Surrey Election: 6 hot topics and where candidates stand

Surrey, B.C.’s second-largest city, will elect its next mayor and city council on Oct. 17.

Postmedia News offers a summary of where the parties fielding a mayoral candidate stand on six key issues. The candidates’ responses to Postmedia’s questions have been edited for clarity and length.

Seven parties are registered in Surrey. New Surrey+ didn’t send responses to Postmedia’s questions and don’t have platform details on these issues. The Conservative Party of Surrey didn’t send responses to the questions; their summaries are drawn from their platform.

Housing: While Surrey provides more of the region’s family housing than some of its neighbouring municipalities, housing remains out of reach for many. How do you plan to address the housing crisis?

Development: The Surrey Langley SkyTrain project provides an opportunity for more development and densification along key transportation corridors. What kind of development do you support? Will you keep the arena plan?

Public safety: Extortions and gang violence continue to be an issue in Surrey. How would you address these challenges as the policing transition continues to progress?

Community facilities: How will you ensure community facilities, including sports, recreation and arts centres, keep up with Surrey’s rapid growth?

Transportation: What are your priorities for new road and transit infrastructure? How will you link city centres?

Taxes: What is your commitment on property tax increases and other taxes set by the city?

Housing: City hall delays and costs always get added to the cost of new homes or development. I will be doing a modernization review at city hall in the first 90 days to see how we can cut red tape, get rid of old and unnecessary bylaws, and put some real time frames around getting approvals.

Development: I will not build the arena due to its cost. I want more local facilities. Surrey kids are on wait-lists for sports teams, swimming lessons and skating lessons. I would look at a conference and performing arts centre at City Centre. The economic benefits are bigger.

Public safety: The transition is in Year 8. Surrey residents deserve better. I want to finish the transition, and stop city hall fighting with our local police service. I want 300 new officers, a training centre to speed up recruitment and training, and I want to make sure our police are fully funded.

Community facilities: I’m committed to a 20-year plan with one new facility in the works every 18 months. I want more pools, parks, rinks and playing fields. And I want to give our Surrey kids and seniors free access to rinks, pools, gyms and community centres.

Transportation: The Surrey-Langley SkyTrain project is a good start. But it’s the first major transportation investment in our city since 1986. I would like to see LRT, which is a fraction of the price, get built quicker and it can increase capacity faster and better than rapid bus.

Taxes: I will carry out a modernization review that begins at the first council meeting after the election. As part of that commitment, there will be no property tax increase in 2027. Taxes have gone up double digits and I doubt anyone feels they are getting extra services or value.

Housing: My team will keep working with staff to cut permit times, streamline approvals and make it easier to build the homes Surrey families need. We will support diverse, affordable housing options while ensuring infrastructure keeps pace with growth. Surrey consistently meets provincial housing targets, and we will build on that progress to deliver more homes, faster.

Development: We support plans to add family friendly homes, amenities, walkable services and green spaces. Building on the King George Hub, this approach supports smart, organized growth for a rapidly expanding city. The arena will move forward and be completed by 2030.

Public safety: Treating extortion as a transnational crime ensures all levels of government act together so Surrey gets the support it needs. Surrey Connect will continue investing in the facilities, equipment and programs that keep our community safe, including a $350-million modern public safety campus.

Community facilities: Surrey is growing rapidly, and Surrey Connect plans to invest $625 million in new infrastructure to ensure community facilities keep pace. By expanding sports, recreation and arts centres — and continuing to build the shared spaces that bring people together — we can support a healthy, vibrant city. This approach ensures amenities grow alongside Surrey’s population and strengthen neighbourhood life.

Transportation: Alongside SkyTrain, we’re delivering Surrey’s first rapid bus, completing the 72nd Avenue extension and advocating for stronger bus service. With $358.5 million invested, plus upgrades to residential streets, traffic calming, pedestrian safety and bike lanes, this plan strengthens City Centre links and supports active transportation for a growing Surrey.

Taxes: The party did not respond to Postmedia’s question. In the party’s platform, they say they will keep property tax increases at or below the rate of inflation. The party says that without increases, services will be cut, projects will be cancelled and hidden taxes will be the norm.

Housing: We will approve residential permits in 60 days or waive the fees, freeze property taxes for four years so landlords have nothing to pass on to renters, build at SkyTrain stations, and create a workforce housing program so nurses, firefighters and police can afford to live in Surrey.

Development: We support density along Fraser Highway and King George, at the SkyTrain stations, at schools, roads and parks approved at the same time as the homes so growth pays its way. The arena will be built only with private sector funding, not taxpayer dollars.

Public safety: I built the Surrey Police Service. Under Brenda Locke, the police board fired the chief during an extortion crisis. We will fund the service properly: more officers on the street, a police helicopter and drone fleet within 90 days, zero tolerance for extortion and a police board free of political interference.

Community facilities: We will build a swimming pool in every community in Surrey and freeze recreation fees for four years with free swim lessons for kids. And the facility Surrey needs most is a full-service Surrey General Hospital in Newton, on city land.

Transportation: We will build SkyTrain down King George from City Centre to Newton, linking Surrey’s largest town centres by rail, funded like SkyTrain to Cloverdale. Surrey decides, Victoria and Ottawa pay. On roads, we will connect 84th Avenue through to Scott Road, widen main roads and complete 72nd Avenue to 176th Street.

Taxes: Zero per cent property tax increases for four years, and recreation fees frozen. Brenda Locke raised property taxes nearly 30 per cent in four years while wasting $150 million fighting the province. I kept taxes low for 13 years and delivered 46 capital projects.

Housing: The party’s platform doesn’t include a housing plan.

Development: One stated promise is to make another hospital in Surrey a priority, on a site in Newton. The hospital would be a seniors’ and children’s hospital. A second hospital is under construction in Cloverdale, but that project does not replace the need for dedicated seniors’ and children’s capacity in Surrey, where those patients and their families actually live.

Public safety: The Conservative party promises to hire 600 police officers and create a training centre that would specialize in advanced de-escalation, rapid-response firearms training and anti-extortion tactics. The centre would run on a revenue-generating model to save taxpayer money. Other plans include increasing the number of police officers responsible for school response and more traffic cameras.

Community facilities: Included in the platform is ensuring each Surrey home is within 15 minutes of a recreation centre, playground or library to ensure the services are not out of reach.

Transportation: The Conservative party’s platform includes a promise to work to secure funding to extend SkyTrain from King George Station down into South Surrey by securing provincial and federal funding. Additionally, the party says TransLink and the city could contribute the last remaining, small share of funding for the project.

Taxes: A Conservative government will give every homeowner a $600 property tax cut. Then, we will freeze property taxes and not increase them for the full term if elected. The slate will achieve this by auditing city hall to cut the redundant layers of management that have grown around it, and using AI for some administrative work instead of staff.

Housing: Surrey needs homes that working families can afford. Imagine Surrey would say yes when staff recommend homes, put city land into non-profit housing, refund the permit fee when the city misses its clock and ask Victoria for an empty homes tax, with every dollar used to build affordable homes.

Development: We will build dense towers full of homes and jobs at rapid transit stations, family homes and townhomes beside them, with storefronts small businesses can afford, and schools and community centres to serve them. Yes to an arena, on cheaper land in a better spot. No to this deal.

Public safety: Imagine Surrey will fund a police-led anti-extortion command with intelligence officers targeting the gangs, the money and the ringleaders. We’ll finish the (police) transition on a published date, hire the officers and buy the equipment that police say they need, and keep politicians’ hands off the chief.

Community facilities: We’ll build three new community centres, in Whalley, Newton and Cloverdale, funded partly by not overpaying for arena land, plus a cricket and rugby stadium in Fleetwood built with partners, not property taxes.

Transportation: Our plan will develop three bus rapid transit routes linking Surrey Central, Newton, Guildford, Scott Road and Semiahmoo. We will make the SkyTrain business case for South Surrey via Newton and we will utilize our underused rail lines for commuter rail service.

Taxes: Property tax increases will be at or below inflation for four years, with no service cuts. Parking and recreation fees will be frozen for four years, with half-price recreation fees for seniors. We will bulk-buy transit passes for a 40 per cent discount for Surrey residents.

Housing: We will streamline approvals, reduce unnecessary costs and red tape, encourage diverse housing options and explore rent-to-own programs that help families build equity toward home ownership. Growth must be responsible, with infrastructure, schools, roads, parks and services keeping pace with new housing.

Development: I support transit-oriented development along SkyTrain while respecting established neighbourhoods and ensuring infrastructure keeps pace. We need homes, employment and amenities near transit. Regarding the proposed arena, major projects must demonstrate a sound business case and clear public benefit.

Public safety: We will ensure Surrey police have the resources to combat extortion, gangs and organized crime while demanding accountability and measurable results. The policing transition cannot distract us from the priority: keeping Surrey families, businesses and neighbourhoods safe. Surrey Now will hire 200 officers over the term.

Community facilities: Surrey families shouldn’t wait years for swimming lessons, sports fields or recreation opportunities. We will prioritize pools, recreation centres, sports fields, parks and community facilities based on population growth and demonstrated community need — putting essential neighbourhood infrastructure ahead of expensive legacy projects.

Transportation: Surrey needs a long-term transportation plan connecting our town centres. I support rapid transit along King George Boulevard connecting City Centre, Newton and South Surrey, while planning transportation and development together. Infrastructure decisions should anticipate where Surrey will be in 20 years, not just today.

Taxes: I am committed to a four-year freeze on City of Surrey property-tax increases. Families are making tough financial choices every day; city hall must do the same. Before asking taxpayers for one more dollar, we must prove we’ve done everything possible to live within our means, protect essential services and spend existing tax dollars more efficiently.