Surrey Mayor McCallum asks council to back all 15 campaign promises at first meeting

Doug McCallum returned as Surrey's mayor after the October 17 vote, taking 31.8 per cent of the ballot in a tight three-way race. At his first council meeting he asked councillors to back all 15 of his campaign promises, including withdrawing Surrey from Metro Vancouver, equipping police with a helicopter and drone fleet within three months, and freezing property taxes. A tax freeze would cut the revenue that pays for fire, parks, libraries, roads and garbage collection.

The helicopter and drone purchases, along with their pilots, maintenance, fuel and insurance, would require line-item budget adjustments elsewhere, and no dollar figure for the aircraft has been published.

UBC political scientist Stewart Prest told reporters that McCallum is "biting off too much too quickly with this approach," and said the helicopter and drone purchases alongside a tax freeze would require significant cuts elsewhere. Prest also said a Surrey withdrawal from Metro Vancouver would open a significant governance hole and carry real costs for the region. A council cannot leave Metro Vancouver by simple motion, since the regional district handles drinking water, wastewater treatment, solid waste and regional parks.

McCallum told council, "The people of Surrey did not elect this council to study things. They elected us to get things done, and that work starts at our first meeting." The Safe Surrey Coalition has not responded to Prest's criticisms, and no cost or legal analysis of a withdrawal has been released.

In February 2025, council unanimously voted to withdraw from the Metro 2050 Regional Growth Strategy by motion. The last time this race was run, in 2022, Brenda Locke beat McCallum by just under 1,000 votes.