Add StudioX as a preferred source on GoogleHarry Bains is set to return to elected office as the only Surrey Connect councillor on a new Surrey City Council dominated by Mayor-elect Doug McCallum’s Safe Surrey Coalition, after the City of Surrey officially declared the 2026 municipal election winners.
The official declaration, dated October 21, lists Bains among the eight councillors elected. The City’s posted results by poll show he received 31,340 votes, the highest total among councillor candidates. Seven of the eight councillor seats went to Safe Surrey Coalition candidates, giving the coalition eight of the nine council seats when McCallum’s mayoral victory is included.
Bains is a lawyer and former provincial labour minister who represented Surrey-Newton in the B.C. legislature after first being elected in 2005. He served as Minister of Labour from 2017 to 2024 and was appointed to the BC Hydro board of directors in July 2026.
From Surrey-Newton MLA to city councillor-elect
Bains spent nearly two decades in provincial politics. BC Hydro’s official biography says he was first elected MLA for Surrey-Newton in May 2005 and was re-elected in 2009, 2013, 2017 and 2020. He served as B.C.’s Minister of Labour from 2017 to 2024.
His public-service background also includes more than 15 years as an elected officer with Steelworkers-IWA Canada Local 2171 and service on the Kwantlen University College Board of Governors from 1993 to 1999, including three years as vice-chair, according to BC Hydro’s biography.
In a candidate profile submitted to the City of Surrey, Bains described himself as a lawyer, father of two and Surrey resident of more than 30 years. He also identified himself as chair of the Focus Newton Task Force, which he said worked on safer streets, public spaces and infrastructure in Newton. The City notes that candidate profiles are submitted by candidates and that the views expressed are their own.
What Bains campaigned on
In his City-hosted candidate profile, Bains said his priorities include public safety, housing affordability, healthcare and education, stronger transit and growth he described as smart and connected. He also called for responsible and transparent leadership and support for families.
Those priorities will place him in discussions about neighbourhood safety, development, infrastructure and municipal spending. Healthcare and public education, however, are primarily provincial responsibilities, so progress on those campaign themes will depend on advocacy and cooperation with other levels of government.
A lone councillor outside the Safe Surrey majority
The official results show Bains is the only councillor-elect who ran under an organization other than Safe Surrey Coalition. The seven Safe Surrey councillors-elect are Cheney Cloke, Doug Elford, Meera Gill, Suhana Gill, Laurie Guerra, Mandeep Singh Nagra and Allison Patton. McCallum ran for mayor under the Safe Surrey Coalition banner.
That leaves Bains as the sole member of the incoming council outside the coalition’s majority. His ability to influence decisions will depend not only on his own proposals, but also on how he builds support, questions spending and represents residents who did not vote for the governing slate.
What happens next
Mayor-elect McCallum and the councillors-elect are scheduled to take their oaths at Surrey City Hall on November 2, 2026, at 7 p.m. The City says the first regular council meeting will follow the inauguration ceremony.
For Bains, the transition means moving from provincial and labour-policy work back to municipal decision-making in the city where he has lived for more than three decades. The first test will be how the new council turns campaign commitments on safety, housing, growth and infrastructure into decisions, budgets and measurable results.
Sources
- City of Surrey: Declaration of Official Election Results, October 21, 2026
- City of Surrey: 2026 election results by poll and candidate
- City of Surrey: Harry Bains candidate profile
- BC Hydro: Harry Bains biography and board appointment
- City of Surrey: Inauguration of Mayor and Council, November 2, 2026
Harnaik Singh Rathor is the Founder, Publisher, and Editor-in-Chief of StudioX News Canada, Canada's multilingual digital news network serving multilingual diaspora communities across Canada. 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
