FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, October 16, 2026
SURREY, BC — Surrey votes tomorrow, and the choice has come down to two people. Mayor Brenda Locke, who had ten questions put to her this morning at the site of the City Centre arena and has answered none of them as of 11:30 am on the even of the election. It has been over one week since Mayor Locke has been in hiding since last week’s debate gaffe: setting her up for four more years of conflict with the Surrey Police Service. Or Surrey can choose Mike Starchuk to complete the transition and let the police do their job.
At 10:00 am this morning, Starchuk stood at the former Safeway site on King George Boulevard, the land at the centre of the arena deal, with the record from the judicial review he filed in BC Supreme Court on July 16 as a resident and taxpayer. The record shows a signed agreement where the public was told in June there was only an agreement in principle. It shows no private partner anywhere, even though the Mayor has described the arena as a public-private partnership since June 2025 and promised “investors in all parts” of the project on September 10. And it shows the City handed Wesgroup Properties three public properties valued at $116.6 million for a lot BC Assessment values at $86.8 million, a gap of $29.8 million.
“I went to court and read the record. There’s no partner in it. There’s Wesgroup, which got nearly $30 million more in public assets than that lot is worth, and there’s Surrey, which got the bill,” said Starchuk.
Ten questions the Mayor has not answered
- The Mayor told the Board of Trade debate on October 7 that naming the arena’s partners would be “highly inappropriate.” Who are they?
- The City has set aside $200 million for a $360 million building. Who pays the other $160 million?
- Where are the appraisals and the business case, and will the City release the signed agreement before the polls open?
- What did the Mayor know before the Surrey Police Board fired Chief Norm Lipinski, who told her, and will she release every communication between her office and the Province about that board?
- On June 23, Metro Vancouver came within eight Olympic pools of the line that protects water pressure for firefighting. The rest of the region went to Stage 3 and Surrey didn’t, with an explanation Metro Vancouver’s head of water services called “factually incorrect.” Who decided Surrey would go it alone?
- Council’s vote cost Surrey $421 million in lost investment for housing at Semiahmoo, 262 homes with 202 non-market rentals, after City staff recommended approval. What is the plan to replace them?
- Property taxes went up 12.5% in 2023 and 7% in 2024. Why should anyone believe “at or below inflation” from the Mayor who delivered those numbers?
- The City spent $1.28 million on a court challenge against the police transition that the court dismissed entirely, then took the same $250 million provincial offer it had turned down. What did the $1.28 million buy?
- The Mayor’s 85.6 kilometres of sidewalk counts road widening. How many kilometres has this council built on streets that had none?
- Surrey is suing Metro Vancouver to get out of Invest Vancouver. What has the lawsuit cost, and what has Surrey got for it?
Former Chief Norm Lipinski is challenging his dismissal in the Supreme Court of BC. The allegations have not been tested in court.
What Pollara says about Saturday
The polling points the same way. In an analysis published today, Pollara Strategic Insights found that 58% of Surrey residents say it’s time for a change in municipal leadership, against 25% who want the current leadership re-elected. “Starchuk has the largest single share of Surrey’s change vote,” Pollara’s Matt Smith wrote, and in one of the firm’s three surveys Starchuk ran dead even with Locke. Pollara’s question for Saturday is whether the change vote comes together behind one challenger. The same analysis found only 29% of Surrey residents are confident City Hall has a clear plan to handle growth and new housing while keeping up infrastructure and services. It is clear: Only Mike Starchuk can defeat Brenda Locke and bring change to Surrey City Hall.
The first 100 days of a Starchuk council
Every item below comes from the Contract for a Better Surrey, the signed and costed platform with 79 commitments across five pillars: safe streets, fast commutes, smart investments, lower costs, and strong services.
Day one
At the inaugural meeting of the new council, Imagine Surrey will bring forward three motions, each a direction to staff rather than a study, and asks every member of council to sign one protocol.
- Hold property taxes at or below inflation for all four years, and build the 2027 budget to that number
- Report back within 30 days on taking the arena off the current deal and onto cheaper land in a better location, with Newton getting the first look, and put the business case before council in public within 60 days
- Table every remaining step and date for finishing the policing transition, so residents can see the finish line
- Every member of council signs a hands-off protocol on the police chief, with 30-day and 90-day timelines for a public transition
First 30 days
The new council walks straight into the 2027 budget, and the budget is where the affordability commitments get locked in.
- Build the 50% cut to recreation fees, and free select programs for seniors, into the 2027 budget
- Restore the Surrey Crime Prevention Society’s funding in the same budget
- Direct staff to open talks with TransLink on a $70 monthly transit pass for Surrey residents, bulk-bought by the City the way Victoria does it
- Make it City policy: no new casinos and no crypto ATMs, and ask the Surrey Police Service to take on white-collar and financial crime with the other levels of government
- Direct staff to start synchronizing traffic lights on the busiest corridors
- Direct staff to design the consultation and assent vote on a ward system, and the plebiscite on Surrey’s membership in Metro Vancouver
- Adopt Buy Surrey, so City Hall buys from Surrey businesses as the priority, and start building SurreyPass, one resident card for every City service
By day 100
| Pillar | What residents will be able to see |
|---|---|
| Safe streets | The policing transition’s remaining steps and dates made public. Surrey Crime Prevention Society funding restored. The street racing and noise plan in force with the Surrey Police Service. Year one of the sidewalk program mapped and published: 50 km of net new sidewalk over four years, on roads that have none today. |
| Fast commutes | Traffic light synchronization underway on the busiest corridors. A public update on the TransLink talks for the $70 transit pass. Taxis allowed in bus lanes where and when it makes sense. The transportation advisory committee seated. |
| Smart investments | The arena business case before council, with Newton first in line and the savings earmarked for three new community centres. Buy Surrey adopted. Planning started on the cricket and rugby stadium on City-owned land in Fleetwood. Talks opened with local First Nations on a Sen̓áḵw-style development for Surrey. |
| Lower costs | Property taxes at or below inflation in the 2027 budget. Recreation fees cut in half, with free select programs for seniors. A staff report on an empty homes tax, with the revenue going to affordable homes. |
| Strong services | SurreyPass in development with a launch date published. First-year sites identified toward at least 1,000 affordable homes per year. The City on the path to certification as a living wage employer. The ward system and Metro Vancouver plebiscite designs back before council. |
“Surrey has two futures. A status-quo where life gets harder, slower, and more expensive,” said Starchuk. “Or a tomorrow of hope. Building the city we imagine and putting money back in your pocket, time back in your day, and peace back in your mind. It’s her record or our contract. Who do you trust to put out the fire at City Hall?”
The polls are open tomorrow, Saturday, October 17, from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm at 52 locations across Surrey. Vote for Mike Starchuk and the Imagine Surrey team.
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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]