SURREY, BC, Doug McCallum, Safe Surrey Coalition mayoral candidate, today unveiled a major recreation policy platform built around one simple idea: every Surrey family should be able to access the city they pay for.
The four-point Surrey Recreation for All plan addresses public safety, affordability, and equity all in one move.
“Surrey families are paying more and getting less. Recreation fees keep climbing. Pools are booked solid by for-profit clubs and people from outside our city. Kids cannot get into swimming lessons. Seniors cannot afford aqua fit. This city is the fastest growing in Canada. The recreation system has not kept up. Today that changes.”
1. Free aqua fit and pool access for Surrey seniors
Every Surrey resident 65 and older will get free aqua fit classes and free access to public swimming pools. Seniors built this city. They paid into it for decades. Now, as fixed incomes get squeezed by rising costs, too many Surrey seniors are being priced out of staying active and healthy. Swimming and aqua fit are among the best low-impact exercises for older adults. Under McCallum, every Surrey senior will be able to walk into any public pool in the city, free of charge.
2. Free swimming lessons for kids and youth
Under McCallum’s plan, the first three levels of swimming lessons will be free for every Surrey resident ages 3 to 16. Drowning is the leading cause of accidental death for children under five in Canada. Surrey, with the largest and fastest-growing youth population in the province, has an obligation to make sure every Surrey kid learns to swim. Free swim lessons remove the cost barrier that keeps thousands of Surrey kids out of the water every year.
3. Four-year freeze on recreation fees
All recreation fees in Surrey will be frozen for four years. Drop-in admissions, fitness classes, sports programs, ice times, room rentals, swim passes, and seniors’ programs will not increase in cost for the duration of McCallum’s term. As the cost of living continues to climb, Surrey families need a city government that holds the line on what they pay to stay active, healthy, and engaged in their community.
4. Public pools returned to the public
Surrey public pools will no longer be rented out to for-profit private clubs. Surrey community centres and recreation facilities will be prioritized for Surrey residents. These facilities were built with Surrey taxpayer money for Surrey residents to use, not for people from outside communities who take time and space away from the families who paid for them. Under McCallum, Surrey residents come first.
“This is what a mayor does. You look at your city. You see a growing population, climbing costs, kids who cannot swim, and seniors who cannot afford to stay active. And you act. Brenda Locke has spent four years finding excuses. I am putting forward solutions. Surrey families deserve a city government that works for them.”
“When I was Mayor, I built the things Surrey families use every day. The SkyTrain. Bear Creek Stadium. Walking Tracks. Community Centres. I did not promise to try. I delivered. The Surrey Recreation for All plan is the next chapter. Free pools for seniors. Free swim lessons for kids. Frozen fees for hardworking taxpayers. Putting Surrey residents first.”
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