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What’s next for Surrey now that McCallum is mayor again?
McCallum’s coalition holds seven of eight council seats, but major promises depend on funding.
On Saturday night, Doug McCallum won his fifth term as Surrey’s mayor. Not only did he win, but his Safe Surrey Coalition swept up seven of the eight councillor seats — meaning that McCallum will likely have almost no opposition when trying to pass things in city hall.
So, what happens next?
While Surrey residents made it clear they preferred McCallum’s platform over the other six mayoral candidates running, it’s worth returning to the party’s platform and seeing how likely some of their promises actually are.
The coalition vowed to bring a SkyTrain to Newton and build a new general hospital along King George Boulevavd. However, both of these projects would be the final decision of the province. While city hall could advocate for it, there is no guarantee the province will allocate the funds for it — the province is also facing an unprecedented deficit.
But other commitments are within McCallum’s jurisdiction to implement, like his promise to freeze property taxes for the next four years and waive business license fees for the first two years of every new business.
Property taxes go to several authorities like the provincial government, Metro Vancouver Regional District, TransLink and police services. The city uses their cut of the taxes to fund services like the fire department, road safety, parks and recreational centres, libraries, garbage pick-up and more.
According to the city’s website, Surrey already has one of the lowest property rates in Metro Vancouver. With inflation increasing the cost of labour and goods, it’s unclear how McCallum plans to fund all the city’s current operations without cutting anything.
Many of McCallum’s other commitments also hinge on the question of funding. The party has promised an expansion of policing services and securing a helicopter and drone fleet within 90 days for the SPS.
Going forward, McCallum has also committed to having all residential building permits approved within 60 days. If city hall misses this deadline, all permit fees will be waived. Surrey currently has a glut of unsold condos and some have questioned whether more housing is even the answer to lowering prices.
When it comes to recreation services, McCallum wants to build new pools in Clayton Heights, City Centre and add a pool into the Newton Community Centre being built. Again, it’s unknown how city hall would fund such large capital projects with a freeze on property taxes.
The party also wants to conduct a forensic audit of city hall’s land deals and “root out waste.” Locke faced backlash during her June announcement of a new $360 million arena — many questioned how much tax payers would be funding. Locke had previously said there was no way to cancel the project, even if a new party was elected.
Another pressing issue in city hall has been Surrey’s fraught relationship with Metro Vancouver Regional District. The regional district oversees core services in the Lower Mainland like delivering clean drinking water, treating waste and monitoring air quality, among other things.
But, the district has also faced criticism for the rising cost of the North Shore Wastewater Treatment Plant, with the top administrator exiting the organisation in early September.
While McCallum wants Surrey to withdraw from the regional district — remaining connected for utilities like water, sewer and waste — it’s unknown if he has the jurisdiction to do so. Or if McCallum does remove Surrey, if the district will allow the city to leave while still benefiting from their services.
McCallum will be sworn in on Nov. 2 and the first council meeting of the newly elected officials will be on Nov. 9.
Copyright 2026, Surrey Citizen. All rights reserved.
Aisha Chaudhry, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Surrey Citizen.
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Quebec Superior Court rejects Amazon's unionization-related challenge
Quebec court rejects Amazon's challenge
Quebec Superior Court has rejected a motion by Amazon filed in connection with the company's challenge to unionization efforts at its now-shuttered Laval warehouse.
A union affiliated with the CSN was certified in May 2024, before the e-commerce giant shuttered all seven of its warehouses in the province.
Amazon had challenged the unionization, arguing the process violated workers' freedom of association because a secret vote was not held.
Amazon argued that this violated the right of workers to freedom of association, but Quebec's administrative labour tribunal ruled in October 2024 that the company didn't have standing to invoke that right on behalf of others.
Amazon challenged the decision on procedural fairness grounds, asserting that it had not been given the opportunity to fully present its position.
Quebec Superior Court, however, has upheld the labour tribunal's decision and dismissed the challenge.
In Quebec and British Columbia, workers can be automatically certified without a vote if a certain proportion of the workforce signs union cards, a law known as card-check certification. The Laval warehouse was certified through this process.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 19, 2026.
By Lia Lévesque | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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Judge reserves decision on fate of Saskatchewan Mountie killer's truck
Judge reserves decision on Mountie killer's truck
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Geoff Howe
A Saskatoon judge has reserved his decision on what to do with a convicted Mountie killer's blue pickup truck that was involved in a police chase 20 years ago.
Justice Daryl Labach told court he plans to make his decision in December on whether to forfeit Curtis Dagenais' 1986 GMC 1500 to the Crown.
The 61-year-old was in the truck when he shot two Mounties to death on a country road near Mildred, Sask., in July 2006.
In 2009, a jury convicted Dagenais of first-degree murder for shooting constables Robin Cameron and Marc Bourdages.
He was also convicted of attempted murder for wounding a third Mountie.
The truck is smashed, dented and pockmarked with bullet holes, and has been kept in storage at RCMP headquarters in Regina since the killings.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 19, 2026.
Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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