With Surrey’s municipal election approaching, the coalition’s digital campaign has promoted a proposed hospital, a property-tax freeze and SkyTrain expansion while targeting Mayor Brenda Locke’s record.
SURREY, B.C. — Safe Surrey Coalition’s political advertising on Meta platforms cost an estimated $55,782 over 30 days, according to the company’s Ad Library, offering a snapshot of the campaign messages being delivered to voters ahead of Surrey’s Oct. 17 municipal election.
The advertising report covers Sept. 7 to Oct. 6, 2026, and lists 275 ads. The figures raise a practical question for voters: What messages is the coalition paying to put in front of the public, and how widely are those messages being distributed?
The coalition, led by mayoral candidate Doug McCallum, has used the ads to promote its proposed infrastructure projects and affordability commitments while criticizing incumbent Mayor Brenda Locke on property taxes, public safety and City Hall decisions.
Hospital, SkyTrain and tax freeze among key messages
A recurring theme in the advertisements is McCallum’s proposal to build a new Surrey General Hospital in Newton.
The campaign says the proposed facility would include emergency services, inpatient beds, operating rooms, intensive care, maternity care and dedicated pediatric services. It also promises that a McCallum-led council would fast-track municipal approvals and issue city permits within 60 days while seeking provincial and federal funding.
The ads also promote SkyTrain expansion to Newton, new recreation facilities and a pledge to freeze property taxes for four years.
These are campaign promises, rather than evidence that the proposed projects have secured all necessary funding or approvals.
Ads criticize Locke’s record
A substantial portion of the listed advertisements takes a critical approach to Locke’s mayoralty.
The campaign has run ads questioning property-tax increases, city employee compensation, development decisions and the circumstances surrounding the dismissal of former Surrey Police Chief Norm Lipinski.
Some advertisements refer to sworn court affidavits in discussing the police chief’s dismissal. Those claims need to be distinguished from findings established by a court. Campaign advertisements are not independent verification of the allegations they contain.
The coalition has also used neighbourhood-specific messages, including ads about development in Rosemary Heights, proposed heritage protections in Ocean Park and Crescent Beach, and community facilities.
Some ads report more than 100,000 impressions
Individual advertisements in the supplied Ad Library records show substantial estimated impression ranges.
One video promoting McCallum’s record and proposed hospital lists between 150,000 and 175,000 impressions. Another advertisement announcing the proposed hospital lists between 125,000 and 150,000 impressions.
Impressions count how many times an ad was displayed, not the number of unique people who saw it. The figures therefore should not be interpreted as the number of Surrey residents reached.
The advertiser audience report lists Surrey and several surrounding postal areas among its location settings. It also indicates that the advertiser did not select detailed targeting settings or a specific language for the reporting period.
The individual listings include both English and Punjabi campaign material.
What do the spending figures cover?
Meta’s Ad Library also reports $25,333 in political and issue advertising spending from Oct. 1 to Oct. 7, 2026.
Separately, the library lists cumulative spending of $409,578 between Oct. 8, 2019, and Oct. 7, 2026.
These are three different reporting windows. The cumulative figure covers nearly seven years of advertising classified as relating to social issues, elections or politics in Canada; it is not the coalition’s spending on the 2026 municipal election alone.
Nor do the Meta figures represent the coalition’s complete campaign expenditure. Official campaign-finance disclosures are a separate source of information.
Questions remain about the campaign’s advertising strategy
The Ad Library provides a public record of the coalition’s paid political advertising, including estimated expenditure, individual ad content and audience settings.
It does not, by itself, explain why the campaign selected its particular budget, establish the effectiveness of its advertising or show how many individual voters were persuaded by it.
StudioX News sought to examine the records as a snapshot of digital campaigning ahead of the municipal election. The coalition should be asked to explain its advertising expenditure, identify the main objectives of the campaign and clarify how much of the reported spending relates specifically to the current municipal race.
The figures offer voters a view of the scale and substance of one campaign’s online advertising, while leaving the wider question of its impact open.
Source: Meta Ad Library advertiser and audience reports, and individual ad listings supplied for review..
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, NEPMCC, and the Canadian Freelance Union (Unifor). Based in Surrey, British Columbia. | LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harnaiksinghrathor/ | Muck Rack: https://muckrack.com/harnaiksinghrathor | Email: editor@studioxnews.ca
