Surrey residents have elected Doug McCallum to serve as their mayor again. After losing to Brenda Locke by less than 1,000 votes in 2022, McCallum defeated Locke in this year’s election to return to the office he held from 2018 through 2022 and for nine years in the 1990s and early 2000s. As of 9:45 p.m. Saturday, McCallum had received more than 27,000 votes to Locke’s 18,400. McCallum addressed supporters at a raucous celebration. Those in attendance chanted his name as he took the microphone. “Why don’t we say, ‘Surrey! Surrey! Surrey!’” the mayor-elect began, changing the chant from “Doug! Doug! Doug!” He thanked his family, his supporters, volunteers and Safe Surrey Coalition candidates. “We have given over a thousand speeches to the people of Surrey,” McCallum said. “We have developed the best team, the best platform, and the best track record of any city council in the history of Surrey.” McCallum also pledged to appoint councillor Mandeep Nagra as deputy mayor once he takes office, an announcement that drew boisterous cheers from those in attendance. A subdued Locke addressed supporters and appeared to concede the race, though she did not mention McCallum by name. “To every resident who put their faith in me, I am so deeply grateful,” Locke said. “Thank you all. I will always love this city and remain committed to its success. Surrey is stronger than any single election, so let’s keep working together for a community that we all call home.” Speaking to CTV News Vancouver’s Michele Brunoro a few minutes later, Locke lamented the tone of the campaign. “I think it was just a very, very ugly campaign, I would say, and probably one of the worst I’d ever seen,” Locke said. “The attacks, both verbal and written, were pretty aggressive.” McCallum spoke to CTV News Vancouver’s Shannon Paterson after his victory speech, telling her his party had “listened to the people.” “The people said three things: affordability, safety, infrastructure,” McCallum said. “We put a platform together on that and gave it to the people.” He said those priorities will be addressed as soon as he and the new council—which looks set to be composed of mostly members of his Safe Surrey Coalition—are sworn in. “Everything we promised, we will approve it in the first council meeting, in a motion,” he said. As in 2022, policing and public safety were key issues in this year’s campaign. McCallum and his Safe Surrey Coalition promised to have “zero tolerance” for extortion and other crimes and to put “more boots on the ground,” while also promising zero tax increases over their four-year term and the acquisition of a helicopter and a drone fleet for the Surrey Police Service within 90 days. The creation of a municipal police force was McCallum’s signature promise during his 2018 campaign, and arguably what cost him re-election in 2022. That year, Locke pledged to halt the transition and keep the RCMP as Surrey’s police of jurisdiction, something she was ultimately unable to do, despite challenging the move in court. Asked by Brunoro whether her council’s record of tax increases—totalling approximately 20 per cent over four years—contributed to her defeat, Locke described the hikes as a byproduct of the police transition. “I hate to say, ‘I told you so,’ but I did,” she said. “I told you it was going to cost a lot for municipal policing, and it certainly did.” She added that she hopes McCallum will “let Surrey do what it can do best.” “Surrey is so positioned to be such a powerhouse economically in this province, in this country,” Locke said.
