Surrey City Council adopts all 16 election promises as official priorities

Surrey City Council voted on November 9, 2026 to adopt all 16 of Mayor Doug McCallum's election commitments as official city priorities, directing staff to begin work on each one immediately. Only Harry Bains, the sole Surrey Connect representative on council, voted against, opposing five of the 16 priorities. All other votes were unanimous.

The decisions were made at council's first regular meeting since the new council was sworn in on November 2. The City of Surrey published a press release confirming the outcome on November 10. Staff will return to future meetings with reports on costs, timelines and implementation plans.

The Safe Surrey Coalition holds eight of the nine council seats. Bains holds the ninth as the only member of Surrey Connect elected in October. His requests for separate votes on five priorities gave the public a recorded count on each of those items. The other eight councillors voted with McCallum on every priority.

The 16 priorities, one by one

Property tax freeze. Council adopted a four-year freeze on property taxes from 2027 to 2030. Bains voted against. He told council, as reported by Daily Hive: "I could support a zero per cent tax increase. I think that's amazing." He did not explain why he voted against the four-year timeframe despite supporting the principle.

Increased police presence. Council adopted a priority of zero tolerance for crime and extortion, with more officers on the streets. Bains supported this one.

Police helicopter and drones within 90 days. Council directed staff to equip the Surrey Police Service with a helicopter and a fleet of drones within 90 days. Bains voted against. The 90-day deadline is one of McCallum's specific campaign commitments and is recorded in his promise tracker.

New hospital in Newton. Council voted to fast-track the rezoning of City-owned land in Newton for a new general hospital and to seek construction funding from the provincial and federal governments. Mayor McCallum said the type of hospital would be determined in discussion with the provincial government.

SkyTrain to Newton. Council unanimously voted to pursue an extension of SkyTrain's Expo Line south along King George Boulevard from Surrey City Centre to Newton Town Centre. Bains said, as reported by Daily Hive: "I fully support the SkyTrain to Newton. That's a great initiative." No cost estimate or completion date was given. McCallum said the final decision would rest with TransLink, not the City.

New pools. Council adopted a priority to build new pools in Clayton Heights, City Centre, Newton and Cloverdale.

Recreation fees for seniors and children. Council voted to waive recreation fees for seniors, offer free swimming lessons for children aged 3 to 16, and freeze all other recreation fees for four years.

Zoning for Crescent Beach and Ocean Park. Council adopted special character zoning for the Crescent Beach and Ocean Park areas west of 140 Street. Bains voted against.

Building permits in 60 days. Council voted to implement a 60-day residential building permit guarantee. The commitment, also recorded in McCallum's tracker, says permit fees are waived if the City misses the deadline.

Free business licences for two years. New businesses will have their licence fees waived for the first two years, under a priority council adopted unanimously.

International investment. Council adopted a priority to establish Surrey as a city for international investment, business and tourism.

Farmland protection. Council voted to establish a Farm Local Plan to protect farmland and increase food production in Surrey.

Rosemary Heights Retreat Centre. Council voted to purchase the Rosemary Heights Retreat Centre lands and protect them as a permanent park. Bains voted against.

Surrey City Development Corporation. Council directed staff to begin the process of reintegrating the Surrey City Development Corporation into City operations. Bains voted against.

Forensic audit of past land deals. Council adopted a priority to conduct an independent forensic audit of the City's land dealings from the past four years, including the downtown arena project. This is also tracked as a McCallum promise.

Metro Vancouver withdrawal. Council adopted a priority to withdraw from the Metro Vancouver Regional Board while keeping core water, sewer and waste services. No timeline or cost was given. The BC Premier-designate said after the vote, as reported by Global News, that changes at Metro Vancouver were a top priority for the new provincial government.

What comes next

City staff have been directed to take immediate action on all 16 priorities. Staff reports with detailed costs, timelines and implementation plans will return to council at upcoming meetings. No dates for those reports were announced at the November 9 meeting.

Mayor McCallum said, in the City's own press release: "The people of Surrey did not elect this Council to study things. They elected us to get things done, and last night we started."

Residents can follow each promise as council acts on it at the promise tracker.