Surrey First has worked together to transform Surrey into a thriving metropolis with a quality of life and a vision for our community that sets the example.
We have built an economy that is the envy of the province:
- The lowest property taxes in the Lower Mainland
- The second lowest business-tax in the Lower Mainland
- Being named the Best Place to Invest in BC by the Real Estate Investment Network
- $11 billion in private sector investment
- 2,000 new companies created each year
- Developing the Innovation Boulevard, a world-leading hub of healthcare technologies
- Maintained the lowest spending per capita in the Lower Mainland, with a low debt burden and a financial reserve of nearly half a billion dollars
We have moved aggressively to provide an environment where people feel safe in their streets and have trust in government:
- Increased RCMP funding from $69 million in 2005 to $123 million in 2014
- Added 300 new RCMP officers
- Created a Surrey Crime Prevention Strategy which is 90% complete or underway
- Been recognized for financial transparency in government with the Canadian Award for Financial Reporting
- Cleaned up the City Hall which was left scandal-plagued by the previous Mayor, with whistle-blower protection, a respectful workplace policy, and a lobbyist registry
We have built a vision for a city where no one gets left behind:
- Creation of the Surrey Homelessness and Housing Foundation
- Timber Grove Mental Health Centre with 52 units
- Quibble Creek Sobering Centre with 52 units
- Maxxine Wright Centre and Health Clinic for Women and Children, 36 units with 59 daycare spots
- Peterson Place, 39 homeless units
- Rising Sun, 70 units opening in 2015
- Sophie’s Place Child Advocacy Centre, first of its kind in BC
We have created a quality of life that sets the standard of how to achieve balanced growth for the future:
- $5 billion Build Surrey program, investing in community centres, libraries, sports facilities, parks, public facilities and transportation without raising property taxes
- Awarded the E3 Fleet Gold Rating by the Fraser Basin Council
- Recognized by the David Suzuki Foundation for creating the first bio-diversity strategy in the Lower Mainland
- Leading North America in the creation of a bio-fuel facility which will make Surrey a closed-loop system, that processes organic waste into fuel used by city vehicles
- Preserving and protecting nearly 8,000 acres of green space
- Creating a Sustainability Charter with a 50-year vision for Surrey’s future
- Climate Action plan that has reduced greenhouse gases by 18% from 2009-2011
- Diverted 70% of landfill waste