Surrey’s civic election is 33 days away.
On Saturday, October 17, residents elect one mayor, eight councillors and six school trustees. Nominations closed at 4 p.m. on Friday, September 11. One hundred people filed for 15 seats, 16 more than 2022.
The official campaign period starts Saturday, September 19.
This is the mayor’s race: who filed, how to reach them, when you vote, and the questions still unanswered. Council and school board names are listed at the bottom of this page. Slate-by-slate profiles publish next.
Candidate bios and contacts below come from each campaign’s City of Surrey profile. The City says those words are the candidates’ own.
Why this is not only a rematch
In 2022, Brenda Locke beat Doug McCallum by 973 votes. Both are back.
Five other names are on the same ballot: Linda Annis, Mike Starchuk, Honveer Singh Randhawa, Troy Van Vliet and Igal Ammons-II. There is no runoff. Most votes wins. In a seven-way field, someone can take the chair without most of the city.
The seven candidates for mayor
Official list: Candidates for Office of Mayor
Igal Ammons-II, New Surrey+
Family counsellor, author and educator, per his City filing. Running with the New Surrey+ banner. Campaign text on the City page talks about unity across Surrey’s six town centres, a pathway to homeownership, and a larger role for residents at City Hall.
Phone: 778-558-4734
Email: NewSurreyPlusCampaign@gmail.com
Linda Annis, Surrey First
First elected to council in 2018, re-elected in 2022. Executive director of Metro Vancouver Crime Stoppers. City filing lists board work with Surrey Cares Foundation, Surrey Arts Festival and Metro Vancouver, plus past roles with Osteoporosis Canada, Zajac Ranch, Uniti and the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame.
Email: LAnnis@surreyfirst.org
Web: surreyfirst.org
X: @LindaAnnisBC
Facebook: Linda Annis BC. Instagram: @LindaAnnisBC. LinkedIn: Linda Annis
Brenda Locke, Surrey Connect
Incumbent mayor. Filing says she has lived in Surrey more than 40 years. Campaign text cites investments in police and fire, property taxes “among the lowest in the region,” recreation, roads and approved housing. Seeking a second term.
Phone: 236-878-1434
Email: info@surrey-connect.ca
Web: surrey-connect.ca
Facebook: surreyconnect. Instagram: @surreyconnect_
Doug McCallum, Safe Surrey Coalition
Former mayor for 13 years, from 1996 to 2002 and 2018 to 2022. Filing cites capital projects, SkyTrain to Clayton Heights, UBC in Surrey, Bear Creek Stadium and the 84th Avenue connector. Platform on his City page: SkyTrain on King George to Newton, zero percent property-tax increases for four years, zero tolerance on crime and extortion, a police helicopter and drone fleet within 90 days, new pools and a Newton community centre, and a farmland plan.
Phone: 604-341-5725
Email: dwmccallum@telus.net
Web: safesurreycoalition.ca
X: @safesurreycoalition
Facebook, Instagram and TikTok: SafeSurreyCoalition
Honveer Singh Randhawa, Conservative
Lawyer. Called to the B.C. bar in 2015. Founded Randhawa Law Centre. Filing says he grew up in Surrey and ran as the Conservative MLA candidate in 2024, losing by 22 votes. Campaign pitch: safer streets, lower taxes, accountable leadership.
Phone: 778-954-7174
Email: honveer.surrey@gmail.com
Web: surreyconservative.com
X: @Honveer_R
Facebook: Honveer Randhawa. Instagram and TikTok: @honveer_singh_randhawa
Mike Starchuk, Imagine Surrey
Raised in Surrey. 32 years with Surrey Fire Service. Retired in 2014 as chief fire prevention officer. Former councillor and former MLA for Surrey-Cloverdale. Filing says he chaired the legislature finance committee and worked as a WCB advocate. Campaign line: safer, faster, less congested, more affordable.
Email: mike@imaginesurrey.ca
Web: imaginesurrey.ca
X: @mikestarchuk
Facebook and Instagram: ImagineSurrey
Troy Van Vliet, Surrey Now
Builder and business owner. Filing says he was raised around construction, lives in Surrey, and helped establish St. John Paul II Academy. Campaign frame: build for families and serve as mayor.
Phone: 604-780-0342
Email: info@surreynow.ca
Web: surreynow.ca
Dates
- Sept. 11: Nominations closed
- Sept. 19: Official campaign period starts
- Sept. 21: Board of Trade council forum, White Rock Community Centre
- Sept. 22: Board of Trade mayoral forum, White Rock
- Oct. 6: Council forum, Sheraton Vancouver Guildford
- Oct. 7: Mayoral forum, Sheraton Guildford. First advance-voting day
- Oct. 7, 10, 14, 15: Advance voting, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., 10 sites
- Oct. 17: Election day, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., 52 locations
How to vote
Surrey uses the Elections BC list. Cards mail late September or early October. If you moved, update the file before Oct. 7 at elections.bc.ca.
Not on the list? Register at the voting place with ID that shows who you are and where you live. Curbside and mail-in options exist. Map: my.surrey.ca/elections.
Questions for every candidate
- Public safety: extortion and targeted crime are not a side issue in this city. What changes in the first 100 days?
- Cost of living: housing, property taxes and what residents get for the bill. What do you freeze, cut or build?
- Transit: SkyTrain to Newton, RapidBus and gridlock on King George and Fraser Highway. What is funded, and what is only a slogan?
- The arena: the old Safeway on King George is slated for a 10,000-seat building, about $360 million. The City has moved demolition and contracts into the campaign window. Do you keep it, pause it or cancel it? Who pays: city, province, team or taxpayer?
- Council: the mayor is one vote. Which eight names are you asking people to mark with you?
StudioX will put those questions to candidates on camera through October 17, in the languages our audience uses. Same questions. Their words.
This guide is not an endorsement.
City council candidates (67 names, 8 seats)
Full profiles: surrey.ca councillor list
Ahmed, Intikhab
Aldabainah-Barakat, Yousef
Alexis, Lisa Dawn
Antifaev, Debra
Bains, Harry
Bajwa, Ricky
Beszedes, Gail
Bose, Mike
Brown, Janet
Carless, Philip
Carlos, Dan B.
Chahal, Chandan
Chatwin, Leanna
Cheema, Bilal
Chohan, Perminder
Cloke, Cheney
Daniel, Isaac
de Hoog, Ian
Dela Cruz, Narima
Dickson, Ollivor
Ditshimba, Messia
Dunn, Michael
Elford, Doug
Gill, Meera
Gill, Rahul
Gill, Suhana
Gosal, Jasroop
Guerra, Laurie
Hanif, Ashiyana
Hepner, Gord
Hoffmann, Christopher R.
Javed, Mehnaz
Johl, Jesse
Kennedy, Emily
Khattab, Youssef
Kielmann, Brad
Kooner, Pardeep
LeFranc, Vera
Li, William
Mubanda, Margaret
Nagra, Mandeep Singh
Nahal, Gagan
Patton, Allison
Ponce de Leon, Enrique
Pullar, Cordel
Rico, Jimmy
Said, Tom
Sharma, Manu
Sidhu, Harkirat
Simpson, Beau
Smed, Matthew J.
Spangehl, Werner
Stewart, Clint
Stutt, Rob
Tepper, Rona
Ting, Miguel
Tsi, Lily
Uppal, Vik
Vanderploeg, Calvin
Vermani, Shina
Victorino, Noemi
Wilkie, Kevin
Wong-Kabush, Mila
Wu, Donna
Yu, James
Zafar, Salman
Zeigler, Grace
School trustee candidates (26 names, 6 seats)
Allen, Terry
Banovich, John
Bhullar, Harjit
Birring, Amrit
Ceniza, Michelle
Chahal, Gurleen K.
Cheema, Noor
D’Silva, Rohit
Da Silva, Tatiana
Gilera, Vanessa
Hee, Gary B.
Holmes, Bob
Jones, Kyle
Jones, Susha Cassidy
Karan, Vick
Kochher, Meena
Larsen, Laurie
McGee, Dean
Mujtaba, Ghulam
Rahman, Afzalur
Thind, Garry
Tighe, Vincent
Tymoschuk, Gary
Wang, Venson
Whitmore, Anne
Wilson, Shawn
Names as declared by the City of Surrey. Confirm updates at surrey.ca/election.
Harnaik Singh Rathor is the Founder, Publisher, and Editor-in-Chief of StudioX News Canada, Canada's multilingual digital news network serving diaspora communities across 44 languages. With a background in media production, public relations, and multicultural communications, he founded StudioX Film and TV Corporation to bridge the gap between mainstream Canadian media and the country's diverse immigrant communities. He is a member of the Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ), RTDNA Canada, CPRS Vancouver, Unifor, NEPMCC, and the Canada Freelance Union. Based in Surrey, British Columbia. | LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harnaiksinghrathor/ | Muck Rack: https://muckrack.com/harnaiksinghrathor | Email: editor@studioxnews.ca
