Surrey mayor pitches 200,000 sq. ft. convention centre for Cloverdale Fairgrounds | Daily Hive

Fraser Downs at the Cloverdale Fairgrounds in Surrey. (BC Racebook)

With just months to go before the October 2026 civic election, Surrey mayor Brenda Locke took the opportunity during her annual State of the City address today to announce a number of sweeping new initiatives.

Among the largest promises is Locke’s proposal to build a convention centre with up to 200,000 sq. ft. of meeting and exhibition space at the Cloverdale Fairgrounds, providing major additional capacity to host events, conferences, and trade shows. There would also be a major hotel to help establish the vision for a year-round entertainment hub at the fairgrounds.

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Such a development would provide an anchor for the emerging Cloverdale Town Centre, which the municipal government has “big plans” for.

In contrast, Vancouver Convention Centre — a facility owned and operated by provincial Crown corporation PavCo — has about 470,000 sq. ft. of useable meeting and exhibition space, while the PNE fairgrounds’ two old main exhibition hall buildings, excluding the Pacific Coliseum and Agrodome, offer over 110,000 sq. ft. of space.

Surrey’s mayor emphasized that the point of creating a major convention centre within her jurisdiction is to provide South of Fraser residents with the option of not having to travel to Vancouver for such events.

“For too long, Surrey residents have had to drive to Vancouver for those kind of facilities, for conference and trade show facilities. But Surrey is large enough, central enough, and strong enough to host all of those events right here in Surrey,” said Locke during her speech today to Surrey’s business community.

“I know we can do it. Cloverdale can honour its roots and still build boldly for the future.”

This also follows last year’s decision by the municipal government to terminate the lease for horse racing at Fraser Downs, effectively bringing a permanent end to the horse racing tradition at the Cloverdale Fairgrounds. At the time, the City had already indicated it was in the process of planning a major mixed-use development for the fairgrounds.

Locke made a similar major events venue announcement during her 2024 State of the City address, when she first revealed her proposal to build a new 12,000-seat indoor arena or outdoor stadium, and that a feasibility study would be conducted to examine the concept and possible locations in Surrey City Centre and the Cloverdale Fairgrounds.

Since then, this effort has zeroed in on pursuing a new 10,000-seat indoor arena on the City-owned site of the BC Lions training facility in Surrey City Centre. The bid process seeking a developer, operator, and anchor sports tenant was launched early this year, and it will close later this month, with Locke noting an announcement could be made early this summer. The City is preparing to set aside up to $200 million to help fund the project, which would also include a hotel, conference space, retail/restaurant space, and possibly residential and office uses.

Three new ice rinks for South Surrey, and a 15-acre public safety campus

She also announced today her proposal to build a new complex of three ice rinks next to the existing Grandview Heights Aquatic Centre in South Surrey, which she says will help serve one of the fast growing areas of the city, and a 15-acre public safety campus in the Anniedale-Tynehead area, which would provide a citywide consolidated hub for training more specialized police, fire, and emergency personnel.

“It will support police training, fire services, emergency preparedness, search and rescue, by-law operations, forensics, special support, specialized support, drone operations, and other public safety partnerships. That will be centrally located with access to key corridors, and it gives Surrey the space and the structure to plan for the next generation of public safety services,” said the mayor.

Police, fire, and City bylaw facilities would also be improved and expanded in Surrey City Centre, South Surrey, and Cloverdale to better support local-specific demands.

Locke also announced a new public safety operations plan that adds 560 police officers, firefighters, bylaw officers, and other staff over five years. This is intended to create a stronger emergency personnel presence across Surrey, reduce response times, and enable police to focus more on serious crimes, with the jurisdiction currently experiencing a wave of extortion-related crime. As well, there would be an expanded use of drones to support public safety response.

“A city approaching one million people cannot rely on the old infrastructure, scattered facilities, outdated models. We must build for the city we are becoming,” she said.

She also reaffirmed in-progress plans to build a new interactive art museum in Surrey City Centre, a new permanent Surrey Sports Hall of Fame in Surrey City Centre, and other cultural spaces, the partnership to achieve Surrey City Centre’s Centre Block complex anchored by Simon Fraser University’s new medical school, and the plans to construct the new Newton Community Centre, which will feature an aquatic centre with a 50-metre pool, two gymnasiums, a major public library branch, and other community and recreational spaces. At a cost of over $300 million, this will be the largest community facility investment in the City’s history, and it will anchor the future high-density, mixed-use residential neighbourhood planned by the municipal government and TransLink that will create the core of Newtown Town Centre.

City of Surrey staff “do a lot with a little”

Locke also vowed to maintain what she described as a disciplined and efficient approach to municipal spending, with the goal of holding the annual property tax increase to a relatively low rate of 2.6 per cent.

As part of that approach, she compared the City of Surrey’s staffing levels with those of the City of Vancouver, noting that Vancouver has roughly twice as many staff.

“We do a lot with a little,” Locke said, praising her City staff as “problem solvers” who continually find ways to deliver services efficiently. She argued that the City of Surrey does not have “the luxury of being slow” or building layers of bureaucracy, adding that City Hall must move “with the speed of the city with discipline, common sense, and a business-minded approach.”

Locke emphasized that every dollar spent by the City ultimately comes from local households and businesses, saying municipal leaders must remain mindful of the financial pressures residents are facing.

While the City continues to invest heavily in growth and infrastructure, she said the City is also working to keep taxes “amongst the lowest in the region” — something she acknowledged is “not easy, but it’s necessary” at a time when many families are being squeezed by affordability challenges.

She added that affordability is about more than just taxes, arguing that municipal governments also need to provide families with places to gather, activities to enjoy, and opportunities to connect without “constantly asking them to pay more.” Locke said that philosophy is one reason free public events have become such a central part of Surrey’s identity.

Surrey City Hall. (City of Surrey)

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