David Eby's BC NDP promises Surrey Charter with City of Vancouver-style powers | Daily Hive

David Eby's BC NDP promises new legislation to provide City of Surrey with its own charter, creating City of Vancouver-style powers

Surrey City Hall. (City of Surrey)

BC NDP leader David Eby is promising to give the City of Surrey its own municipal charter if his provincial party is re-elected, taking up a proposal Mayor Brenda Locke of the Surrey Connect municipal party first brought to Surrey City Council more than two years ago.

In an announcement today, Premier Eby vowed to create new standalone provincial legislation that would give Surrey’s municipal government a new level of authority and power that would be comparable to the City of Vancouver, with much greater freedom to respond to the demands of its growing population.

The BC NDP asserts that a Surrey Charter would give Surrey’s municipal government more flexibility to address housing, transportation, infrastructure, and community services.

“Surrey is on track to become B.C.’s largest city, and it needs the tools to match its size. A municipal charter will give people on the ground the power to shape the city’s future,” said Eby.

“This will provide decision-makers here what they need to deliver more parks and better facilities for families, smoother daily commutes, and drive economic growth with higher-paying jobs in the community.”

You might also like:

As previously reported by Daily Hive Urbanized, the commitment follows Surrey City Council’s July 2024 direction to have City staff examine how a Surrey Charter could be established, including its potential benefits, challenges, and implementation options

At the time, Locke, who is seeking re-election in this month’s civic election, argued that Surrey’s rapid population and urban growth warranted separation legislation tailored to the specific needs of the city, giving its municipal government more room to make decisions suited to local needs. This includes not only additional powers and responsibilities, but also exemptions.

Currently, the City of Surrey operates under the provincial government’s legislation of the Community Charter and B.C. Local Government Act, which together outline the rules and functions of municipal governments across the province, including Surrey. However, the City of Vancouver’s rules and functions are instead separately set out in its standalone Vancouver Charter.

Passed in 1953, the Vancouver Charter establishes how the City of Vancouver operates, including its authority over bylaws, land use, taxation, spending, and borrowing. It gives Vancouver a different and wider range of authority and powers from those available to other municipal governments under the general provincial legislation governing how municipalities work.

Surrey City Council’s earlier proposal also went beyond a general request for greater autonomy.

In September 2024, after reviewing the findings of City staff, City Council unanimously approved the outline of their proposed Surrey Charter that included authority to introduce a municipal Empty Homes Tax (similar to the City of Vancouver’s Empty Homes Tax), broaden its revenue sources, increase maximum bylaw fines, and provide more support to businesses. At that juncture, they also made a formal request to the BC NDP-led provincial government to create the Surrey Charter.

Additionally, they also sought exemptions from provincial housing requirements, including greater City Council discretion over density around public transit hubs, parking requirements, public hearings, and retaining single-family residential zones.

Eby’s announcement does not specify whether those particular requests would be included in the promised Surrey Charter, or provide a timeline for introducing the legislation.

While the promise supports the City of Surrey’s push for its own governing legislation, the scope of any new powers would depend on the provisions ultimately drafted and passed by the provincial legislature.

Some recent initiatives of the BC NDP-led provincial government involving municipal governance have also included the requirement of extensive First Nations consultation and reconciliation provisions. For example, the provincial government’s proposed 2025 Vancouver Charter amendments — intended to allow the dissolution of the separately elected Vancouver Park Board — included an exemption from the public referendum requirement for permanent parkland transfers to First Nations. The legislation was subsequently halted amid opposition from Mayor Ken Sim, who argued that Vancouver voters should retain a say in all types of parkland transfers, and concerns raised by First Nations.

Meanwhile, Okanagan Falls is set to become B.C.’s first new municipality since the passage of the BC NDP’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA). Its incorporation documents include a framework for collaboration with the Osoyoos Indian Band, including a reconciliation advisory body comprising representatives selected by the band and members of the new City Council.

You might also like: