Surrey council votes to absorb city-owned development company back into City Hall
Surrey City Council voted on November 9 to direct staff to begin reintegrating the Surrey City Development Corporation into City operations. Only Councillor Harry Bains voted against.
Reported. A news outlet found this. voche.me names the outlet and links its report. Read the original report on dailyhive.com.
Surrey City Council voted on November 9 to direct staff to begin reintegrating the Surrey City Development Corporation into City operations, Daily Hive reported. The vote was part of Mayor Doug McCallum's 16 election commitments that council adopted at the same meeting. Harry Bains, the sole Surrey Connect member on council, cast the only vote against.
The Surrey City Development Corporation, known as SCDC, is a City-owned, for-profit company that develops municipal land, attracts investment and generates revenue through real estate projects, Daily Hive reported. It currently operates as a separate entity with its own staff, management and board of directors. Daily Hive reported it was established in 2007.
What Bains said
Bains argued against the change, saying as reported by Daily Hive: "An organisation like the Surrey City Development Corporation is accountable to the city. Absorbing SCDC into regular city operations risks losing flexibility, focus, and commercial approach."
The reintegration reverses a 2022 decision by the previous council under Mayor Brenda Locke to restart SCDC as an independent entity. Daily Hive reported this is the third major change in the company's structure since 2020.
Council's vote on SCDC was one part of a larger set of decisions at the November 9 meeting. The Safe Surrey Coalition holds eight of nine seats on council, giving McCallum the numbers to pass each priority. Bains requested separate recorded votes on five of the 16 priorities, including the SCDC motion.
What happens next
City staff have been directed to begin the reintegration process. No timeline was announced at the November 9 meeting. Staff will return to council with a report on the steps and costs involved.
The November 9 vote is recorded as one of McCallum's election promises. Residents can follow progress on this commitment and all others at the promise tracker.
Questions this story answers
What did Surrey City Council decide about the Surrey City Development Corporation?
At the November 9 meeting, council voted to direct City staff to begin the process of reintegrating the Surrey City Development Corporation, known as SCDC, into City operations. Daily Hive reported the decision. Councillor Harry Bains cast the only vote against. All other councillors supported the motion.
What is the Surrey City Development Corporation?
The Surrey City Development Corporation is a City-owned, for-profit company that develops municipal land, attracts investment and generates revenue through real estate projects. Daily Hive reported it was established in 2007. It currently operates as a separate entity with its own staff, management and board of directors.
Why did Councillor Bains vote against the reintegration?
Councillor Harry Bains said, as reported by Daily Hive: 'An organisation like the Surrey City Development Corporation is accountable to the city. Absorbing SCDC into regular city operations risks losing flexibility, focus, and commercial approach.' He is the only Surrey Connect member on council.
What happens to SCDC now?
City staff have been directed to begin the reintegration process. No timeline was given at the November 9 meeting. Staff will return to council with a report on the steps and costs involved. The vote is one of the 16 priorities council adopted that night, as reported by the City of Surrey.
Has this been tried before?
Yes. Daily Hive reported this is the third major change in SCDC's structure since 2020. The previous council under Mayor Brenda Locke made a 2022 decision to restart the company as an independent entity. The November 9 vote reverses that decision.
Who is on the Safe Surrey Coalition council that voted for the change?
The Safe Surrey Coalition holds eight of nine council seats. Mayor Doug McCallum, Deputy Mayor Mandeep Singh Nagra and six councillors are Safe Surrey Coalition members. Councillor Harry Bains is the only Surrey Connect member on council and the only one who voted against the SCDC reintegration.
How does this relate to McCallum's election promises?
Reintegrating SCDC into City operations was listed as one of Mayor McCallum's 16 election commitments, all of which council adopted at the November 9 meeting. The commitment is recorded in his promise tracker at /bc/surrey-2026/tracker.
Where can I see more about the November 9 council decisions?
Surrey City Council adopted all 16 of McCallum's election commitments at the same November 9 meeting. The full story covering each priority is in Surrey news at /bc/surrey-2026/news. Residents can track how council follows through on each one at /bc/surrey-2026/tracker.
Sources
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