Up To $250,000 Cloverdale Rodeo Grant, ALR Protection, And New ‘Buy Surrey’ Program, To Back The Farmers Who Feed Metro Vancouver And Beyond

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, MAY 15, 2026, SURREY B.C. — As the 78th Cloverdale Rodeo and 135th Country Fair draw tens of thousands to the Cloverdale Fairgrounds this Victoria Day weekend, Mike Starchuk and Imagine Surrey today released their plan to protect Surrey’s farmland, secure the city’s food future, and turn the Cloverdale Fairgrounds into a world class year-round destination. 

Surrey is the agricultural powerhouse of Metro Vancouver. The city holds 9,275 hectares of Agricultural Land Reserve — 15% of Metro’s ALR — and produces 22% of the region’s gross farm receipts. Surrey is home to BC’s largest floriculture greenhouse and a working backbone of poultry, dairy, berry, and vegetable producers. 

“Surrey’s farmland feeds families across the Lower Mainland, supports thousands of jobs, and anchors the Cloverdale, Hazelmere, and Mud Bay communities that make our city special,” said Mike Starchuk. “When I represented us in Victoria, I learned how fragile the link is between a working farm and the food on our table. As a city councillor, I championed the September in Surrey farm-to-table dining experience in restaurants across every town centre, and I celebrated our agricultural heritage at festivals featuring the world’s largest blueberry pie. Not a single hectare of ALR land was lost during my time on Council. As mayor, I will protect that land — and I will give the Cloverdale Rodeo and Fairgrounds the support they need to put Surrey on the world map.” 

Imagine Surrey commits to: 

• Protect the Agricultural Land Reserve by stopping speculative development on productive farmland, tightening enforcement, and restoring a real farm-to-table economy. 
• Give the Cloverdale Rodeo special event status with up to $250,000 annual marketing and growth grant support — separate from existing City policing support and provincial event funding — to grow it into a premier North American destination. 
• Restore the Cloverdale Fairgrounds into a world-class, year-round destination, in consultation with Semiahmoo First Nation and the existing on-site casino partner, with new investments in heritage, hospitality, and event programming year-round. 
• Launch a Buy Surrey program with local procurement priority, a Surrey farm directory, city-promoted farm visits and tours, and a red-tape review so farmers can sell more of what they grow directly from their own property. 
• Connect fresh local produce to food banks and back farmers’ markets as part of a serious citywide food security strategy. 

The Cloverdale Country Fair has been a Surrey tradition since 1888. The Cloverdale Rodeo, founded in 1948, is among the oldest and largest professional rodeos in Canada, drawing 65,000+ visitors over the Victoria Day long weekend and anchoring a heritage ecosystem of farmers, livestock breeders, country festivals, and family-run agribusinesses across South Surrey, Cloverdale, Panorama/Mud Bay, and the Fraser Valley. Imagine Surrey’s plan treats that ecosystem as the regional asset that it is. 

“The Cloverdale Rodeo is part of who we are. So is the farmland that surrounds it,” said Imagine Surrey Council Candidate Kevin Wilkie, who ran federally in Cloverdale-Langley City and has called Surrey home for more than three decades. “We don’t get this back if we lose it. Mike’s plan treats Surrey’s agricultural heritage like the asset it is — and gives Cloverdale the world-class venue it has deserved for years.” 

The contrast in this year’s Surrey Municipal race could not be more stark. Brenda Locke spent four years raising costs on farm families while extortion gripped the city. Linda Annis’s ‘Core Review’ promise will put community events, fairgrounds, and city programs squarely on the chopping block. Doug McCallum’s pledges would be paid for by cuts and even more casinos that would be a pure gift to extortionists and money-launderers. Brenda, Doug, and Linda walked away from celebrating agriculture as a core economic engine of this city at exactly the moment global food security is top of mind for everyone else. 

“Surrey families want a city that is proud of where it came from and ready for what’s coming next,” Starchuk concluded. “That means protecting our farmland, supporting our farmers, and treating the Cloverdale Rodeo like the world-class event it deserves to be. That is what a City of Champions looks like.” 

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About Imagine Surrey 
Imagine Surrey is a civic party of experienced frontline workers, community advocates and professionals running a full slate in the October 17, 2026 Surrey municipal election to make Surrey the City of Champions. Led by Mike Starchuk, Imagine Surrey is committed to safe streets, fast commutes, smart investments, lower costs and strong services: change that works for you. 

Council candidates: Yousef Aldabainah, Chandan Chahal, Perminder Chohan, Narima Dela Cruz, Ashiyana Hanif, William Li, Dr. Margaret Mubanda, and Kevin Wilkie. 

Media Contact
Scott Williams
604-356-7606
[email protected]

Mike Starchuk and Kevin Wilkie are available for interviews.