At their meeting on February 24th, Council unanimously approved a motion to withdraw from the Metro 2050 Regional Growth Strategy, driven by "significant apprehensions around the efficacy and equity of regional strategies that do not align with Surrey's priorities."

Surrey and some other cities, predominantly South Fraser, have stressed that MVRD move to delivering the core functions of water, sewer and solid waste cost effectively, keeping taxpayers at the forefront of decision-making,” noted Mayor Locke. “To address this, it is my intention to coordinate a South Fraser Summit to bring Mayors, Council members and Senior Management together. This summit will determine next steps in ensuring regional service and corresponding costs to our taxpayer are fairly allocated. By working collaboratively, I hope we can bring greater balance, transparency and equitable service delivery by MVRD to all of our communities, in particular South of the Fraser River, without unfair financial strain on our residents.”

Surrey staff have been directed to organize this summit, aiming for constructive discussions that will lead to more equitable regional governance.

Additional information can be found in the media release.