SURREY, B.C. - Surrey City Council held its first regular meeting on Monday and passed a motion establishing 16 priorities for the term, including a four-year property tax freeze, fast-tracked rezoning of City-owned land in Newton for a new hospital, and the extension of SkyTrain down King George Boulevard to Newton. The motion directs City staff to take immediate action to advance every priority on the list.
The priorities adopted by Council are: fast-track the rezoning of City-owned land in Newton for a new hospital; freeze property taxes for four years; ensure zero tolerance for crime and extortion, with more officers on the street; advance the SkyTrain expansion down King George Boulevard to Newton; establish Surrey as a Global City, attracting world-class investment, business and tourism; equip the Surrey Police Service with a helicopter and drone fleet within 90 days; move forward with new pools for Clayton Heights, City Centre, Newton and Cloverdale; implement zoning regulations for Crescent Beach and Ocean Park, from 140 Street west to the ocean, to preserve neighbourhood character; ensure Recreation for All, with free recreation fees for seniors, free swim lessons for ages 3 to 16, and a four-year freeze on recreation fees; establish a Farm Local Plan to protect farmland and increase local food production; conduct an independent forensic audit of land dealings in the last four years, including the Arena Project, the parkland site at 152 Street and 76 Avenue, and the training facility in Tynehead; withdraw from the Metro Vancouver Regional Board and maintain core services with Metro Vancouver only; implement a 60-day residential building permit guarantee; provide free business licences for the first two years to every new business; purchase the Rosemary Heights Retreat Centre lands and protect them permanently as a park; and integrate the Surrey City Development Corporation into City operations.
“The people of Surrey did not elect this Council to study things. They elected us to get things done, and last night we started,” said Mayor Doug McCallum. “Every commitment we made during the election is now a priority of Council, with staff directed to act on it immediately. Property taxes will be frozen for four years. The process to rezone the land for the new Surrey Hospital in Newton has started. Staff will immediately get going on the process to bring SkyTrain down King George Boulevard to Newton. And the forensic audit of the last four years of land deals, including the arena, is coming. This is what a City Hall that keeps its word looks like.”
“Surrey is about to become the largest city in British Columbia, and residents have waited long enough for the hospital, the transit and the recreation facilities a city of that size needs,” McCallum said. “We will be working with the Province and the Government of Canada to deliver them, and we will keep residents informed every step of the way.”
The meeting was the first regular meeting of the new Council, which was sworn in on November 2. At the same meeting, Council appointed Cllr. Doug Elford as its representative on the Surrey Police Board for a four-year term, appointed its directors to the Metro Vancouver Regional District Board for the coming year, and approved the 2027 Council meeting schedule. Council also received the official results of the 2026 local government and school trustee election for information.
For Surrey residents, the list touches the issues that dominated the election campaign: the cost of living, with the tax freeze and the recreation fee freeze; health care, with the Newton hospital land; transit, with SkyTrain to Newton; and public safety, with more officers on the street and new equipment for the Surrey Police Service. The 60-day permit guarantee and free business licences for new businesses are aimed at builders and small businesses, while the Farm Local Plan and the Rosemary Heights purchase speak to farmland and green space.
The forensic audit will examine land dealings over the last four years, including the Arena Project, the parkland site at 152 Street and 76 Avenue, and the Tynehead training facility. The decision to withdraw from the Metro Vancouver Regional Board, while maintaining core services with Metro Vancouver, is one of the most consequential items on the list, and staff reports on the priorities, including timelines and costs, will come back to Council at upcoming meetings.
(Source: City of Surrey media release, November 10, 2026; meeting outcomes: City of Surrey Regular Council Action Items, November 9, 2026)
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