FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, September 25, 2026
SURREY, BC — Mike Starchuk today committed to a public washroom in every one of Surrey’s town centres and, in partnership with TransLink, at every major transit hub in the city: Scott Road, Gateway, Surrey Central, and King George stations, the new stations along Fraser Highway, the bus exchanges at Newton, Guildford, and Scottsdale, and the South Surrey Park and Ride.
Tens of thousands of people move through Surrey’s bus loops and stations every day, and not one of those places has a public washroom. The stations have locked ones, opened by an attendant if you can find one. Seniors plan their errands around it. Parents with small kids dread it. Bus drivers, delivery drivers, and outreach workers live with it.
TransLink’s ten-year plan funds six public washrooms for the entire region. The first opened at Metrotown last September. Phibbs Exchange in North Vancouver is next. Scott Road Station is on a list of places TransLink says it is doing early planning work to “potentially” add one. Most of the new Fraser Highway stations are being designed with washrooms behind the fare gates that only an attendant can open. At that pace, Surrey waits. Riders and drivers alike are stranded. We can do better.
Under an Imagine Surrey council, the washrooms in town centres are built by the City. The washrooms at exchanges and stations are built with TransLink. Every one of them is clean, safe, and lit.
“It’s a basic thing, and basic things are what City Hall keeps skipping while it argues about the big ones,” said Starchuk. “A senior shouldn’t plan their day around whether there’s a washroom at the bus loop. Neither should the driver.”
“Every parent knows the panic of a bus loop with no washroom,” said Yousef Aldabainah-Barakat, Imagine Surrey council candidate. “Building washrooms for families at transit hubs and in neighbourhood centres is long overdue in our city. A city of champions builds public washrooms, and that’s what Mike Starchuk and Imagine Surrey will do.”
Brenda Locke has failed to build public washrooms. Doug never did. By voting for change with Mike Starchuk and Imagine Surrey, the city will finally get the washrooms it needs.
“This is one of the small things that tell you whether City Hall respects you,” said Starchuk. “This October, we can put out the fire at City Hall and elect a team that sweats the small stuff and invests in things that make your life and our city better.”
Imagine Surrey is committed to strong services for Surrey residents. Imagine Surrey’s full platform will be released over the coming weeks.
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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]