SURREY, BC — In an intimate town hall hosted by the Cloverdale Chamber of Commerce, Surrey NOW mayoral candidate Troy Van Vliet presented his vision for the city’s upcoming municipal election, focusing on housing affordability, infrastructure bottlenecks, civic red tape, and healthcare advocacy.
Van Vliet, a second-generation builder and founder of South Surrey’s St. John Paul II Academy, emphasized that his background in construction and non-profit project management uniquely equips him to address Surrey’s rapid growth.
“When you build homes, you learn that details matter,” Van Vliet said, outlining the four core pillars of the Surrey NOW platform: Safer Streets, Smart Planning and Growth, Families First, and Real Ownership.
A Bridge to Homeownership
Central to Van Vliet’s platform is a municipal Rent-to-Own housing initiative designed to tackle Surrey’s housing crisis. Criticizing federal purpose-built rental models as “rent forever, never own,” Van Vliet proposed leveraging CMHC sub-prime financing through the Surrey City Development Corporation to allow renters to lock in purchase prices and accumulate down payments through monthly rent payments.
“Seventy percent of renters in BC want to own a home, but they can’t save for a down payment,” Van Vliet noted, highlighting that high housing costs prevent local first responders, nurses, and young families from staying in the city.
Cutting Red Tape and Re-evaluating Capital Projects
Addressing local business leaders, Van Vliet pledged to overhaul Surrey’s development approval process. He pointed out that home building permits, which took two weeks in the 1990s, now drag on for months due to excessive municipal regulations and redundant review steps.
When asked about existing capital commitments, Van Vliet stated he would pause and conduct a fiscal audit of large-scale projects like the proposed Central Surrey arena and hotel complex to protect taxpayers from potential cost overruns.
Classroom Advocacy and Healthcare
With over 400 portables currently in use across Surrey schools, Van Vliet defended Surrey NOW’s decision to run a joint slate for both City Council and School Board Trustees. He argued that unified advocacy is necessary to demand adequate capital funding from provincial and federal governments to accommodate Surrey’s rapid population growth.
Addressing healthcare shortages, Van Vliet called on the provincial government to streamline credential licensing for foreign-trained medical professionals and out-of-province nurses to staff local facilities, including the upcoming Cloverdale hospital expansion.
1. Advance Voting Days
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Guildford Recreation Centre
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Fraser Heights Recreation Centre
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Fleetwood Community Centre
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Cloverdale Recreation Centre
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Kwantlen Park Secondary
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Frank Hurt Secondary
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Princess Margaret Secondary
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École Panorama Ridge Secondary
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Semiahmoo Secondary
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Earl Marriott Secondary
2. General Voting Day
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Check wait times and find your nearest polling station using the City of Surrey Interactive Voting Locations Map.
3. Mail-In Voting
Official Website Links & Resources
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City of Surrey Election Portal: surrey.ca/election (Main portal for interactive voting maps, wait times, candidate lists, mail-in ballot requests, and voter eligibility requirements).
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Elections BC Online Registration: elections.bc.ca/register (Verify or update your voter registration details on the provincial voter list).
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Surrey & White Rock Board of Trade: swrbot.com/events (Event registration and details for local all-candidates forums and debates).
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