As the results started trickling in for the Surrey election over the weekend, one thing became clear very quickly: Doug McCallum had more than a fighting chance to win.
Then, without warning, Brenda Locke took the stage at her election night headquarters and made a concession speech, well before the final results were tallied.
Soon after, McCallum took the stage at his party’s headquarters, to much fanfare, surrounded by mostly South Asian members, dancing to Bhangra music, and shouting out celebratory chants.
And as they say, the rest is history, and McCallum is once again the Surrey mayor for the fifth time since the 1990s.
McCallum is 82 years old, the same age Joe Biden was when his presidency ended in 2025.
It’s also important to note that voter turnout was abysmal in Surrey at just over 30 per cent. Despite that, it happens to be the highest turnout since 1990.
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How we got to Doug McCallum’s fifth term as mayor
Safe Surrey Coalition
In the 2022 Surrey civic election, McCallum lost to Locke by less than 1,000 votes, despite his parking lot fiasco that occurred the year before the 2022 election and pressure to resign. He was charged with public mischief but later acquitted following a trial.
He also sparked controversy regarding the Ethics Commissioner’s Office in 2022, which drew backlash from councillors and some members of the public.
Despite losing in 2022, McCallum never truly stayed quiet, often sending out press releases criticizing Locke. Much of it was over the Surrey Police Service, with McCallum being the driving force behind its inception.
Then, this spring, he made it official that he was running for mayor again with the Safe Surrey Coalition.
During the 2026 campaign, his team was much more active than Locke’s and was frequently on the attack.
Even after we posted the 2026 announcement story, the reaction was divisive, with comments from our readers ranging from “Oh hell no!!” and “OMG you must be joking” to “Doug got more done than people want to admit.”
His 2026 mayoral announcement suggested that he kept taxes low and that he wasn’t done yet.
Some of his campaign promises included a zero per cent property tax, creating the Surrey Centre Opportunity Zone, bringing safer streets to every family, and bringing a helicopter to Surrey for rapid response to gang activity and extortion crimes across the city.
On the other hand, Locke’s platform included tax increases with plans to spend over $1 billion on capital projects.
In her concession speech, Locke told her followers that she believed she made progress in her time as mayor and defended her record. She also wished McCallum the best.
After his surprising victory on Saturday, McCallum thanked his family and volunteers, and he announced his plans to appoint Mandeep Nagra as deputy mayor after assuming office. He also said his team would immediately begin tackling issues he made promises on, like affordability and public safety.
“I love Surrey, but I even love the people of Surrey more,” McCallum said. “Together we’re going to build a great city, and our families will live in a town that goes to sport and joy, and we’ll work together to make it one of the best global cities in the world.”
Throughout McCallum’s campaign, he and the Safe Surrey Coalition team have referenced some of his previous accomplishments as Surrey mayor, like investing in 46 capital projects while keeping property taxes low. Further, the municipal party has given him credit for the SkyTrain to Clayton Heights and the University of British Columbia campus in Surrey.
He’s also promised to rebuild the horse racetrack and barns at Surrey’s Cloverdale Fairgrounds, withdraw Surrey from the Metro Vancouver Regional District, and said he would use City-owned land to build a new hospital.
McCallum and the Safe Surrey Coalition have a supermajority, which should help his party achieve their goals.
What some Surrey residents are saying
Surrey City Hall. (City of Surrey)
While opinions are mixed among some Surrey voters, a majority of the comments on social media feature a sense of exasperation and criticism of not only McCallum, but also politicians in general who are of a certain age.
“There should be an age cap honestly for politicians,” was one of the top comments from the Surrey subreddit this weekend.
Another Surrey resident asked, “Will he even survive his four-year term?”
Many Surrey commenters attributed the McCallum victory to name recognition and to the fact that he was the only candidate promising a zero per cent property tax increase.
“I’m highly disappointed. Starchuk had the best platform. Fu**ing Surrey,” a frustrated resident commented.
“What an embarrassment, Surrey should be ashamed,” someone else said.
Followers of the Safe Surrey Coalition Facebook group were a little kinder to McCallum, but even on that page, the comments weren’t unanimously in support of the new-old mayor.
On that group, McCallum received many congratulations from followers and hopes that he would deliver on his promises.
There were also comments like, “Sure glad I moved away from Surrey,” and “Omg what a joke.”
Many of the comments that congratulated McCallum were hopeful, urging him to follow up on his promise to build a new hospital in Surrey.
Some called out Surrey at large for the voter turnout.
“He only won because only 84,000 people went to vote. That’s why people need to wake up and go vote,” one follower said.
Current population estimates suggest Surrey has over 700,000 residents. The 2021 Census suggested that the city had around 570,000. Surrey is considered one of the fastest-growing cities in B.C.
No matter what side of the political spectrum you are on, one thing is for sure: the next four years in Surrey will be interesting to watch.
With files from Kenneth Chan and Hanna Hett
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- 'Not done yet': Doug McCallum makes Surrey mayoral bid official, promises helicopter in first 90 days
- Remember the BC NDP campaign promises from 2024? Here's what they achieved