Burnaby Mayor Mike Hurley promises 1,000 affordable rentals in bid for third term | Daily Hive

Burnaby Mayor Mike Hurley promises 1,000 new affordable rental homes in bid for third term

Mike Hurley. (Mike Hurley)

Burnaby Mayor Mike Hurley does not have an uncontested path to re-election this time around.

After securing a second term by acclamation ahead of the 2022 civic election, when no other candidates stepped forward for the mayoral seat, he now faces five challengers in the civic election on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026 and must convince voters to give him another four years at Burnaby City Hall.

His re-election platform for a third term, unveiled earlier this month, includes commitments to keep the City of Burnaby debt-free and hold municipal property taxes at or below the regional annual average.

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One of his largest housing promises is to have the City’s recently-created Burnaby Housing Authority deliver 1,000 new affordable rental homes, including townhomes designed for families.

“I first ran for mayor because I couldn’t stand to see Burnaby residents being demovicted from their homes,” said Burnaby mayoral candidate Mike Hurley, referring to the previous controversies with his predecessor related to the evictions in the Metrotown area to make way for high-rise towers.

The former firefighter was first elected mayor in 2018, receiving 26,260 votes. During that civic election, he was the only serious challenger among the four candidates running against longtime incumbent Derek Corrigan, who was defeated after securing 20,333 votes.

“As mayor, I put an end to demovictions and brought in the strongest renter protections in North America. Now, I want to continue standing up for Burnaby residents and build a Burnaby for everyone.”

He also wants to shorten the wait for homebuilding permits and keep development cost charges down, with the aim of making housing more affordable.

Hurley would also continue pressing the provincial government to return decision-making over residential zoning to municipal governments. During his second term, he was highly critical of the BC NDP-led government’s top-down prescriptions and stipulations on housing-related matters through legislation.

As for public safety, he wants to move the temporary shelter on Buller Avenue to another location and build the planned Buller Beresford Park at the site. The shelter’s lease ends in 2028.

He also promises to finish expanding the Burnaby RCMP detachment, which he says would help the force recruit and retain police officers.

Emergency preparedness measures include extending the wildfire early-warning system to Central Park and Robert Burnaby Park — based on the system that was installed at Burnaby Mountain earlier this year — and holding a citywide emergency planning exercise.

Much of Hurley’s vision for community and recreational facilities focuses on completing major projects already well under construction. These include the Burnaby Lake Recreation Centre, Cameron Community Centre and Library in the Lougheed Town Centre area, and Brentwood Community Centre, which is fully integrated into a Grosvenor’s major mixed-use development next to SkyTrain’s Brentwood Town Centre Station.

The City’s $1.2-billion capital reserve fund — previously accumulated over many years — is now essentially depleted due to soaring construction costs emerging out of the pandemic, major capital projects (such as the new community and recreational facilities) going over budget, and provincial legislative changes impacting how the municipal government can raise revenue from builders and developers.

He also pledges to complete the new Shadbolt Centre performance venue, continue improving parks and playgrounds, and provide $250,000 annually for arts and cultural events. The new Burnaby Lake Recreation Centre would also be used to help attract regional and national sporting events.

On transportation, Hurley wants to work with TransLink to add more north-south bus routes — building on the recent north-south route extension of the R2 RapidBus from Phibbs bus exchange to Metrotown via Willingdon Avenue, with key stops on Hastings Street, Brentwood Town Centre, and the BCIT Burnaby campus.

He would also continue pushing the provincial government to advance the remaining major phase of the Burnaby Hospital redevelopment, which was controversially cancelled earlier this year after updated cost estimates showed the project was significantly over budget. The provincial government had also implemented a strategy to slow down its capital spending due to staggering annual deficits and soaring debt.

Since Hurley released his platform, Premier David Eby’s administration has announced a revised strategy to proceed with the hospital redevelopment work in smaller additional phases. Last week, a day before the BC NDP’s snap election call, $210 million in funding was announced to expand and upgrade the aging hospital’s emergency department and surgical unit, including 16 additional emergency treatment spaces and four upgraded operating rooms. Expanded cancer care and a new acute care tower would follow.

However, Eby’s announcement did not provide completion dates for the cancer care expansion or new tower. The emergency and surgical upgrades also require further planning and preparation, with the initial procurement process for a contractor expected to finish in early 2027, followed by detailed design and construction.

Hurley’s economic proposals include creating a Burnaby Innovation District to draw high-tech businesses, continuing the City’s partnership with Simon Fraser University through the Civic Innovation Lab, and attracting more film and television productions through the Burnaby Film Office.

For small businesses, Hurley proposes reducing the time and cost of obtaining permits by simplifying municipal procedures and making further use of tools tested through the City’s Development Approvals Process Program.

“Innovation is key to Burnaby’s future. That is why I’m committing to further streamline government processes and cut red tape as well as attract high-tech industries and good jobs to the city,” continued Hurley.

For more than two years, Hurley has also served as chair of the Metro Vancouver Regional District’s board of directors. The regional government has faced its own controversies over rising capital project costs, new fees, and its governance structure.

Hurley and Port Coquitlam Mayor Brad West were the only two Metro Vancouver mayors re-elected by acclamation in 2022. Like Hurley, West also faces competition in the 2026 civic election, with two challengers vying his seat.

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