Two key questions have come to shape what could be a defining moment in Surrey鈥檚 history: whether the city鈥檚 next mayor and council will support TransLink鈥檚 10-year investment plan, and whether it鈥檚 time for the city to have its own police force.
鈥淭his is shaping up to be a very interesting election,鈥� Elizabeth Model, CEO of the Downtown Surrey Business Improvement Association, told Business in Vancouver.
Six of the top 10 cities are in the Lower Mainland, according to annual rankings (REW.ca)
鈥淚 think everyone is starting to realize that Surrey is a real powerhouse in the region, and the next mayor and council will provide vision to shape the future of the growth of the city,鈥� Model said.
Surrey鈥檚 mayoral race has in part been defined by transportation concerns, and whether candidates will support the $1.65 billion light-rail transit (LRT) line slated to connect Surrey鈥檚 downtown core with its town centres in Newton and Guildford.
Some, including city councillor Bruce Hayne and former Surrey mayor Doug McCallum, have argued that SkyTrain service would better suit the needs of the fastest-growing city in the province.
鈥淭he studies that TransLink has done, their own studies that have been conducted and the business case they looked at doing, simply doesn鈥檛 support LRT,鈥� said Hayne, who was first elected to council under the Surrey First banner in 2011 and is running for mayor with Integrity Now.
鈥淲e owe it not only to ourselves but to the region, then, to get included in the rapid transit network and infrastructure that鈥檚 already in place in Metro Vancouver, which is SkyTrain.鈥�
McCallum, who ran for mayor in 2014, has changed his position on the issue. Four years ago, he told Business in 麻豆传媒映画that light rail was 鈥渢he only way to go鈥� for a city with large swaths of agricultural land.
鈥淚 would even go on a limb and say it鈥檚 100% of cities Surrey鈥檚 size 鈥� both population and geography 鈥� all have light rail. And it works unbelievably well,鈥� he said at the time.
This election, the Safe Surrey Coalition candidate is calling out Surrey First for not having listened to the people and has vowed, if elected, to cancel LRT in his first council meeting and begin planning for SkyTrain.
Coun. Tom Gill 鈥� tapped by Surrey First to run for mayor after Mayor Linda Hepner announced she would not seek re-election 鈥� has defended LRT in Surrey, a project that has been approved by the Mayors鈥� Council on Regional Transportation, is part of TransLink鈥檚 $7.3 billion second-phase investment strategy, and is earmarked for provincial and federal government funding.
鈥淲e had finalized a business plan in 2008, and we spent 10 years looking for funding on it, so that鈥檚 the reality that we鈥檙e faced with,鈥� said Gill, who pointed to Surrey鈥檚 geography as a key reason why the city needs the plan.
鈥淚n the next 30 years, we鈥檙e looking at 150 kilometres of LRT to service this community, to connect six town centres,鈥� he added. 鈥淭his system will be bigger than SkyTrain.鈥�
It鈥檚 unclear how far one municipality could get if it wanted to change an approved, regional plan. However, approximately half of Mayors鈥� Council representatives will not be seeking another term, and support from other communities isn鈥檛 necessarily out of the question. Vancouver鈥檚 top mayoral contenders, for example, have all voiced varying degrees of support for extending the plan鈥檚 Broadway corridor rapid transit line all the way to the University of British Columbia.
鈥淚f that is the will and wish of all of these mayors, to go back to the drawing table, to hold the pause button, then we鈥檙e going to be a culture in Metro 麻豆传媒映画reliant on cars,鈥� said Anita Huberman, CEO of the Surrey Board of Trade. 鈥淲e鈥檙e going to be another Los Angeles, because how else are you going to get around?
鈥淥ur concern is that it鈥檚 taken so long to make these investment decisions, to get all levels of government at the same table, to commit to funds.鈥�
Model echoed that sentiment: 鈥淚f we don鈥檛 grab that funding now that鈥檚 on the table, ... Surrey鈥檚 going to lose, and we鈥檙e going to lose big time.鈥�
Peter Hall, professor with Simon Fraser University鈥檚 urban studies program, added that 鈥渢his potentially could set back by a decade an agreed plan that the Mayors鈥� Council stuck with through the referendum, and for which there is senior government funding support.
鈥淚f I understand the candidate positions correctly, Surrey is the greatest risk, but 麻豆传媒映画might be a problem too depending on the outcome there. SkyTrain to Langley is not a community-building strategy for Surrey. The whole point of LRT is that it strengthens three nodes within Surrey, in particular Central City. The age-old transportation geography principle that activity takes place at points where there is a change of mode still applies.鈥�
Crime and public safety have for years been an election priority for Surrey residents and businesses alike. This time, the issue has spurred a debate about whether the city is ready for its own police force.
Surrey First has committed to a review of police services within its first 100 days in office, along with a $50 million plan focused on prevention, intervention and enforcement. Hayne favours supporting the existing force, rather than moving to a new model. He has promised to hire 40 new RCMP officers per year over the next four years.
鈥淭hat discussion is not a simple 鈥榯urn the light switch on or off,鈥欌�� he said. 鈥淚f the decision is to move at some point to a municipal policing model, it would take many years to get there.鈥�
McCallum said public safety is why he decided to run.
鈥淚n our first council meeting we are going to withdraw from the RCMP, we鈥檙e going to form our own Surrey police force,鈥� he said.
While many crime statistics have trended lower over the past several years 鈥� including business breaking and entering, theft and theft from vehicles 鈥� Huberman said there remains the perception in Surrey that there is a high crime rate.
鈥淲e鈥檙e trying to make sure that this is a leading-edge, innovative city with great industry hubs, which no one is really focusing on,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he whole public safety element is quite high on people鈥檚 radar, even in this election as it was in the last election.鈥�
Surrey has eight candidates for mayor and 48 candidates vying for eight councillor positions.
After transportation and public safety, Model and Huberman said permitting issues, delays at city hall and a high level of city staff turnover are among top concerns for Surrey鈥檚 business community.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not all been good,鈥� Model said, adding that acquiring and retaining human capital has been a 鈥渉uge鈥� issue for local businesses. 鈥淭he other thing is, what is the municipality doing within their mandate? What do they have available, to ensure affordability for everyone?鈥�
