Surrey swears in new mayor and council

Surrey officially has a new mayor and council.

Brenda Locke and eight city councillors were sworn in during a ceremony at Surrey City Hall on Monday night.

“Surrey deserves a Council that values public input, delivers on promises, and above all else, is ethical and transparent,” said Locke during her inauguration speech. “Restoring integrity and public engagement will be the focus of my work every step of the way.”

“The next four years is a time to come together.” – Mayor Brenda Locke pic.twitter.com/zr4unvy7qY

— City of Surrey (@CityofSurrey) November 8, 2022

Locke narrowly defeated incumbent Doug McCallum in the civic election on Oct. 15.

Surrey city councillors also sworn in on Monday night include Doug Elford, Pardeep Kooner, Harry Bains, Rob Stutt, Gordon Hepner, Linda Annis, Mike Bose, and Mandeep Nagra.

Surrey’s new mayor and City Council (left to right): Cllr Doug Elford, Cllr Pardeep Kooner, Cllr Harry Bains, Cllr Rob Stutt, Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke, Cllr Gordon Hepner, Cllr Linda Annis, Cllr Mike Bose, Cllr Mandeep Nagra. (Photo courtesy: City of Surrey)

Among the new mayor’s top priorities is keeping the RCMP in Surrey, which has been a hotly-debated issue in the city since McCallum moved to implement a municipal police force.

The B.C. government approved the changeover in 2020, and the Surrey Police Service (SPS) has hired over 300 officers, including 35 expected to start in November.

The City of Surrey says work is underway to keep the Mounties as the police jurisdiction for the city and a report outlining the plan will be released to the public.

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On the morning after Locke was elected mayor, she told CityNews she had already made calls to begin the process of keeping the RCMP in Surrey.

Locke’s other priorities noted at her inauguration included bringing more public consultation to the city’s budget, strengthening the independence of the Ethics Commissioner, and creating a stronger role for youth in the city.

“All voices will be heard and I look forward to working with all the residents of Surrey,” she said.

The next meeting of Surrey City Council will be on Nov. 14.

-With files from Robyn Crawford, Charlie Carey, and Emily Marsten