Surrey arena proposal becomes an election issue despite mayor’s insistence there is no going back

Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke says the city’s planned 10,000-seat, $360-million arena cannot be undone by the Oct. 17 civic election. At a Sept. 10 groundbreaking at King George Boulevard and 104 Avenue, Locke said all contracts had been completed and signed, and that the election would not impede the project.

Mayoral challengers have raised objections ranging from calls for more financial scrutiny to demands that the project be cancelled. Surrey First candidate Linda Annis said she would stop the ice arena project and focus on community facilities such as recreation facilities, ice arenas, playing fields and pools. She said downtown revitalization is needed but expressed concern about taxpayer costs, estimating the project could cost about $600 million and questioning operating expenses.

Demolition has begun on the former Safeway site proposed for the arena, conference centre, hotel, entertainment district and housing. The project is planned for completion by 2030, with the Western Hockey League’s Vancouver Giants expected to move from the Langley Events Centre as anchor tenant. Locke said investors would be involved in all parts of the project, including the hotel, but did not provide specifics. In June, Surrey and its SCDC real estate office announced a “strategic land swap” with Wesgroup Properties, which owns the former Safeway site.

Imagine Surrey candidate Mike Starchuk supports building a 10,000-seat arena but opposes the downtown deal behind the proposal. He said a judicial review showed the arrangement was an agreement rather than an agreement in principle, and argued that the city should have used land it already owned. Starchuk said his team would consider city-owned land in Fleetwood for a large arena.

Safe Surrey Coalition candidate Doug McCallum said he would conduct a forensic audit of land deals underlying the arena proposal and would not use public money if a large arena were built in the future. He instead described expanding Bear Creek Stadium, a 2,200-seat grandstand that opened in 2024, by adding 3,500 seats on the other side and 2,000 seats at each end zone to reach 10,000 seats. Asked about parking at Bear Creek Park, McCallum said there was ample parking and pointed to a proposed SkyTrain extension along King George, with a station near Bear Creek.