Surrey opens first of 10 city-funded primary care clinics to address doctor shortage
Whalley clinic opens Friday with city covering $100,000 annual lease and facility costs per clinic, freeing money for clinics to recruit family doctors.
The day's top stories, food & events — every morning at 7. Unsubscribe anytime.
Surrey opened its first of 10 "city-supported" primary care clinics August 29 in Whalley, launching an initiative designed to ease a severe family doctor shortage.
The city covers the clinic's lease and facility costs — approximately $100,000 annually per clinic — freeing up money for clinics to spend on recruiting family doctors. The move reflects urgent pressure: Surrey has about 59 family doctors for every 100,000 residents, less than half the ratio in Vancouver.
Mayor Brenda Locke announced the clinic at the King George Boulevard location, saying "health care is not the responsibility of local governments, but the need in Surrey was too urgent to simply wait for solutions." The city brought together Dr. Karan Grewal of TLC Medical Clinics and other partners to make the clinic a reality.
Total Life Care Granville Medical will manage the first two clinics, with the next opening in a new Newton commercial building within the next month. Each clinic will be staffed with 10 doctors, each with a minimum of 1,250 patients, and will serve as teaching sites for student doctors in the SFU Stephens Family School of Medicine.
Dr. Grewal said the initiative is meaningful because "too many people in Surrey have struggled to find a family doctor." He added: "My team and I are excited to welcome patients and to start building long-lasting relationships in the community."
Locke emphasized the city's limited role: "We know doctors want to spend their time caring for patients, not managing administration. So we've taken the initiative to find expertise operators and have helped facilitate partnerships, agreements, and space needed to make this clinic possible."
The province handles day-to-day operations through doctors and TLC staff.
Currently serving city councillor and mayoral candidate Linda Annis criticized the approach, saying using "scarce city property taxes to get into the health-care sector, which is a provincial responsibility, and competing with existing clinics makes no sense." She noted that existing clinics across Surrey pay property taxes and other costs without city support, creating unfair competition.
Locke disagreed, saying the city worked with existing clinics rather than competing with them. The initiative was first announced in May 2025.
The facts
When did Surrey open its first city-funded primary care clinic?
Surrey opened its first city-funded primary care clinic on August 29, 2026, in Whalley.
How much does the city spend annually to support each clinic?
Surrey covers approximately $100,000 annually per clinic in lease and facility costs.
How many family doctors will staff each clinic?
Each clinic will be staffed with 10 doctors, each with a minimum of 1,250 patients.
How many primary care clinics is Surrey planning to open?
Surrey is planning to open 10 city-supported primary care clinics total.
