Surrey ward system may need a public vote first, Councillor Doug Elford says
Mayor-elect Doug McCallum promised to bring back ward elections in Surrey. Councillor Doug Elford told the Surrey Now-Leader the change will probably need a referendum and could take eight years.
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Bringing back ward elections in Surrey will probably need a public vote first, and it could take eight years, Councillor Doug Elford told the Surrey Now-Leader in a story published on October 22. Under a ward system, each part of the city elects its own councillor.
The promise
On October 2, during the campaign, Doug McCallum committed to restoring a ward system, the Now-Leader reports. His plan is for an independent commission to draw eight wards of similar population, so each neighbourhood elects one councillor. McCallum pointed to Toronto, Montreal, Calgary, Edmonton, Ottawa and Winnipeg, which elect councillors by ward.
Surrey elects all eight councillors at large today: every voter chooses all of them. The Now-Leader reports that Surrey used wards from before 1879 until 1957, when the provincial government ended them.
What Elford says now
Elford, a Safe Surrey Coalition councillor, moved a motion on wards in September 2020, when McCallum was last mayor. Council approved it and asked City staff for a report, according to the Now-Leader. Elford said the work stopped while the City moved from the RCMP to the Surrey Police Service, and that former mayor Brenda Locke opposed wards. The story does not include a response from Locke.
Elford told the paper he will press council to deal with the question early. He said it will probably have to go to the public for a vote, because he expects the Province to want that. He added that council has to read the law first, and that the change might be eight years away. "It's not a short term thing," he said.
The new council
The Safe Surrey Coalition holds eight of the nine council seats, according to the City's official declaration of October 21. The ward system is a promise of McCallum and of the coalition's seven councillors, and it is tracked on each of their pages in the Surrey promise tracker.
The new council holds its first meeting on Monday, November 2.
Questions this story answers
What did Doug McCallum promise about a ward system in Surrey?
During the 2026 campaign, Doug McCallum committed to bringing back a ward system in Surrey, the Surrey Now-Leader reports. His plan is for an independent commission to draw eight wards of similar population, so that each neighbourhood elects its own councillor instead of every voter choosing all eight.
How does Surrey elect its council today?
Surrey elects its council at large. Every voter in the city chooses the mayor, all eight councillors and all six school trustees. The Surrey Now-Leader reports that Surrey used wards from before 1879 until 1957, when the provincial government moved it to the at-large system it uses today.
Will Surrey need a referendum to bring back wards?
Councillor Doug Elford told the Surrey Now-Leader that the change will probably have to go to the public for a vote, because he expects the Province to want that. He said council still has to read the law to see how fast it could act.
When could Surrey have a ward system?
Councillor Doug Elford told the Surrey Now-Leader that a ward system might be eight years away and is not a short term change. He said the steps include reading the legislation, holding a public vote and a large amount of work by City staff. The next general local election is four years away.
Has Surrey council voted on a ward system before?
Yes. In September 2020, when Doug McCallum was last mayor, council approved a motion from Councillor Doug Elford and asked City staff for a report on moving toward a ward system, the Surrey Now-Leader reports. Elford said the work stopped while the City moved from the RCMP to the Surrey Police Service.
Why does Doug Elford want wards in Surrey?
Doug Elford has said Surrey is a city of distinct neighbourhoods and that wards would give community leaders a better chance to get elected, the Surrey Now-Leader reports. He also said this year's ballot, with 66 names on it, was confusing for voters.
Who holds the majority on the new Surrey council?
The Safe Surrey Coalition holds eight of the nine seats on Surrey City Council: Mayor-elect Doug McCallum and seven of the eight councillors, according to the City of Surrey's official declaration of October 21, 2026. Harry Bains of Surrey Connect Public IA holds the ninth seat.
Where can I follow the ward system promise?
The ward system promise appears in the voche.me Surrey promise tracker, on the pages of Doug McCallum and the seven Safe Surrey Coalition councillors. Each promise shows its status and the dated records behind it, such as a council vote or an official City document.
Sources
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