Surrey mayoral candidate proposes waterfront district, cricket stadium and Commonwealth Games bid

Surrey mayoral candidate Mike Starchuk is proposing a Fraser River waterfront destination and a cricket and rugby stadium as part of a bid to bring major international sporting events to the city, with the 2034 or 2038 Commonwealth Games as the ultimate target.

The two announcements from Starchuk's Imagine Surrey party, unveiled last week, connect new public spaces and sports facilities with ambitions to first host the World Police and Fire Games. The civic election is October 17, 2026.

The proposed "Surrey Waterfront District" would be located along the Fraser River in Brownsville and South Westminster, near the new stal̕əw̓asəm/Riverview Bridge and SkyTrain's Scott Road Station. Imagine Surrey is pitching this neighbourhood as a destination to rival Downtown New Westminster's Quay and North Vancouver's Shipyards — with more opportunities for local residents and visitors to spend time beside the river.

Plans include a public quay and riverside walking route, a market hall, an outdoor amphitheatre, housing, community amenities, and a centre for technology and employment. The party proposes building the district in stages, beginning with the quay and riverwalk, followed by the market and amphitheatre. Housing and community amenities would be incorporated throughout.

Imagine Surrey notes that while the city has 20 km of Fraser River shoreline, there is limited public access. "I live in Surrey Centre, 10 minutes from a river most of my neighbours have never stood beside," said Narima Dela Cruz, a Surrey City Council member under Imagine Surrey. "A quay, a market, and somewhere to bring your family on a Sunday. That is what a city centre with a waterfront does."

The waterfront proposal also includes a future "Commonwealth Village" linked to the Commonwealth Games bid. The Commonwealth Games is one of the world's largest multi-sport events, comparable to the Pan American Games — which Canada last hosted in Toronto in 2015 — and brings together athletes representing countries and territories across the British Commonwealth.

In 2025, Surrey City Council approved a feasibility study for a mixed-use entertainment district in the same waterfront area. The site had previously been considered as a potential new home for the PNE in the early 2000s, though that relocation plan was ultimately abandoned by the provincial government.