IMAGINE Surrey officially launched its 2026 municipal election campaign on Tuesday night to a packed house of nearly 1,000 supporters at a convention centre in Newton, unveiling its full slate of candidates “to challenge the status quo under the same old players and parties at Surrey City Hall.”
Mayoral candidate Mike Starchuk — Surrey’s retired Chief Fire Prevention Officer, former City Councillor, and former MLA for Surrey-Cloverdale — introduced the party’s eight council candidates alongside a team of brave Surrey firefighters and delivered a keynote address that laid out Imagine Surrey’s five core commitments.
The event confirmed the full Imagine Surrey slate, including two final city council candidates announced for the first time: Perminder Chohan and Chandan Chahal.
They join a team of proven community leaders in William Li, Kevin Wilkie, Narima Dela Cruz, Yousef Aldabainah, Ashiyana Hanif, and Dr. Margaret Mubanda. The slate spans each of Surrey’s official communities with diverse backgrounds.
“Our slate looks like Surrey,” said Starchuk. “We are not career politicians. We are frontline workers, professionals, and public servants who quietly fight for this city every single day — and we are no longer going to be quiet.”
1. Safe Streets:
Starchuk pledged regular public briefings modelled on the COVID-era updates led by Dr. Bonnie Henry, full resourcing of the Surrey Police Service including crime cameras, helicopters, and specialized officers, and immediate collaboration with Victoria and Ottawa. “Under my leadership, it is the extortionists who will live in fear — not you,” Starchuk declared. He also committed to completing the police transition and addressing a critical firefighter staffing gap: Surrey has 45% fewer firefighters than Vancouver despite a comparable population spread across three times the land mass.
2. Fast Commutes
Starchuk announced plans to convert the R6 RapidBus into a full Bus Rapid Transit route from Newton to Scott Road Station, and to create a new BRT route from Surrey Central to Semiahmoo via Guildford and 152nd Street. By the end of Imagine Surrey’s first term, the city would have three functioning BRT routes as the foundation for future SkyTrain expansion.
3. Smart Investments
Imagine Surrey will work with user groups to build an international cricket and rugby stadium to bring world-class events to the city. Starchuk also announced that Surrey will bid to host the 2032 International Firefighter Games and form a bid committee for the 2036 Commonwealth Games. “Branding Surrey as a City of Champions will attract major organizations who view our city as a place to invest in, rather than avoid,” Starchuk said.
4. Lower Costs
Starchuk pledged to reduce recreational fees for seniors by 50% and eliminate “Super Senior” surcharges entirely. He announced a free swim lesson for every child aged 5 and under and committed to bringing Surrey’s recreation fees, infrastructure, and program capacity in line with comparable cities. A new building-permit concierge system will impose published timelines on permit approvals, with fee reductions for builders when the city misses its own deadlines.
5. Strong Services
Imagine Surrey will hire frontline workers and open three new community centres to address capacity shortfalls. The party committed to examining outsourced work that could be brought in-house at lower cost, and to a fiscally responsible approach that “respects workers and taxpayers alike.”
“There are only two futures for this city,” Starchuk told the crowd. “One where the same old players keep fighting the same old fights and nothing changes — or one with a bright future where a team of frontline workers gets us unstuck so we can build the city we all deserve.”
Starchuk closed by pointing to his unique combination of experience as a firefighter, city councillor, and MLA: “I know that my experience makes me the most qualified to lead and manage this city. And most importantly, I know the job is all about responding to residents and getting things done.”
For more on the candidates, visit: www.imaginesurrey.ca/about/team/
