Mike Starchuk’s plan for young people in Surrey:

​

A young person in Surrey can do everything right and still get priced out of the city that raised them. Mike Starchuk is running for mayor to change that.

​

Mike spent his career as a firefighter. He’s running with the Imagine Surrey team for the same reason he took that job: something is burning, and somebody has to show up. The same old parties have run City Hall for too long. Young people are the ones paying for it, in rent, in commutes, and in a lack of places to go. Mike’s platform, the Contract for a Better Surrey, is built for the person in their twenties renting downtown, working shifts, and trying to decide whether this city has a future for them.

​

Homes young people can actually reach:

Mike will build at least 1,000 affordable homes a year. He’ll bring in an empty homes tax so vacant properties come back to the market, and the revenue will go toward more affordable homes. He also wants studios and housing for artists and tradespeople, and a Senakw-style development in partnership with local First Nations. That last one is housing and reconciliation in the same project.

​

A city you can get around:

Mike wants a $70 monthly transit pass for Surrey residents, along with expanded rapid transit. He’ll build 50 km of net new sidewalk on roads that don’t have any today, and synchronize the traffic lights. For a student or a young worker without a car, this is the difference between getting somewhere and being stuck.

​

First jobs that stay in Surrey:

Mike’s Buy Surrey plan makes local businesses the City’s priority supplier and breaks big contracts into pieces local companies can win. It creates First Job paid placements and apprenticeships, “Solve It in Surrey” challenges, and accelerator zones in every town centre. The City will also become a certified living wage employer. If City Hall expects businesses to pay fairly, it should do it first.

​

Places to belong:

The plan funds three new community centres, paid for partly by moving the arena to cheaper land in a better location. Mike also wants a cricket and rugby stadium on City-owned land in Fleetwood, close to future SkyTrain, plus a bid for the World Police and Fire Games and, if that succeeds, the Commonwealth Games.

 

Governance young people can trust:

None of this lasts if the system stays closed. Mike is proposing a ward system, with one councillor for each community plus two at-large, and he’ll put it to an assent vote so residents decide. He’s calling for a plebiscite on Surrey’s membership in Metro Vancouver and a smaller, more accountable Metro board. He’s committed to no more casinos and no crypto ATMs, and he supports the Surrey Police Service working with other levels of government on white-collar and financial crime. The City will also publish an annual report on how much of its spending stays in Surrey. People should be able to see the result.

​

Young people are already in this campaign. They’re knocking doors and volunteering, and many of them are still in high school. They aren’t asking for special treatment. They’re asking for a city that keeps its promises.