FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, October 8, 2026

SURREY, BC — Mike Starchuk today set out the strict conditions any AI data centre will have to meet to build in Surrey: protect Surrey’s land, water, and power, and return a new, lasting benefit to the people who live here. An Imagine Surrey council will never trade land in the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) for a data centre. This is one of 79 commitments spelled out in Imagine Surrey’s comprehensive and costed platform, and something no other party has commented on. Mike Starchuk says that Surrey residents have the right to know where candidates stand.

BC Hydro makes AI and data centre projects compete for electricity because, its CEO said, the utility could otherwise be overwhelmed by their requests. The province has held them to as much as 400 megawatts over two years, which the energy minister put at roughly 35% of the Site C dam’s output. Water is no easier. Metro Vancouver skipped Stage 1 this year, starting the watering season under Stage 2 restrictions on May 1 and moving to Stage 3 on June 8. Access to Surrey’s electricity and water should go to residents first, not to AI data centres.

“I retired as Surrey’s Chief Fire Prevention Officer, and prevention means you set the rules before the fire, not after,” said Starchuk. “If a company wants our land, our water, and our power, Surrey needs to get something real back that leaves us better off. And I will never cede an inch of ALR land for an AI data centre.”

Under an Imagine Surrey council, every data centre proposal will have to meet four conditions.

• Land. About a third of Surrey sits in the ALR. Since 2020, only governments and certain public bodies can apply to take land out of it, so City Hall’s answer matters. An Imagine Surrey council will never apply to remove farmland for a data centre or support an application to build one there. Data centres won’t be allowed to crowd out the industrial land Surrey needs for businesses that employ local workers, and every proposal will be decided by council in public.
  
• Water. Drinking water is for people, not servers. Data centres will use closed-loop or recycled-water cooling, pay the full cost of any water upgrades they need, and report their water use publicly.
  
• Power. A data centre gets no City approval without a confirmed allocation from BC Hydro, and it pays the full cost of its own grid upgrades. As mayor, Starchuk will make sure BC Hydro hears it from Surrey directly: homes and local businesses come first.
  
• A return for Surrey. No property tax breaks. Every data centre will sign a public community benefit agreement, with local construction and operating jobs written in, before a permit is issued.

Starchuk wants Surrey’s own experts to look at every major proposal before council does. He will invite Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) and Simon Fraser University’s Surrey campus, home to SFU’s School of Sustainable Energy Engineering, to partner with the City on an independent review of each project’s impact on land, water, power, and jobs. 

“The expertise is already here, at KPU and SFU Surrey. Let’s use it, and let’s show people the answers,” said Starchuk. “I’m asking every other candidate for mayor to answer one question before October 17. Will you trade farmland for a data centre? My answer is no, what’s yours? This October, put out the fire at City Hall and elect Imagine Surrey.”

Imagine Surrey is committed to smart investments and strong services through a detailed and costed plan. Imagine Surrey’s full 50-page platform, the Contract for a Better Surrey, is available for all to read at imaginesurrey.ca/vision.

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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]