Surrey mayoral candidate Mike Starchuk proposes lower costs, safer streets and faster commutes

Mike Starchuk, a mayoral candidate in Surrey, grew up in Newton and spent 32 years with Surrey Fire Services, retiring as chief fire prevention officer. He later served as a city councillor and MLA for Surrey-Cloverdale. His three priorities are safer streets, lower costs and faster commutes. He proposes treating extortion as an emergency, keeping taxes at or below inflation without service cuts, and improving rapid transit, traffic-light synchronization and sidewalks.

On affordability, Starchuk says too many young families are being priced out of Surrey. He proposes a $70 monthly one-zone transit pass, lower recreation fees for seniors, property tax increases at or below inflation for four years, and affordable housing across the city. He says recreation fees would be cut in half for people aged 60 to 69 and waived for those over 70. He would seek a bulk-fare deal with TransLink so Surrey residents pay less, and halve property taxes for new builds with below-market homes. Starchuk says costs rose for years under Brenda Locke, Doug McCallum and Linda Annis, and that it is time for change.

Asked about extortion, gang violence and other safety concerns, Starchuk says Newton business owners are paying protection money and families are afraid on their streets. He says reported extortions this year have already exceeded the total for all of last year, while City Hall spent the year fighting over policing. He proposes a police-led anti-extortion command with intelligence officers targeting gangs, their money and ringleaders. He says every victim would be contacted within 48 hours, receive a safety plan and have a named liaison. He would hire the officers police say they need and complete the transition. “You will not live in fear. The extortionists will,” he says.

Starchuk says he showed up when Surrey called for 32 years and wants to “put out the fire at City Hall” and deliver visible results. Voters can find him at imaginesurrey.ca, by email at mike@imaginesurrey.ca, on X at @mikestarchuk and @imaginesurrey, on Facebook at Imagine Surrey, and on Instagram and Threads at @imagine.surrey. His campaign office is at 13338 Central Ave, Surrey; the phone number is 604-838-5178.