Metro Vancouver board will vote on 2027 budget Friday, rejecting McCallum's cancellation call
Surrey's mayor-elect Doug McCallum asked Metro Vancouver to cancel its October 30 meeting. The regional body confirmed the 2027 budget vote will proceed.
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Metro Vancouver confirmed on October 27 that it will vote on its 2027 budget at its October 30 board meeting, after Surrey mayor-elect Doug McCallum called on the regional body to cancel the meeting and wait for newly elected councils to take their seats.
The Vancouver Sun reported that a Metro Vancouver spokesperson said the 2027 budget and five-year financial plan would be considered and voted on this Friday as scheduled. The spokesperson said the budget is approved in October to give member municipalities enough time to prepare their own financial plans and meet legislative requirements.
McCallum's call to cancel
McCallum asked Metro Vancouver board chair Mike Hurley and the directors to cancel the October 30 meeting, according to both the Vancouver Sun and the Indo-Canadian Voice.
McCallum said 13 of Metro Vancouver's 21 mayors were not re-elected in this month's municipal elections, including in Vancouver, Surrey, Richmond, Coquitlam, Delta, and both Langleys. Those municipalities are home to more than 2.1 million people and hold 114 of 145 weighted votes on the Metro Vancouver Board. Surrey alone holds 29 of those votes.
"I am calling on the Board chair and the directors to cancel Friday's meeting," McCallum told the Indo-Canadian Voice. "If something truly cannot wait four weeks, deal with that one item and leave everything else for the Board the voters chose. Nothing in 1,190 pages is more urgent than that."
McCallum said the law gives the board until March 31 to adopt its financial plan, and the next regular meeting is November 27, by which time every new council across the region will have been sworn in and will have named its directors.
What is at stake in Friday's vote
The October 30 agenda runs to 1,190 pages across Metro Vancouver's four boards, according to the Vancouver Sun. The main item is the 2027 budget and five-year financial plan, which sets what every household in the region pays for regional water, sewer, garbage and parks. The Vancouver Sun reported that combined cost already runs to nearly $900 a year for the average household.
McCallum said Surrey's 29 board votes should not be cast by anyone other than the directors the newly elected Surrey council will choose.
"This is not about any individual director," McCallum told the Indo-Canadian Voice. "It is about respect for the voters. Surrey holds 29 votes on that Board, and not one of them should be cast on next year's budget by anyone other than the directors chosen by the council Surrey elected on October 17."
Metro Vancouver did not indicate it would delay the vote, and the board meets on the last Friday of every month regardless of the election cycle.
Surrey residents can follow the new council's decisions at the promise tracker at /bc/surrey-2026/tracker, which will record votes and promises once the new council is sworn in beginning next week.
Questions this story answers
What did Doug McCallum ask Metro Vancouver to do?
Doug McCallum, Surrey's mayor-elect, asked the chair and directors of the Metro Vancouver Board to cancel its October 30 meeting. He said the board should leave its agenda, including the 2027 budget vote, to the directors who will be named by the newly elected councils. McCallum said the board has until March 31 under the law to adopt its financial plan, so waiting until the next regular meeting on November 27 would not cause any legal problem.
Did Metro Vancouver agree to cancel the meeting?
No. A Metro Vancouver spokesperson confirmed to the Vancouver Sun on October 27 that the 2027 budget and five-year financial plan will be considered and voted on at the October 30 meeting. The spokesperson said the budget is considered and approved in October to provide enough time for member jurisdictions to prepare their own financial plans for the coming year and to meet legislative requirements.
Why does McCallum say the October 30 meeting should be cancelled?
McCallum says 13 of Metro Vancouver's 21 mayors were not re-elected in this month's municipal elections. Those 13 municipalities hold 114 of the 145 weighted votes on the Metro Vancouver Board, and they are home to more than 2.1 million people. McCallum said it is not right for directors who will lose their seats next month to approve a budget that will set regional costs for the coming year.
What is the 2027 Metro Vancouver budget and why does it matter to Surrey residents?
The 2027 budget and five-year financial plan sets what every household in the region pays for regional water, sewer, garbage and parks services. The Vancouver Sun reported that the combined cost already runs to nearly $900 a year for the average household in the region. Surrey is the fastest-growing city in British Columbia and holds 29 of the 145 weighted votes on the Metro Vancouver Board.
How many votes does Surrey hold on the Metro Vancouver Board?
Surrey holds 29 of 145 weighted votes on the Metro Vancouver Board, according to Doug McCallum as reported by the Vancouver Sun. Each municipality's vote is weighted by its size. McCallum said that after October 17 none of those 29 votes should be cast on next year's budget by anyone other than the directors chosen by the council Surrey elected.
When will the new Metro Vancouver Board be in place?
The new Surrey council and councils across the region are being sworn in starting next week. Metro Vancouver's next regular board meeting after October 30 is November 27. By that date, every newly elected council in the region will have been sworn in and will have named its directors to the board.
What is on the October 30 Metro Vancouver agenda?
The October 30 agenda packages run to 1,190 pages across Metro Vancouver's four boards, according to the Vancouver Sun. The main item McCallum has objected to is the 2027 budget and five-year financial plan. The board meets on the last Friday of every month regardless of the election cycle, according to a Metro Vancouver spokesperson.
Where can Surrey residents follow their new council's actions?
Once Surrey's new council is sworn in, voche.me tracks what the mayor and councillors decide and vote on in the promise tracker at /bc/surrey-2026/tracker. The results page at /bc/surrey-2026/results shows who was elected and their vote totals from the official October 21 count.
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