SURREY, BC — Imagine Surrey mayoral candidate Mike Starchuk, a retired Surrey firefighter and former Chief Fire Prevention Officer, released the following statement on the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks:
Twenty-five years ago, a normal morning turned into the day no firefighter will ever forget. I remember the call for help from the FDNY, and I remember how many firefighters from all over the planet made their way to New York to pay their respects to the 343 firefighters who paid the ultimate sacrifice. In the week I was there, I attended seven funerals alongside many other Surrey firefighters.
Those attacks changed the world in many ways. Nearly 3,000 people died that morning, 24 of them Canadians, and firefighters are still dying today from what they breathed in the days that followed. My heart still goes out to the families who lost someone who never returned from their tour of duty.
Today I will be thinking of the 343, of the firefighters I stood beside at those funerals, and of every firefighter in Surrey who starts a shift not knowing what the day will bring.
Mike Starchuk – a retired Surrey Firefighter and former Chief Fire Prevention Officer – served four years on Surrey City Council and four years as MLA for Surrey-Cloverdale, where he chaired the Legislature’s Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services.
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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, 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
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