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<\/a><\/p>\nOne lucky Tyee reader will get to choose from six great reads for kids and teens.<\/p>\n
Her challenger is her bitter rival and one-time running mate, former mayor Doug McCallum, a politician who has also seen his fair share of drama and controversy. In 2022, Locke defeated McCallum by just under 1,000 votes<\/a>. <\/p>\n \u201c\u2018They do not like each other\u2019 might be the understatement of the year,\u201d said Ross Michael Pink, a political science professor at Kwantlen Polytechnic University. <\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ve got this tremendous battle between Locke and McCallum, who [have] very different philosophies politically and very, very much dislike each other.\u201d <\/p>\n Public safety and policing, prominent issues in the 2018<\/a> and 2022<\/a> campaigns, remain two of the hottest topics heading into this month\u2019s municipal election, with several<\/a> parties<\/a> emphasizing<\/a> one or the other in their platforms. <\/p>\n
The saga<\/p>\n If you go back a few decades, Surrey had a tough reputation for crime and poverty, Pink said. Now, the city is growing and becoming \u201csocially, culturally, economically stronger as a community.\u201d <\/p>\n But that transition can come with some growing pains. Just look at the most recent council term.<\/p>\n There\u2019s been progress on the SkyTrain expansion<\/a> to Langley and investments for new recreation facilities and roads<\/a>. The city also welcomed the first new medical school in Western Canada since 1967<\/a>. <\/p>\n However, a litany of other headlines shows divisions within the community and other agencies.<\/p>\n During Locke\u2019s administration, the city spent more than $1 million to stop the Surrey police transition<\/a>. There were requests for judicial reviews of some high-profile decisions: firing the chief<\/a> of the new police force, and a land swap<\/a> to build a new arena.<\/p>\n The city even broke with the rest of the region when mayor and council unanimously voted to leave<\/a> a long-term growth plan led by Metro Vancouver.<\/p>\n News from the campaign trail could make for a stand-alone episode of Parks and Recreation: McCallum alleges the city removed election signs<\/a>, while mayoral candidate Linda Annis is being sued by a resident for a dog bite<\/a>. <\/p>\n Locke, a former city councillor and BC Liberal MLA, made her first pitch for the mayor\u2019s chair in her successful 2022 campaign. <\/p>\n Running with Surrey Connect, Locke pledged to \u201cdismantle<\/a>\u201d the new municipal police force and keep the RCMP, saying that the decision would save the city $500 million. Once elected, she tried taking legal action<\/a> against the province to keep the RCMP but has since backtracked and voiced her support for the municipal force, the Surrey Police Service. The province kicked in $250 million<\/a> to help pay for the transition. <\/p>\n That hasn\u2019t ended the saga, though.<\/p>\n In June, Surrey police Chief Norm Lipinski was dismissed following consultation between the province and the city, which also resulted in the replacement of five other members of the police board. Lipinski has since filed a petition<\/a> and requested a judicial review<\/a> for his dismissal, alleging that the decision was \u201cmotivated by extraneous political considerations\u201d and that Locke was involved in his dismissal. Locke has denied involvement in the decision. <\/p>\n Policing is not the only controversial topic over the last four years. <\/p>\n Near the end of her term, Locke announced plans to build a $360-million, 10,000-seat arena and entertainment district in City Centre with the Western Hockey League\u2019s Vancouver Giants serving as anchor tenant. The property was acquired through a land swap, leading some mayoral candidates to call for greater transparency<\/a> on the deal and question the tax burden<\/a> that may be placed on residents. <\/p>\n Surrey agreed to swap three city-owned properties with Wesgroup Properties<\/a> for the 5.1-acre site in City Centre. McCallum then claimed Locke bailed out<\/a> the land developer, alleging the property wasn\u2019t worth the price tag. Locke denies McCallum\u2019s allegations.<\/p>\n In this campaign, Locke is committing $625 million to recreation and community facilities, has ambitions of expanding three major parks and building 12 new ones and is promising to develop a $350-million public safety campus that will train and prepare more police and fire and emergency workers. All in all, the Surrey Connect platform is pledging nearly $1.5 billion<\/a> towards five key priorities. <\/p>\n Elsewhere on the ballot, McCallum has re-entered the fray. McCallum previously shook up the city in 2018 with promises to cancel a planned light-rail transit line in Surrey and build a SkyTrain line to Langley instead \u2014 a project that is expected to be finished in late 2029<\/a>. He also promised to replace the RCMP with a Surrey police force. McCallum carries baggage from a 2021 incident: he was accused of lying to police when he claimed a political opponent ran over his foot with her car. He was later found not guilty<\/a> of public mischief.<\/p>\n McCallum\u2019s current campaign has a focus on keeping taxes low. He\u2019s promising voters there will be a zero per cent<\/a> tax increase for the duration of his term, if elected. His promises also include<\/a> a helicopter and drone fleet for the Surrey Police Service, an independent audit of the city\u2019s land deals and expansion of the SkyTrain to Newton. <\/p>\n Some mayoral candidates have wondered how McCallum plans to realize those goals without a tax increase<\/a> for four years. <\/p>\n <\/a> <\/p>\n Who Will Fix Vancouver\u2019s Broken Pools and Crumbling Community Centres?<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tread more <\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n McCallum has also pledged to provide city land to the province for a new general hospital<\/a> in Surrey, which Kwantlen Polytechnic\u2019s Pink thinks could tilt the election his way. (Locke\u2019s Surrey Connect party has said it would provide the province a \u201cpiece of city land<\/a> to build a women\u2019s and children\u2019s hospital in Surrey.\u201d)<\/p>\n Health care and crime are two of the biggest issues in this campaign, Pink said, suggesting the general hospital and public perception that McCallum is \u201ctougher on crime than Locke\u201d could play in his favour. <\/p>\n While Locke and McCallum are the top contenders, five other candidates are looking to post an upset: <\/p>\n
Haroon Ghaffar, a former journalist who ran for the BC NDP in Surrey South in 2024, agrees that public safety is a recurring concern for Surrey voters, heightened by the spike of extortion threats<\/a> in South Asian communities in the city and across the country<\/a>. <\/p>\n Voters may also be curious about the ongoing police transition. However, with the transition underway, Ghaffar thinks it\u2019s time for the city to look ahead and not behind. He wishes all levels of government would come together to map out what infrastructure \u2014 schools, transit, hospitals \u2014 is needed for Surrey and other growing communities in B.C. <\/p>\n <\/a> <\/p>\n Please Advise! Two Elections? How Do I Find My Way?<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tread more <\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n \u201cHow many people are coming next year in the province? How many are expected to stay in what city? What infrastructure do we need for them?\u201d Ghaffar said. <\/p>\n Most concerns from Surrey voters are universally felt across the province, he said. <\/p>\n As with people living in other municipalities, the affordability of housing, groceries and gas is top of mind. \u201cI\u2019m paying almost 50 per cent of my income as my shelter costs. It affects everything from groceries to gas,\u201d said Ghaffar, who currently works as director of community and media relations with the province. <\/p>\n Surrey, however, does have an infrastructure deficit \u2014 public transit, health care, education \u2014 that amplifies those concerns, he said. <\/p>\n The city is one of the fastest-growing communities in Canada, placing strains on already overcrowded local health-care<\/a> and school<\/a> systems. <\/p>\n Ghaffar believes the province has made progress on both issues, but concerns remain. For instance, he said, public transit and affordability are keystones in Surrey. <\/p>\n Many neighbourhoods, including his own, are not connected and need more reliable transit. <\/p>\n \u201cI have to walk 1.4 kilometres to the nearest bus stop,\u201d Ghaffar said. \u201cWe should connect the whole city with transit and then increase buses, rapid transit, SkyTrain.\u201d <\/p>\n For others in a similar circumstance, they likely need to own a car, which may raise their cost of living, he added. <\/p>\n
Eyes on the field<\/p>\n All eight current city councillors are running again this year, including Annis, who received the most votes among council candidates last election and is now vying for the mayor\u2019s seat. <\/p>\n Her party, Surrey First, includes Mike Bose, the only incumbent who is not running with either Surrey Connect or the Safe Surrey Coalition, Locke\u2019s and McCallum\u2019s respective parties. <\/p>\n Half of the eight previous councillors are running alongside Locke. Two have sided with McCallum. (Locke successfully ran for council with McCallum\u2019s Safe Surrey Coalition in the 2018 election, before leaving the party one year later after citing dysfunction<\/a>.)<\/p>\n The newcomers looking to unseat the city\u2019s major parties are focused on a variety of similar talking points, including public safety, health care and transit. <\/p>\n <\/a> <\/p>\n BC\u2019s Hospital Crowding Problem Isn\u2019t Improving, Data Shows<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tread more <\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Randhawa\u2019s Conservative Party of Surrey is appealing to seniors and families with a \u201ccitywide public washroom access plan\u201d and a goal to build a new hospital in Newton, among other promises<\/a>. The party also wants parental consent on SOGI 123 \u2014 a tool to help educators make schools inclusive for all sexual orientations and gender identities \u2014 by establishing a parent-led committee to review classroom materials on gender and identity topics. <\/p>\n Imagine Surrey, led by former MLA Starchuk, is promising to finish the police transition with a public deadline<\/a> and build a new Surrey stadium district<\/a> \u2014 just not the one that Surrey Connect recently announced with the Vancouver Giants. <\/p>\n Van Vliet\u2019s Surrey Now is focused on development of housing and schools<\/a> and public safety. Surrey Now also promised no tax hikes for four years. <\/p>\n Elsewhere, Surrey First<\/a> is keen to complete the police transition and increase government transparency. Newcomer New Surrey+ has ambitious plans<\/a> to expand transit and introduce a rent-to-own program. <\/p>\n A handful of independents are also running for council. <\/p>\n Ultimately, Pink expects the vote to be a nail-biter. He thinks voters will flock to Locke or McCallum due to their name recognition and the fact they have recently served mayoral terms. Many voters may not read through a whole party platform, but \u201cthey will remember a name,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s going to be a very close election,\u201d Pink said. \u201cWe\u2019ll see.\u201d
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\nLinda Annis, a two-term city councillor who also serves as executive director of Metro Vancouver Crime Stoppers.
\nMike Starchuk, a former BC NDP MLA who represented Surrey-Cloverdale from 2020 to 2024. He also served on Surrey city council from 2014 to 2018.
\nHonveer Singh Randhawa, a lawyer who ran for the Conservative Party of BC in Surrey-Guildford in 2024 and fell 22 votes shy of winning the riding.
\nTroy Van Vliet, a developer who is running for office for the first time.
\nIgal Ammons II, a family counsellor and author.
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<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It\u2019s been a tumultuous four years in Surrey. Mayor Brenda Locke, who is running for re-election, has weathered…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":932433,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194299],"tags":[197319,49,48,217429,227758,320002,274968,320003,201838,310490,320004,201839,320005,258019,320006,227760,320007,87674,205275,307184,204709,320008,194486,219877,320009,112897,320010],"class_list":["post-932432","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-surrey","tag-brenda-locke","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-conservative-party-of-surrey","tag-doug-mccallum","tag-haroon-ghaffar","tag-honveer-singh-randhawa","tag-igal-ammons-ii","tag-imagine-surrey","tag-linda-annis","tag-mike-bose","tag-mike-starchuk","tag-new-surrey-party","tag-norm-lipinski","tag-ross-michael-pink","tag-safe-surrey-coalition","tag-sogi-123","tag-surrey","tag-surrey-connect","tag-surrey-election","tag-surrey-first","tag-surrey-now-party","tag-surrey-police-service","tag-surrey-police-transition","tag-troy-van-vliet","tag-vancouver-giants","tag-wesgroup-properties"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/932432","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=932432"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/932432\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/932433"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=932432"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=932432"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=932432"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}