Surrey mayoral candidates promise new hospital and commuter rail

Doug McCallum’s Safe Surrey Coalition says it would build a new general hospital in Newton if elected Oct. 17. McCallum said he would fast-track approvals, issue every City permit within 60 days and seek construction funding directly from Victoria and Ottawa.

The proposed hospital would be built on City-owned land near King George Boulevard and 70B Avenue and would become Surrey’s second full-service hospital alongside Surrey Memorial, excluding one now under construction in Cloverdale. The City owns 7.24 acres of vacant land at 6965 King George Boulevard, where McCallum had wanted to build a community centre that is now planned a few blocks to the northeast. He said Surrey should catch up to Vancouver, where six hospitals operate, and described the hospital as a legacy project.

Also Monday, mayoral candidate Mike Starchuk and his Imagine Surrey slate promised to advocate for West Coast Express-like commuter rail in Surrey, running from Scott Road to Fraser Valley through Newton and Cloverdale. Starchuk said Surrey has about 700,000 residents but no commuter rail. He said an Imagine Surrey council would make a formal submission to the provincial rail strategy in its first 100 days, setting out a corridor and business case and asking Victoria and Ottawa to collaborate with City Hall.