taxpayer money was committed?\u201d Randhawa said. \u201cWhen a property reportedly sells for $3.35 million and then, within weeks, city hall pays $6.8 million, Surrey taxpayers deserve clear answers backed by documents.\u201d<\/p>\n
In response, city hall issued a statement Monday, attributed to its corporate services department, indicating its acquisition of the property next to Surrey Lake Park \u2013 which it\u2019s eyeing for \u201crecreation, park, and environmental purposes\u201d \u2013 was done through a \u201cstandard real estate process that included approximately five months of independent due diligence, market valuation, and review by multiple City departments before being presented to council for approval on May 11, 2026.\u201d<\/p>\n
The City of Surrey\u2019s statement reads that the negotiated purchase price of $6.8 million was \u201csupported by an independent third-party appraisal prepared by Colliers Canada and was approximately $1 million below the appraised market value, representing strong value for taxpayers.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to this statement, a numbered company \u2013 1341678 BC Ltd. \u2013 had acquired the land in 2022 for roughly $6 million \u2013 about $3.4 million above its assessed value at the time \u2013 and then held it until Surrey, which became aware of the property as a potential acquisition late last year and bought it in June.<\/p>\n
Meantime, Safe Surrey Coalition Councillor Mandeep Nagra is calling for a \u201cfull police investigation\u201d into the purchase.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter becoming aware of the full circumstances of how this transaction unfolded, I do not believe it can be brushed aside. Something is not right here. And I am not willing to stay silent while taxpayers are out millions of dollars,\u201d Nagra said. \u201cIf there is an innocent explanation, a police investigation will find it, and city hall has nothing to fear. But if this was corruption, Surrey deserves to know, and the people responsible must be held accountable. The public\u2019s trust is on the line. Only the truth gets it back.\u201d<\/p>\n
Beside his political aspirations, Randhawa is also a corporate, commercial and real estate lawyer. He charged that Surrey paid more than double the $2.9 million he says BC Assessment valued it at.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen market prices are falling and properties are selling below assessment, city hall must explain why it paid more than double the assessed value for this property,\u201d Randhawa demanded. \u201cTaxpayers deserve to know whether independent appraisals were obtained, whether the recent sale history was reviewed, whether the two-year listing period and price adjustments were considered, and how the purchase price was justified.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said this matter is \u201ceven more concerning\u201d given the controversy surrounding city hall\u2019s recent land swap to secure a site in Whalley for a 10,000-seat sports arena.<\/p>\n