Surrey's mayoral race pivots on policing and arena, with Locke facing McCallum rematch

Surrey's mayoral election on October 17 is shaping up as a rematch of 2022, when Mayor Brenda Locke defeated former mayor Doug McCallum by just under 1,000 votes. The two are bitter rivals despite once being running mates, and they hold sharply different philosophies on the city's most contentious issues.

"'They do not like each other' might be the understatement of the year," said Ross Michael Pink, a political science professor at Kwantlen Polytechnic University. "You've got this tremendous battle between Locke and McCallum, who [have] very different philosophies politically and very, very much dislike each other."

Public safety and policing remain two of the hottest topics in this election. Locke ran in 2022 on a platform of dismantling the new Surrey Police Service and keeping the RCMP, pledging it would save the city $500 million. After winning, she pursued legal action against the province to keep the RCMP. But she has since backtracked and voiced support for the Surrey Police Service, which became the police of jurisdiction in B.C.'s second largest city in November 2024, replacing the RCMP after several decades. The province had provided $250 million to help pay for the police transition.

During Locke's administration, the city spent more than $1 million to oppose the police transition. In June 2026, Surrey Police Chief Norm Lipinski was dismissed following consultation between the province and city. Five other members of the police board were replaced alongside him. Lipinski filed a petition requesting judicial review of the dismissal, alleging the decision was "motivated by extraneous political considerations" and that Locke was involved. Locke has denied involvement in the dismissal decision.

Other election issues include a land swap to build a new arena — judicial reviews have been requested for the firing of the police chief and the land swap — and a contentious city decision to withdraw from Metro Vancouver's long-term growth plan. The city has invested in SkyTrain expansion to Langley, new recreation facilities and roads, and hosted the opening of the first new medical school in Western Canada since 1967.

McCallum has alleged the city removed election signs. Mayoral candidate Linda Annis is being sued by a resident for a dog bite. Locke is a former city councillor and BC Liberal MLA.