FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Saturday, October 3, 2026
SURREY, BC — Mike Starchuk today released Imagine Surrey’s child care plan: child care built into City facilities, starting with the three new community centres and every neighbourhood hub; a 60-day permit lane for operators; support for extended hours so shift workers have somewhere to take their kids; and growth planned with the school district so a new neighbourhood arrives with its classrooms.
Surrey is one of Canada’s fastest-growing cities, and its parents know what that means at 7:00 am: a waitlist. The City doesn’t run the child care system. It does decide how long an operator waits for a permit, whether a new community centre has a child care floor, and whether a hub in Newton or Guildford has a room a non-profit can use.
The plan: child care space in every new City facility, including the three community centres Imagine Surrey will start in the first term and the hubs at every town centre. A 60-day decision on child care operator permits, or the fee comes back. City support for extended and overnight hours, so nurses, firefighters, warehouse workers, and airport staff aren’t paying for a shift they had to skip. Partnerships with schools, non-profits, employers, and senior governments to fund spaces and staff. And approvals that keep up with schools, so growth is planned with the school district instead of around it.
“Fire halls run 24 hours a day. So do hospitals, warehouses, and the airport. Most child care runs nine to five, and parents pay for the gap in lost shifts,” said Starchuk. “The City can’t run the whole system, but it can build the rooms, speed up the permits, and back the operators who stay open when the shift ends.”
“I have four children and I’ve stood on those waitlists,” said Yousef Aldabainah-Barakat, Imagine Surrey council candidate. “A child care floor in every new community centre and a permit answer in 60 days: that’s how a city tells a young family it can stay.”
“This October, put out the fire at City Hall and elect a team that will make room for the next generation,” said Starchuk.
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About Imagine Surrey
Imagine Surrey is a civic party running a full slate of candidates in the October 17, 2026 municipal election. Led by mayoral candidate Mike Starchuk – a former firefighter and Chief Fire Prevention Officer, former City Councillor, and former MLA for Surrey-Cloverdale – Imagine Surrey is committed to making Surrey the City of Champions by delivering: safe streets, fast commutes, smart investments, lower costs, and strong services.
Council candidates: Yousef Aldabainah-Barakat, Chandan Chahal, Perminder Chohan, Narima Dela Cruz, Ashiyana Hanif, William Li, Dr. Margaret Mubanda, and Kevin Wilkie.
Contact
Trevor Loke, Campaign Manager
604-838-5178
[email protected] / [email protected]