Mike Starchuk and Imagine Surrey promise an anti-extortion command led by SPS

Mike Starchuk and his Imagine Surrey council candidates announced their platform for the 2026 municipal election on Oct. 5. The 50-page “Contract for a Better Surrey” contains 79 commitments under five pillars: safe streets, fast commutes, smart investments, lower costs and strong services. Starchuk and his eight council candidates made the announcement at a press conference at his campaign office on Central Avenue in Whalley. It followed an endorsement of Starchuk and Imagine Surrey by the president of Unifor Local 3000.

The mayoral candidate and all eight council candidates signed the platform. Starchuk said that, if elected, he would create a public dashboard, updated quarterly, showing each commitment as green, amber or red according to its progress. In a release after the press conference, he said City Hall’s problem was its culture, not the building. He compared the platform to a contract with voters and said they would hear from the slate first if it fell behind.

The platform, available at imaginesurrey.ca, promises Surrey residents a $70 monthly transit pass, 1,000 affordable homes a year and what Imagine Surrey calls “a bold commitment” to reduce homelessness. The party also said it would turn the City of Surrey into a “certified, living-wage employer.”

Starchuk said that on his first day in office he would ask every councillor to sign a protocol promising to keep hands off the police chief. He also set 30-day and 90-day time periods for a public transition. He said he would start an anti-extortion command led by Surrey Police Service, working with the RCMP and CSIS. Every reported victim, he said, would be contacted, given a safety plan and assigned a liaison within 48 hours.

Imagine Surrey also promised to build two new fire halls and commit to SkyTrain service to South Surrey through Newton. Starchuk said he would cancel the current city-centre arena project and build a different arena on “cheaper land in a better spot.” He also promised a lobbyist registry and a searchable webpage for City contracts.

He added that Imagine Surrey would limit City property-tax increases to no more than B.C. inflation for four years, with the rate planned at 2.5%. The pledge also rules out layoffs of frontline staff, closures and reduced hours. More information is available at imaginesurrey.ca.