Ahead of Metro Vancouver's municipal elections on Oct. 15, BIV has prepared short biographies and policy priorities for each of the leading mayoral candidates in key municipalities.
Below is information on the five leading hopefuls campaigning to be the mayor of Surrey – B.C.'s second-biggest city.
We've listed candidates in alphabetical order by last name. Brief profiles of leading mayoral candidates in other municipalities can be found at biv.com/elections-2022.
Sukh Dhaliwal, United Surrey
Sukh Dhaliwal has served as the Liberal MP for Surrey-Newton since 2015. He previously stood as a Liberal MP for Newton-North Delta from 2006 to 2011. Dhaliwal is a professional engineer, land surveyor and small business owner.
The United Surrey slate, if elected, promises to implement an immediate one-year tax freeze to address affordability, and to make Surrey’s permit approval times the fastest in Metro Vancouver within two years. The party has also committed to rolling back Surrey’s capital parcel tax to $100 and to significantly expanding the city’s parks and fields.
Gordie Hogg, Surrey First
Gordie Hogg represented Surrey as an elected official for more than 22 years, including five consecutive terms as a BC Liberal MLA for Surrey-White Rock, and as Liberal MP for South Surrey-White Rock. Previously, he spent 20 years on the City of White Rock’s council, including 10 as mayor.
Hogg’s slate, Surrey First, has previously called for a public referendum on policing in Surrey, and has committed to “giving Surrey voters a say” on the issue. The party is also advocating for the creation of an independent city auditor general, better transit and greater transparency at city hall.
Brenda Locke, Surrey Connect
Brenda Locke has been a Surrey councillor for the last four years. She was formerly a BC Liberal MLA who served as minister of state for mental health and addictions, and executive director of the RMT Association and the BC Liquor Retailers Association.
Locke and Surrey Connect have committed to reducing building permit wait times, retaining the RCMP in Surrey, advocating for the city’s “fair share” of provincial and federal funding, re-establishing an ethics commissioner, decreasing a backlog of construction application requests and increasing the budgets of Surrey’s public safety departments.
Doug McCallum (incumbent), Safe Surrey Coalition
Doug McCallum served three terms as Surrey’s mayor (in 1996, 1999 and 2022), and was re-elected for a fourth term in 2018. Under his leadership, the City of Surrey has invested in 46 capital projects.
The priorities of McCallum and his Safe Surrey Coalition include fast-tracking approvals to extend SkyTrain to Newton, approving housing developments to help create affordable housing, building a new 60,000-seat stadium and pushing Surrey to achieve net-zero status by 2030. His party will also prioritize investments in road infrastructure and community centres.
Jinny Sims, Surrey Forward
Jinny Sims was elected president of the BC Teachers’ Federation in 2004, as the NDP MP for Newton-North Delta in 2011 and as the NDP MLA for Surrey-Panorama in 2017 and 2020. As an MLA, she served as minister of citizens’ services.
Sims and the Surrey Forward slate are advocating that city hall immediately address three key issues: The cost of living in Surrey, fairness, and openness and transparency. The party wants to “hold the line” on city taxes, and to ensure that permit approvals are granted on a first come, first served basis.
Read more about other Metro Vancouver mayoral candidates at biv.com/elections-2022.
