www.imaginesurrey.ca/team/william-li


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William Li

Businesses & Jobs

Artificial Intelligence & Data Centres

Promesse de Imagine

Require strict conditions for AI data centres

Business Permitting

Promesses de Imagine

Create a one-window Film and Event Desk with fast-track permits, and lower film and TV permit fees

One contact at City Hall for film shoots, festivals, and events, so the people who bring work to Surrey aren't the ones waiting the longest.

Simplify permits for food trucks, late-night eateries, night markets, entertainment venues, and evening programming that is safe and fun
Open a Permit Concierge Desk for homeowners, small builders, and small businesses

One point of contact to guide applicants through the process. Home businesses, renovations, and secondary suites get a 60-day permit lane, with the fee coming back when City Hall misses the clock.

Designate an accelerator zone in every town centre, with incentives, tax breaks, and fast-tracked approvals for new local businesses

Each zone gets one point of contact at City Hall, to encourage investment and help new local businesses start and grow across the city.

Economic Growth

Promesses de Imagine

Build a Waterfront District on the Fraser River in Brownsville and South Westminster, steps from Scott Road Station

A Waterfront District master plan with phased delivery and public reporting: the quay and riverwalk first, the market and amphitheatre second, and housing with community amenities throughout. The plan includes a public quay, pier, and promenade, a public market, night market, and food hall anchored by hotels, an amphitheatre and civic plaza, a major waterfront park, a signature SURREY landmark, restaurants and new homes, deep-tech office space with a startup incubator, a Surrey Trade Centre, and a Commonwealth Village for Games athletes and future residents.

Designate an accelerator zone in every town centre, with incentives, tax breaks, and fast-tracked approvals for new local businesses

Each zone gets one point of contact at City Hall, to encourage investment and help new local businesses start and grow across the city.

Develop Downtown Surrey, including an international trade centre
Expand business improvement associations to more neighbourhoods and co-fund high street upgrades

Support the markets, festivals, and events that bring customers to local main streets.

Simplify permits for food trucks, late-night eateries, night markets, entertainment venues, and evening programming that is safe and fun

From Imagine Surrey's Waterfront District announcement, September 23, 2026.

Government Procurement

Promesses de Imagine

Give local businesses priority in City purchasing, with a Buy Surrey directory and local vendors at City events

Under an Imagine Surrey council, the first question on every purchase is whether a Surrey business could do the work.

Break big City contracts into pieces local businesses can win
Publish an annual report on the share of City spending that goes to Surrey businesses, with a target to grow it every year
Run Solve It in Surrey challenges, where local companies compete to fix real city problems and the winner gets the contract
Launch a public lobbyist registry and searchable disclosure of every City contract within the first 100 days

Who met the mayor, a councillor, or senior staff, about what, and when, searchable by any resident. A council code of conduct will bar members from meeting unregistered lobbyists, with breaches referred to the City's Ethics Commissioner, and we'll ask the province for the power to fine lobbyists who break the rules.

Publish a scorecard for every major project: budget, timeline, change orders, and contractor performance
End privatization by protecting frontline services, stopping outsourcing, and auditing contracts to bring essential functions in-house

From Imagine Surrey's Buy Surrey business plan, released September 24, 2026.

Jobs for young people

Promesses de Imagine

Launch First Job: City-funded paid work placements and apprenticeships in the trades, tech, and green jobs

Built with Surrey's schools, unions, training providers, and employers, so someone who grows up here or retrains here can start a career here.

From Imagine Surrey's Buy Surrey business plan, released September 24, 2026.

Small Businesses

Promesses de Imagine

Partner with local businesses to offer discounts and perks to SurreyPass holders through Buy Surrey

Residents buy local with the card in their pocket, and City Hall buys local with the budget it already has.

Create a Small Business Safety Camera Rebate
Give local businesses priority in City purchasing, with a Buy Surrey directory and local vendors at City events

Under an Imagine Surrey council, the first question on every purchase is whether a Surrey business could do the work.

Pay for cameras, lighting, and security hardening for businesses and homes targeted by extortion
Reach every reported extortion victim within 48 hours with a safety plan and a named liaison, in the languages Surrey speaks

Funded by the City through police victim services, with a small business liaison who answers the phone.

Designate an accelerator zone in every town centre, with incentives, tax breaks, and fast-tracked approvals for new local businesses

Each zone gets one point of contact at City Hall, to encourage investment and help new local businesses start and grow across the city.

Expand business improvement associations to more neighbourhoods and co-fund high street upgrades

Support the markets, festivals, and events that bring customers to local main streets.

From Imagine Surrey's Buy Surrey business plan, released September 24, 2026.

Tourism

Promesses de Imagine

Publish an inventory of sites for hotels, attractions, and venues, with the zoning, servicing, and transit access of each one mapped

Built with Discover Surrey, the Surrey Hotel and Motel Association, and operators as part of a tourism investment-readiness plan. Hotel and attraction projects get the same 180-day clock on rezonings and development permits as housing.

Create a standing tourism table with Discover Surrey, the Surrey Hotel and Motel Association, Indigenous tourism businesses, and operators

It meets with the mayor and senior staff on a fixed schedule, and its advice is attached to the reports council votes on. When a land-use or major-event decision affects tourism, the staff report will say how.

Keep every dollar of the hotel tax (Municipal and Regional District Tax, or MRDT) in tourism, including the City's own share

MRDT won't be used to fill holes in the general budget. Every year, Discover Surrey and City staff will present the MRDT plan and results at an open council meeting, including a line-by-line account of the City's 0.4% share. Any proposed change goes to tourism partners in writing first, with at least 60 days to respond, and renewal work starts well ahead of the April 1, 2029 deadline.

Name tourism as an economic sector in the official community plan and council's strategic plan, with land set aside and yearly targets
Bid to host the 2031 World Police and Fire Games, and if Surrey wins, lead a bid to bring the Commonwealth Games to Surrey

If the 2031 bid can't proceed, Surrey will bid for 2033. A Commonwealth Games bid for 2034 to 2038 would accelerate facilities, transit, and international visibility, with a Commonwealth Village in the Waterfront District.

Turn the Cloverdale Fairgrounds into a world-class, year-round destination, developed with the Semiahmoo and Kwantlen First Nations

A year-round home for agriculture, the rodeo, and community events, with the possibility of hosting horse racing again explored as part of any upgrade. The fairgrounds include the existing casino, and gambling will not expand anywhere else in Surrey.

Plan Surrey's 150th birthday in 2029 as a tourism moment in the City's strategic plan, with the sector at the table from the start

Climate Change, Heat, Fires, & the Environment

Artificial Intelligence & Data Centres

Promesse de Imagine

Require strict conditions for AI data centres

Energy-Efficient Buildings

Promesses de Imagine

Lower energy bills by using the City's buying power to bulk-purchase solar panels and heat pumps for residents
Offer community efficiency financing through property taxes, with retrofit incentives, so families can cut energy bills without the upfront cost

Flooding

Promesse de Imagine

Appoint a Chief Emergency Readiness Officer to lead citywide preparation for floods, earthquakes, extreme heat, and wildfire smoke

Clear plans, regular drills, and neighbourhood-level readiness, supported by a new Public Information Officer.

Green Space

Promesses de Imagine

Grow Surrey's tree canopy to 40% by 2035, planting 100,000 trees and protecting urban forests
Expand park space by 5% and greenways by 10%, including a signature Greenway Loop that connects Surrey
Protect the Agricultural Land Reserve and say no to applications that take productive land out of it without a large benefit to agriculture

No City support for speculative subdivision on farmland. Nearly a third of Surrey is farmland, and an Imagine Surrey council will treat it as infrastructure.

Double the number of community garden plots

Private Vehicles & Parking

Promesses de Imagine

Build new parkades in neighbourhood centres and expand park-and-ride at transit hubs
Build a new park-and-ride in East Newton, with a public washroom for riders and a separate washroom for drivers
Freeze City parking fees for four years
Add more parking for trucks
Crack down on street racing and loud exhaust noise late at night, with maximum enforcement in coordination with Surrey Police and ICBC
Synchronize Surrey's traffic lights into one adaptive citywide system, with bus priority at key intersections

Signals that respond to real-time congestion, funded in the 2027 capital plan. The City tested adaptive signals on 72 Avenue and reported in 2013 that they worked.

Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Promesses de Imagine

Grow Surrey's tree canopy to 40% by 2035, planting 100,000 trees and protecting urban forests
Lower energy bills by using the City's buying power to bulk-purchase solar panels and heat pumps for residents
Offer community efficiency financing through property taxes, with retrofit incentives, so families can cut energy bills without the upfront cost
Deliver three bus rapid transit routes by 2030, negotiated with TransLink and funded through its 2027 investment plan

BRT 1: Scott Road, Strawberry Hill, and East Newton, converting the R6 RapidBus to full BRT and extending it to 152 Street via 72 Avenue. BRT 2: Surrey Central to Semiahmoo via King George Boulevard and Newton. BRT 3: Surrey Central to Guildford, then down 152 Street through East Newton to Semiahmoo, with a stop serving Highway 10 and a potential branch to Carvolth Exchange.

Build connected cycling routes, protected greenway corridors, and secure bike parking at transit hubs

Planned in consultation with community groups, including HUB Cycling and Movement YVR.

Urban Heat

Promesses de Imagine

Add climate-ready amenities where families gather in the heat: shade, misting, heating and cooling centres, and bus shelters
Appoint a Chief Emergency Readiness Officer to lead citywide preparation for floods, earthquakes, extreme heat, and wildfire smoke

Clear plans, regular drills, and neighbourhood-level readiness, supported by a new Public Information Officer.

Grow Surrey's tree canopy to 40% by 2035, planting 100,000 trees and protecting urban forests

Walking & Cycling

Promesses de Imagine

Build connected cycling routes, protected greenway corridors, and secure bike parking at transit hubs

Planned in consultation with community groups, including HUB Cycling and Movement YVR.

Build 50 kilometres of net new sidewalks in four years, on roads that have none today

A published Missing Sidewalks Map with annual targets, school and transit routes first, paired with safer crossings and lighting. Repaved sidewalks don't count as new ones, and sidewalks that need repair get it faster.

Expand park space by 5% and greenways by 10%, including a signature Greenway Loop that connects Surrey

Water & Sewage

Promesses de Imagine

Install water meters free for households that want to pay only for what they use
Reform Metro Vancouver with fewer directors and more accountability to Surrey taxpayers, and make sure Surrey gets its fair share

Zoning

Promesses de Imagine

Decide residential building permits within 180 days, or refund 25% of the fee for every week City Hall runs late

At seven months the permit is free. Safety and building-code checks are never skipped.

Put a 180-day clock on rezonings and development permits, with the City's fee discounted when the clock is missed
Create a 60-day permit lane for renovations, home businesses, secondary suites, and minor improvements, with the same guarantee
Offer pre-approved designs and fast-tracked approvals for laneway homes and secondary suites
Say yes when City staff recommend supportive and complex-care housing, on transit arteries with services on site, in every part of the city

An Imagine Surrey council would have said yes to the 262 homes in Semiahmoo Town Centre. Council's vote cost Surrey $421 million in lost investment for housing. We will ask the next provincial government to restore the 954 homes Surrey lost, and have the sites and approvals ready the day the money returns.

Plan growth with the school district so new neighbourhoods arrive with classrooms, not portables
Designate heritage conservation areas in Ocean Park, Crescent Beach, Cloverdale, and Surrey's other historic districts
Protect the Agricultural Land Reserve and say no to applications that take productive land out of it without a large benefit to agriculture

No City support for speculative subdivision on farmland. Nearly a third of Surrey is farmland, and an Imagine Surrey council will treat it as infrastructure.

Community Centres, Libraries, Parks, and Other Public Spaces

After-School Programs

Promesses de Imagine

Create neighbourhood hubs in town centres with child care, coworking, seniors and youth programming, and free public Wi-Fi

Hubs with improved safety, lighting, and local art.

Launch advisory-led seniors and youth programs at every community centre, with dedicated social services and accessible transit

Community Centres

Promesses de Imagine

Start three new community centres in the first term, paid for in part by not overpaying for arena land

Funded by the arena land savings and by provincial and federal partners, with the City contributing land. Sites will be chosen with the neighbourhoods with the greatest need, with gyms, program space, and child care, and, where the budget and partners allow, pools, ice arenas, library branches, and specialized playing surfaces.

Complete the North Surrey Sport and Ice Complex with a curling rink, an indoor Olympic-sized pool and waterpark, and a community hall
Build a new community centre in South Surrey, with a full gymnasium and recreation facilities at Grandview Aquatic Centre
Complete the Clayton Hall site in Cloverdale with a new indoor pool and gym
Offer free programs for seniors at every community centre and City facility

Staying active and connected shouldn't cost more as you age.

Create neighbourhood hubs in town centres with child care, coworking, seniors and youth programming, and free public Wi-Fi

Hubs with improved safety, lighting, and local art.

From Imagine Surrey's community centres announcement, September 15, 2026.

Fitness & Sports Facilities

Promesses de Imagine

Cut recreation fees in half for seniors aged 60 to 69, make recreation free for residents 70 and over, and end the Super Senior Fee

Half-price at every City recreation program, pool, arena, museum, art gallery, and attraction, starting in the 2027 budget. A senior's annual recreation pass drops from $436 to $218, with discounts applied automatically through the SurreyPass. Seniors shouldn't pay more. They should pay less.

Give every child under five a free first swim lesson
Freeze City recreation fees for four years
Upgrade Softball City and Newton Athletic Park with better promotion, partnerships, and event attraction
Build a cricket and rugby stadium in Fleetwood on City-owned land near the future SkyTrain line, with senior-government and private capital, not property taxes

The fastest-growing sports in the region deserve a home. The business case, the partners, and the site publish in year one.

Build a new outdoor pool and picnic grounds, with the location chosen through citywide consultation
Say yes to an arena Surrey can be proud of, built on cheaper land in a better spot, with Fleetwood getting the first look

Yes to an arena, no to this deal. Publish the valuation, the private capital, and the appraisal on the current site before any decision, with the business plan and site decision in year one. The savings from not overpaying for land go into three new community centres.

Green Space

Promesses de Imagine

Grow Surrey's tree canopy to 40% by 2035, planting 100,000 trees and protecting urban forests
Expand park space by 5% and greenways by 10%, including a signature Greenway Loop that connects Surrey
Protect the Agricultural Land Reserve and say no to applications that take productive land out of it without a large benefit to agriculture

No City support for speculative subdivision on farmland. Nearly a third of Surrey is farmland, and an Imagine Surrey council will treat it as infrastructure.

Double the number of community garden plots

Health Infrastructure

Promesse de Imagine

Offer City-owned land for a new hospital in Newton in return for provincial investment

Work with Fraser Health on a hospital that complements the new hospital in Cloverdale and Surrey Memorial Hospital, including specialized care campuses for children and women.

Parks

Promesses de Imagine

Expand park space by 5% and greenways by 10%, including a signature Greenway Loop that connects Surrey
Build a new outdoor pool and picnic grounds, with the location chosen through citywide consultation
Build off-leash dog parks in every major town centre and expand pet-friendly amenities in Surrey parks
Double the number of community garden plots
Add climate-ready amenities where families gather in the heat: shade, misting, heating and cooling centres, and bus shelters

Pedestrian Spaces

Promesses de Imagine

Adopt Vision Zero to end pedestrian deaths, with raised crosswalks, safer intersections, protected corners, and traffic calming on high-risk streets
Speed up LED street lighting upgrades citywide, brighten routes between transit, schools, and parks, and fix broken lights
Build 50 kilometres of net new sidewalks in four years, on roads that have none today

A published Missing Sidewalks Map with annual targets, school and transit routes first, paired with safer crossings and lighting. Repaved sidewalks don't count as new ones, and sidewalks that need repair get it faster.

Public Washrooms

Promesses de Imagine

Build a public washroom in every town centre
Build public washrooms with TransLink at every major transit hub, including all current and future SkyTrain stations

Including Scott Road, Gateway, Surrey Central, and King George stations, the new Fraser Highway stations, the Newton, Guildford, and Scottsdale exchanges, and the South Surrey Park and Ride. Every one clean, safe, and lit.

Build a new park-and-ride in East Newton, with a public washroom for riders and a separate washroom for drivers

From Imagine Surrey's washrooms announcement, September 25, 2026.

Sidewalks & Bike Paths

Promesses de Imagine

Build 50 kilometres of net new sidewalks in four years, on roads that have none today

A published Missing Sidewalks Map with annual targets, school and transit routes first, paired with safer crossings and lighting. Repaved sidewalks don't count as new ones, and sidewalks that need repair get it faster.

Build connected cycling routes, protected greenway corridors, and secure bike parking at transit hubs

Planned in consultation with community groups, including HUB Cycling and Movement YVR.

Zoning

Promesses de Imagine

Decide residential building permits within 180 days, or refund 25% of the fee for every week City Hall runs late

At seven months the permit is free. Safety and building-code checks are never skipped.

Put a 180-day clock on rezonings and development permits, with the City's fee discounted when the clock is missed
Create a 60-day permit lane for renovations, home businesses, secondary suites, and minor improvements, with the same guarantee
Offer pre-approved designs and fast-tracked approvals for laneway homes and secondary suites
Say yes when City staff recommend supportive and complex-care housing, on transit arteries with services on site, in every part of the city

An Imagine Surrey council would have said yes to the 262 homes in Semiahmoo Town Centre. Council's vote cost Surrey $421 million in lost investment for housing. We will ask the next provincial government to restore the 954 homes Surrey lost, and have the sites and approvals ready the day the money returns.

Plan growth with the school district so new neighbourhoods arrive with classrooms, not portables
Designate heritage conservation areas in Ocean Park, Crescent Beach, Cloverdale, and Surrey's other historic districts
Protect the Agricultural Land Reserve and say no to applications that take productive land out of it without a large benefit to agriculture

No City support for speculative subdivision on farmland. Nearly a third of Surrey is farmland, and an Imagine Surrey council will treat it as infrastructure.

Culture & Events

Cultural Spaces & Venues

Promesses de Imagine

Turn the Cloverdale Fairgrounds into a world-class, year-round destination, developed with the Semiahmoo and Kwantlen First Nations

A year-round home for agriculture, the rodeo, and community events, with the possibility of hosting horse racing again explored as part of any upgrade. The fairgrounds include the existing casino, and gambling will not expand anywhere else in Surrey.

Build an amphitheatre and civic plaza for concerts and festivals in the Waterfront District
Designate 108 Avenue and King George Boulevard as Little Africa
Work with the Arab and Filipino communities to designate cultural districts, and work to establish a Filipino community centre
Say yes to an arena Surrey can be proud of, built on cheaper land in a better spot, with Fleetwood getting the first look

Yes to an arena, no to this deal. Publish the valuation, the private capital, and the appraisal on the current site before any decision, with the business plan and site decision in year one. The savings from not overpaying for land go into three new community centres.

Festivals & Events

Promesses de Imagine

Double the Surrey Fusion Festival to make it one of Canada's must-visit cultural events
Give Surrey Pride special event status and $50,000 in dedicated funding for a parade and larger festival

Surrey's 2SLGBTQIA+ community deserves to celebrate with the full backing of City Hall.

Give Vaisakhi all the support its organizers request
Give the Cloverdale Rodeo special event status and a $250,000 annual grant to support it and market it to the world
Plan Surrey's 150th birthday in 2029 as a tourism moment in the City's strategic plan, with the sector at the table from the start
Bring back Sundays in September, with free City advertising for restaurants whose set menus are two-thirds sourced from Surrey farms
Create a one-window Film and Event Desk with fast-track permits, and lower film and TV permit fees

One contact at City Hall for film shoots, festivals, and events, so the people who bring work to Surrey aren't the ones waiting the longest.

Monuments and Landmarks

Promesses de Imagine

Build a signature SURREY landmark with public art and monuments in the Waterfront District
Honour Surrey's heroes with monuments, murals, and historic markers, and designate special areas to honour communities
Designate heritage conservation areas in Ocean Park, Crescent Beach, Cloverdale, and Surrey's other historic districts
Create a Heritage Register with incentives for owners who preserve character

Public Art

Promesses de Imagine

Commission local public art across the city and streamline permits for artists
Increase arts funding, with studios and housing for artists and tradespeople
Return the City's bottles to Return-It depots and use the refunds to support arts and non-profit organizations

Tourism

Promesses de Imagine

Publish an inventory of sites for hotels, attractions, and venues, with the zoning, servicing, and transit access of each one mapped

Built with Discover Surrey, the Surrey Hotel and Motel Association, and operators as part of a tourism investment-readiness plan. Hotel and attraction projects get the same 180-day clock on rezonings and development permits as housing.

Create a standing tourism table with Discover Surrey, the Surrey Hotel and Motel Association, Indigenous tourism businesses, and operators

It meets with the mayor and senior staff on a fixed schedule, and its advice is attached to the reports council votes on. When a land-use or major-event decision affects tourism, the staff report will say how.

Keep every dollar of the hotel tax (Municipal and Regional District Tax, or MRDT) in tourism, including the City's own share

MRDT won't be used to fill holes in the general budget. Every year, Discover Surrey and City staff will present the MRDT plan and results at an open council meeting, including a line-by-line account of the City's 0.4% share. Any proposed change goes to tourism partners in writing first, with at least 60 days to respond, and renewal work starts well ahead of the April 1, 2029 deadline.

Name tourism as an economic sector in the official community plan and council's strategic plan, with land set aside and yearly targets
Bid to host the 2031 World Police and Fire Games, and if Surrey wins, lead a bid to bring the Commonwealth Games to Surrey

If the 2031 bid can't proceed, Surrey will bid for 2033. A Commonwealth Games bid for 2034 to 2038 would accelerate facilities, transit, and international visibility, with a Commonwealth Village in the Waterfront District.

Turn the Cloverdale Fairgrounds into a world-class, year-round destination, developed with the Semiahmoo and Kwantlen First Nations

A year-round home for agriculture, the rodeo, and community events, with the possibility of hosting horse racing again explored as part of any upgrade. The fairgrounds include the existing casino, and gambling will not expand anywhere else in Surrey.

Plan Surrey's 150th birthday in 2029 as a tourism moment in the City's strategic plan, with the sector at the table from the start

Housing & Homelessness

Affordability

Promesses de Imagine

Build at least 1,000 affordable homes a year for four years, with BC Housing and Fraser Health

The City brings land, approvals, and a business plan, and Ottawa and Victoria fund the construction. Every quarter, the City will publish three numbers: homes approved, homes built, and homes people can afford.

Bring in an empty homes tax, with every dollar going to affordable housing

It applies to homes left empty for most of the year, with exemptions for principal residences, long-term rentals, homes under renovation, and owners in care, at a rate set by council in public and benchmarked to Vancouver's 3% of assessed value. Revenue goes to land for non-profit and co-op homes and to deeper affordability in projects already approved. An Imagine Surrey council will ask the province for the authority in its first 100 days.

Offer incentives for developments with below-market units, and support co-op and co-housing models
Decide residential building permits within 180 days, or refund 25% of the fee for every week City Hall runs late

At seven months the permit is free. Safety and building-code checks are never skipped.

Publish a City Land for Housing inventory in year one and offer it to non-profits, co-ops, and Indigenous housing providers

With covenants that keep the homes affordable for decades.

From Imagine Surrey's housing plan, released September 28, 2026.

Building Maintenance & Occupant Health

Promesses de Imagine

Develop a strategy to get rid of rats, working with other governments and neighbouring municipalities on the causes of infestations
Provide free air conditioning for seniors

Homelessness

Promesses de Imagine

Cut homelessness in half by building supportive and affordable housing

At least 1,000 affordable homes a year for four years, with supportive and complex-care housing on transit arteries and services on site, built with BC Housing and Fraser Health.

Expand shelter capacity and transitional housing with the province and health authorities, and address encampments with dignity

Connect people to wraparound supports so they have somewhere to go.

Say yes when City staff recommend supportive and complex-care housing, on transit arteries with services on site, in every part of the city

An Imagine Surrey council would have said yes to the 262 homes in Semiahmoo Town Centre. Council's vote cost Surrey $421 million in lost investment for housing. We will ask the next provincial government to restore the 954 homes Surrey lost, and have the sites and approvals ready the day the money returns.

From Imagine Surrey's housing plan, released September 28, 2026.

Housing Accessibility

Promesses de Imagine

Use City-owned sites for seniors and supportive housing with BC Housing, health authorities, non-profits, and veterans organizations

Developments go on main arteries with transit and community support, not side streets.

Publish a City Land for Housing inventory in year one and offer it to non-profits, co-ops, and Indigenous housing providers

With covenants that keep the homes affordable for decades.

Indigenous-Led Housing

Promesses de Imagine

Put City-owned land on the table for a rental community owned and led by First Nations, modelled on Sen̓áḵw

City Hall brings the land, approvals, and financing partners. The Nations decide whether, where, and how. Surrey sits on the lands of the Semiahmoo, Katzie, and Kwantlen peoples, and any Nation that brings a proposal forward will find a willing partner.

Publish a City Land for Housing inventory in year one and offer it to non-profits, co-ops, and Indigenous housing providers

With covenants that keep the homes affordable for decades.

Property Taxes

Promesses de Imagine

Hold property tax increases at or below inflation for four years

If inflation runs lower, so does the increase. The math is published every year before council votes.

Bring in an empty homes tax, with every dollar going to affordable housing

It applies to homes left empty for most of the year, with exemptions for principal residences, long-term rentals, homes under renovation, and owners in care, at a rate set by council in public and benchmarked to Vancouver's 3% of assessed value. Revenue goes to land for non-profit and co-op homes and to deeper affordability in projects already approved. An Imagine Surrey council will ask the province for the authority in its first 100 days.

Offer community efficiency financing through property taxes, with retrofit incentives, so families can cut energy bills without the upfront cost

Public & Assistive Housing

Promesses de Imagine

Say yes when City staff recommend supportive and complex-care housing, on transit arteries with services on site, in every part of the city

An Imagine Surrey council would have said yes to the 262 homes in Semiahmoo Town Centre. Council's vote cost Surrey $421 million in lost investment for housing. We will ask the next provincial government to restore the 954 homes Surrey lost, and have the sites and approvals ready the day the money returns.

Publish a City Land for Housing inventory in year one and offer it to non-profits, co-ops, and Indigenous housing providers

With covenants that keep the homes affordable for decades.

Use City-owned sites for seniors and supportive housing with BC Housing, health authorities, non-profits, and veterans organizations

Developments go on main arteries with transit and community support, not side streets.

From Imagine Surrey's housing plan, released September 28, 2026.

Rent & Rental Stock

Promesses de Imagine

Give renters a better deal with support for the BC rent bank and pet-friendly rental buildings
Enforce short-term rental rules fairly so whole units bought as investments stay in the rental market

A homeowner renting a room or a suite in the home they live in is part of the answer, and the rules for them should stay simple.

Bring in an empty homes tax, with every dollar going to affordable housing

It applies to homes left empty for most of the year, with exemptions for principal residences, long-term rentals, homes under renovation, and owners in care, at a rate set by council in public and benchmarked to Vancouver's 3% of assessed value. Revenue goes to land for non-profit and co-op homes and to deeper affordability in projects already approved. An Imagine Surrey council will ask the province for the authority in its first 100 days.

Offer incentives for developments with below-market units, and support co-op and co-housing models

From Imagine Surrey's empty homes tax announcement, September 28, 2026.

Zoning

Promesses de Imagine

Decide residential building permits within 180 days, or refund 25% of the fee for every week City Hall runs late

At seven months the permit is free. Safety and building-code checks are never skipped.

Put a 180-day clock on rezonings and development permits, with the City's fee discounted when the clock is missed
Create a 60-day permit lane for renovations, home businesses, secondary suites, and minor improvements, with the same guarantee
Offer pre-approved designs and fast-tracked approvals for laneway homes and secondary suites
Say yes when City staff recommend supportive and complex-care housing, on transit arteries with services on site, in every part of the city

An Imagine Surrey council would have said yes to the 262 homes in Semiahmoo Town Centre. Council's vote cost Surrey $421 million in lost investment for housing. We will ask the next provincial government to restore the 954 homes Surrey lost, and have the sites and approvals ready the day the money returns.

Plan growth with the school district so new neighbourhoods arrive with classrooms, not portables
Designate heritage conservation areas in Ocean Park, Crescent Beach, Cloverdale, and Surrey's other historic districts
Protect the Agricultural Land Reserve and say no to applications that take productive land out of it without a large benefit to agriculture

No City support for speculative subdivision on farmland. Nearly a third of Surrey is farmland, and an Imagine Surrey council will treat it as infrastructure.

Human Rights

Physical Accessibility

Promesses de Imagine

Audit all City facilities, parks, sidewalks, and transit for accessibility through a citywide accessibility strategy
Launch an Accessibility Advisory Committee and make every new City project meet or exceed the accessibility standard

So everyone in Surrey can take part fully.

Build 50 kilometres of net new sidewalks in four years, on roads that have none today

A published Missing Sidewalks Map with annual targets, school and transit routes first, paired with safer crossings and lighting. Repaved sidewalks don't count as new ones, and sidewalks that need repair get it faster.

Public Washrooms

Promesses de Imagine

Build a public washroom in every town centre
Build public washrooms with TransLink at every major transit hub, including all current and future SkyTrain stations

Including Scott Road, Gateway, Surrey Central, and King George stations, the new Fraser Highway stations, the Newton, Guildford, and Scottsdale exchanges, and the South Surrey Park and Ride. Every one clean, safe, and lit.

Build a new park-and-ride in East Newton, with a public washroom for riders and a separate washroom for drivers

From Imagine Surrey's washrooms announcement, September 25, 2026.

Recent Immigrants

Promesses de Imagine

Expand welcome services at neighbourhood centres in Surrey's most-spoken languages, and improve multilingual City communications
Partner with DIVERSEcity, PICS, and Options to help newcomers find work and community

Trans Rights & Access to Public Services

Promesses de Imagine

Give Surrey Pride special event status and $50,000 in dedicated funding for a parade and larger festival

Surrey's 2SLGBTQIA+ community deserves to celebrate with the full backing of City Hall.

Create a $1 million annual SurreyCares Inclusion Grant for anti-racism and anti-bullying initiatives

Local Government, Planning, & Democracy

Artificial Intelligence & Data Centres

Promesse de Imagine

Require strict conditions for AI data centres

Budgeting

Promesses de Imagine

Protect frontline services: no frontline layoffs, no facility closures, and no reduced hours at recreation centres or libraries

We'll hire the officers and firefighters Surrey needs, build the community centres and parks it needs, and protect services like garbage pickup. Administrative savings only where service levels hold.

Cut lavish political travel and waste, and put the money into frontline services
Audit City contracts and never overpay for land again
Make growth pay for growth through amenity cost charges and development contributions that keep pace with the city

New neighbourhoods arrive with their services, and the people already here aren't billed for growth they didn't choose. Ottawa and Victoria fund the big things, like transit, housing, and community facilities, while the City brings land and a business plan.

Hold property tax increases at or below inflation for four years

If inflation runs lower, so does the increase. The math is published every year before council votes.

End taxpayer-funded litigation against the province over the police service on day one

The fight is over. The bill was $1.28 million.

Good Governance

Promesses de Imagine

Launch a public lobbyist registry and searchable disclosure of every City contract within the first 100 days

Who met the mayor, a councillor, or senior staff, about what, and when, searchable by any resident. A council code of conduct will bar members from meeting unregistered lobbyists, with breaches referred to the City's Ethics Commissioner, and we'll ask the province for the power to fine lobbyists who break the rules.

End in-camera land deals without a public rationale, and make council decisions in public
Publish a scorecard for every major project: budget, timeline, change orders, and contractor performance
Track every promise on a public dashboard, updated every quarter in green, amber, and red

If we're behind, you'll read it from us first.

Sign a written protocol with every member of council that nobody at City Hall contacts the police chief or service about enforcement decisions

Government Procurement

Promesses de Imagine

Give local businesses priority in City purchasing, with a Buy Surrey directory and local vendors at City events

Under an Imagine Surrey council, the first question on every purchase is whether a Surrey business could do the work.

Break big City contracts into pieces local businesses can win
Publish an annual report on the share of City spending that goes to Surrey businesses, with a target to grow it every year
Run Solve It in Surrey challenges, where local companies compete to fix real city problems and the winner gets the contract
Launch a public lobbyist registry and searchable disclosure of every City contract within the first 100 days

Who met the mayor, a councillor, or senior staff, about what, and when, searchable by any resident. A council code of conduct will bar members from meeting unregistered lobbyists, with breaches referred to the City's Ethics Commissioner, and we'll ask the province for the power to fine lobbyists who break the rules.

Publish a scorecard for every major project: budget, timeline, change orders, and contractor performance
End privatization by protecting frontline services, stopping outsourcing, and auditing contracts to bring essential functions in-house

From Imagine Surrey's Buy Surrey business plan, released September 24, 2026.

Long-Term Plan

Promesses de Imagine

Plan growth with the school district so new neighbourhoods arrive with classrooms, not portables
Build visitor and event demand into the City's long-term capital and asset-management plans

Size roads, transit connections, parking, washrooms, water, and sewer for the busiest days, like Vaisakhi in Newton and the Cloverdale Rodeo, so new venues come with the infrastructure to carry them.

Plan Surrey's 150th birthday in 2029 as a tourism moment in the City's strategic plan, with the sector at the table from the start
Name tourism as an economic sector in the official community plan and council's strategic plan, with land set aside and yearly targets
Commission the business case for SkyTrain to South Surrey via Newton in year one, and protect the right of way

A mass transit feasibility study and business case for the King George corridor, so senior governments commit to it and South Surrey is next in line after current SkyTrain construction. We'll ask Ottawa and Victoria for the money by name.

Public Engagement

Promesses de Imagine

Hold a referendum on a hybrid ward and at-large system, so every part of Surrey has a clearer voice at City Hall

We will respect the voters' choice on how they are governed.

Create a transportation advisory committee to advise mayor and council

Tourism will have a seat at the table.

Give a weekly public safety briefing from the mayor, with numbers, not talking points

With new public reporting tools, so victims know where to turn and criminals know the city is watching.

Track every promise on a public dashboard, updated every quarter in green, amber, and red

If we're behind, you'll read it from us first.

Youth Engagement

Promesses de Imagine

Launch advisory-led seniors and youth programs at every community centre, with dedicated social services and accessible transit
Launch First Job: City-funded paid work placements and apprenticeships in the trades, tech, and green jobs

Built with Surrey's schools, unions, training providers, and employers, so someone who grows up here or retrains here can start a career here.

Mental Health, Drugs, & Addiction

Mental Health Crisis Response

Promesse de Imagine

Fund mental health and addiction crisis response teams that pair trained clinicians with first responders

Not every 911 call needs a police response. People in crisis get the right help, police can focus on crime, and emergency rooms aren't the fallback.

Overdoses & the Contaminated Drug Supply

Promesse de Imagine

Fund mental health and addiction crisis response teams that pair trained clinicians with first responders

Not every 911 call needs a police response. People in crisis get the right help, police can focus on crime, and emergency rooms aren't the fallback.

Public Drug Use

Promesses de Imagine

Fund mental health and addiction crisis response teams that pair trained clinicians with first responders

Not every 911 call needs a police response. People in crisis get the right help, police can focus on crime, and emergency rooms aren't the fallback.

Create a Clean Streets Rapid Response Force with a 48-hour standard for illegal dumping, graffiti, needles, debris, and abandoned vehicles

Dedicated in-house crews and new City-owned street sweepers, starting with transit hubs, schools, parks, and business districts. Dumpers pay the full cost of the cleanup, with real fines for repeat offenders. Crews are built through a renewed staffing strategy in consultation with CUPE and the workers who do the job.

Treatment for Addiction

Promesses de Imagine

Fund mental health and addiction crisis response teams that pair trained clinicians with first responders

Not every 911 call needs a police response. People in crisis get the right help, police can focus on crime, and emergency rooms aren't the fallback.

Expand shelter capacity and transitional housing with the province and health authorities, and address encampments with dignity

Connect people to wraparound supports so they have somewhere to go.

Public Safety & Policing

Non-Police-Based Public Safety

Promesses de Imagine

Create a Clean Streets Rapid Response Force with a 48-hour standard for illegal dumping, graffiti, needles, debris, and abandoned vehicles

Dedicated in-house crews and new City-owned street sweepers, starting with transit hubs, schools, parks, and business districts. Dumpers pay the full cost of the cleanup, with real fines for repeat offenders. Crews are built through a renewed staffing strategy in consultation with CUPE and the workers who do the job.

Restore funding to the Surrey Crime Prevention Society, whose volunteers put extra eyes on the street
Expand Block Watch
Fund mental health and addiction crisis response teams that pair trained clinicians with first responders

Not every 911 call needs a police response. People in crisis get the right help, police can focus on crime, and emergency rooms aren't the fallback.

Speed up LED street lighting upgrades citywide, brighten routes between transit, schools, and parks, and fix broken lights

Police Funding

Promesses de Imagine

Fund the officers Surrey Police say they need, with a hiring target and result published every year

Hundreds of new officers, faster 911 response, visible neighbourhood patrols, new precinct offices as warranted, and modernized frontline equipment for organized crime, high-risk incidents, and repeat offenders.

Build the largest public safety camera network in Surrey's history, with privacy safeguards and real-time access for Surrey Police

Focused on extortion shootings, violent crime, and chronic disorder, with tactical cameras in the highest-risk areas, mobile camera trailers deployable within 24 hours, a voluntary Community Camera Registry, and a Small Business Safety Camera Rebate.

Complete the Surrey Police transition as the City's top priority, with a completion date published within 90 days

A date negotiated with the province and the police board. The police service's own target is late 2027. Every party, including the City, is held to the published date, and the bottleneck is reported every month until the job is done.

Police Wrongdoing & Accountability

Promesses de Imagine

Hire the next police chief through an arm's-length, public process, with the criteria published before the search begins

The reasons for major police board decisions will be made public.

Sign a written protocol with every member of council that nobody at City Hall contacts the police chief or service about enforcement decisions
Call on the province to publish the reasons for the police chief's termination and restore a governance policy the board chair can't be excluded from

Public Drug Use

Promesses de Imagine

Fund mental health and addiction crisis response teams that pair trained clinicians with first responders

Not every 911 call needs a police response. People in crisis get the right help, police can focus on crime, and emergency rooms aren't the fallback.

Create a Clean Streets Rapid Response Force with a 48-hour standard for illegal dumping, graffiti, needles, debris, and abandoned vehicles

Dedicated in-house crews and new City-owned street sweepers, starting with transit hubs, schools, parks, and business districts. Dumpers pay the full cost of the cleanup, with real fines for repeat offenders. Crews are built through a renewed staffing strategy in consultation with CUPE and the workers who do the job.

Upstream Causes of Crime

Promesses de Imagine

Restrict predatory payday lending and keep payday lenders away from schools, community centres, and transit hubs
Launch First Job: City-funded paid work placements and apprenticeships in the trades, tech, and green jobs

Built with Surrey's schools, unions, training providers, and employers, so someone who grows up here or retrains here can start a career here.

Support coordination on intimate partner violence between Surrey Police, housing, health care, and other providers, and support transition housing for victims
Expand shelter capacity and transitional housing with the province and health authorities, and address encampments with dignity

Connect people to wraparound supports so they have somewhere to go.

Fund mental health and addiction crisis response teams that pair trained clinicians with first responders

Not every 911 call needs a police response. People in crisis get the right help, police can focus on crime, and emergency rooms aren't the fallback.

Victim Safety and Support

Promesses de Imagine

Reach every reported extortion victim within 48 hours with a safety plan and a named liaison, in the languages Surrey speaks

Funded by the City through police victim services, with a small business liaison who answers the phone.

Pay for cameras, lighting, and security hardening for businesses and homes targeted by extortion
Support coordination on intimate partner violence between Surrey Police, housing, health care, and other providers, and support transition housing for victims

Public Services

After-School Programs

Promesses de Imagine

Create neighbourhood hubs in town centres with child care, coworking, seniors and youth programming, and free public Wi-Fi

Hubs with improved safety, lighting, and local art.

Launch advisory-led seniors and youth programs at every community centre, with dedicated social services and accessible transit

Childcare

Promesses de Imagine

Build child care into City facilities and fast-track permits for child care operators

Partner with schools, non-profits, employers, and senior governments to expand affordable child care.

Support extended child care hours for shift workers

Health Infrastructure

Promesse de Imagine

Offer City-owned land for a new hospital in Newton in return for provincial investment

Work with Fraser Health on a hospital that complements the new hospital in Cloverdale and Surrey Memorial Hospital, including specialized care campuses for children and women.

Waste Removal

Promesses de Imagine

Offer free household waste drop-off year-round, not just a two-weekend window

So nobody has a reason to dump. Paired with the 48-hour Clean Streets cleanup standard, dumpers billed the full cost, and real fines for repeat offenders.

Develop a strategy to get rid of rats, working with other governments and neighbouring municipalities on the causes of infestations
Create a Clean Streets Rapid Response Force with a 48-hour standard for illegal dumping, graffiti, needles, debris, and abandoned vehicles

Dedicated in-house crews and new City-owned street sweepers, starting with transit hubs, schools, parks, and business districts. Dumpers pay the full cost of the cleanup, with real fines for repeat offenders. Crews are built through a renewed staffing strategy in consultation with CUPE and the workers who do the job.

Return the City's bottles to Return-It depots and use the refunds to support arts and non-profit organizations

Water & Sewage

Promesses de Imagine

Install water meters free for households that want to pay only for what they use
Reform Metro Vancouver with fewer directors and more accountability to Surrey taxpayers, and make sure Surrey gets its fair share

Reconciliation & Indigenous Nations

Indigenous-Led Housing

Promesses de Imagine

Put City-owned land on the table for a rental community owned and led by First Nations, modelled on Sen̓áḵw

City Hall brings the land, approvals, and financing partners. The Nations decide whether, where, and how. Surrey sits on the lands of the Semiahmoo, Katzie, and Kwantlen peoples, and any Nation that brings a proposal forward will find a willing partner.

Publish a City Land for Housing inventory in year one and offer it to non-profits, co-ops, and Indigenous housing providers

With covenants that keep the homes affordable for decades.

Land Title & Governance

Promesses de Imagine

Establish formal government-to-government relationships with the Semiahmoo, Katzie, Kwantlen, Kwikwetlem, Qayqayt, and Tsawwassen First Nations and the Métis Nation of BC

To collaborate on housing, supports, procurement, and stewardship, through a government-to-government table chaired by the mayor and each Nation's leadership, with a public work plan.

Include Indigenous consultation in land use and community planning
Bring First Nations to the table early on the Waterfront District and the future of the Cloverdale Fairgrounds
Put City-owned land on the table for a rental community owned and led by First Nations, modelled on Sen̓áḵw

City Hall brings the land, approvals, and financing partners. The Nations decide whether, where, and how. Surrey sits on the lands of the Semiahmoo, Katzie, and Kwantlen peoples, and any Nation that brings a proposal forward will find a willing partner.

Roads, Transit, & Getting Around

Private Vehicles & Parking

Promesses de Imagine

Build new parkades in neighbourhood centres and expand park-and-ride at transit hubs
Build a new park-and-ride in East Newton, with a public washroom for riders and a separate washroom for drivers
Freeze City parking fees for four years
Add more parking for trucks
Crack down on street racing and loud exhaust noise late at night, with maximum enforcement in coordination with Surrey Police and ICBC
Synchronize Surrey's traffic lights into one adaptive citywide system, with bus priority at key intersections

Signals that respond to real-time congestion, funded in the 2027 capital plan. The City tested adaptive signals on 72 Avenue and reported in 2013 that they worked.

Roads

Promesses de Imagine

Synchronize Surrey's traffic lights into one adaptive citywide system, with bus priority at key intersections

Signals that respond to real-time congestion, funded in the 2027 capital plan. The City tested adaptive signals on 72 Avenue and reported in 2013 that they worked.

Expand the roads that choke every rush hour: 124, 144, 148, and 168 Streets, 80 and 40 Avenues, and Colebrook Road

Worst bottlenecks first, with safer intersections and better lighting, funded through development cost charges, TransLink cost-sharing, and provincial and federal programs. We'll look at ways to build faster, including 24/7 roadbuilding in areas without residents.

Crack down on street racing and loud exhaust noise late at night, with maximum enforcement in coordination with Surrey Police and ICBC
Give taxis a break: allow them in bus lanes where they won't slow buses, lower licensing costs, and cut red tape

Settle the rules for the King George Boulevard bus lanes before they're built, cut the City's fees and paperwork, and back the Surrey Board of Trade's call to scrap the taxi boundaries.

Replace private towing with SurreyTows once current contracts end, prioritizing tows that clear congestion

Tow truck drivers hired as public servants under a new City entity, focused on clearing congestion rather than hauling for profit.

Expand winter response with more equipment, including a new snowplow, and clear residential streets faster
Create a transportation advisory committee to advise mayor and council

Tourism will have a seat at the table.

From Imagine Surrey's roads announcement, September 20, 2026.

Sidewalks & Bike Paths

Promesses de Imagine

Build 50 kilometres of net new sidewalks in four years, on roads that have none today

A published Missing Sidewalks Map with annual targets, school and transit routes first, paired with safer crossings and lighting. Repaved sidewalks don't count as new ones, and sidewalks that need repair get it faster.

Build connected cycling routes, protected greenway corridors, and secure bike parking at transit hubs

Planned in consultation with community groups, including HUB Cycling and Movement YVR.

Traffic Safety Around Schools

Promesses de Imagine

Add crossing guards where needed and targeted speed enforcement in school zones
Adopt Vision Zero to end pedestrian deaths, with raised crosswalks, safer intersections, protected corners, and traffic calming on high-risk streets
Build 50 kilometres of net new sidewalks in four years, on roads that have none today

A published Missing Sidewalks Map with annual targets, school and transit routes first, paired with safer crossings and lighting. Repaved sidewalks don't count as new ones, and sidewalks that need repair get it faster.

Transit Projects

Promesses de Imagine

Commission the business case for SkyTrain to South Surrey via Newton in year one, and protect the right of way

A mass transit feasibility study and business case for the King George corridor, so senior governments commit to it and South Surrey is next in line after current SkyTrain construction. We'll ask Ottawa and Victoria for the money by name.

Deliver three bus rapid transit routes by 2030, negotiated with TransLink and funded through its 2027 investment plan

BRT 1: Scott Road, Strawberry Hill, and East Newton, converting the R6 RapidBus to full BRT and extending it to 152 Street via 72 Avenue. BRT 2: Surrey Central to Semiahmoo via King George Boulevard and Newton. BRT 3: Surrey Central to Guildford, then down 152 Street through East Newton to Semiahmoo, with a stop serving Highway 10 and a potential branch to Carvolth Exchange.

Lower transit fares through a City bulk-buy, so a one-zone monthly pass costs Surrey residents a flat $70

Modelled on Victoria, which buys passes in bulk and passes the savings on. The City will negotiate a bulk fare agreement with TransLink, and the pass will ride on the SurreyPass.

Bring the West Coast Express to Surrey, with service from Scott Road to the Fraser Valley via Newton and Cloverdale

A formal submission to the provincial rail strategy in the first 100 days, the right of way protected through Newton and Cloverdale in City planning, and a business case built with TransLink and the province.

Push for a Surrey station on any Vancouver-Seattle-Portland high-speed rail line, offering City land and fast-tracked planning
Develop Scott Road Station into a multi-modal transit hub
Demand more buses, more frequency, and faster project delivery from TransLink, and report every quarter on what Surrey asked for and got
Build public washrooms with TransLink at every major transit hub, including all current and future SkyTrain stations

Including Scott Road, Gateway, Surrey Central, and King George stations, the new Fraser Highway stations, the Newton, Guildford, and Scottsdale exchanges, and the South Surrey Park and Ride. Every one clean, safe, and lit.

From Imagine Surrey's West Coast Express announcement, September 21, 2026.

Walking & Cycling

Promesses de Imagine

Build connected cycling routes, protected greenway corridors, and secure bike parking at transit hubs

Planned in consultation with community groups, including HUB Cycling and Movement YVR.

Build 50 kilometres of net new sidewalks in four years, on roads that have none today

A published Missing Sidewalks Map with annual targets, school and transit routes first, paired with safer crossings and lighting. Repaved sidewalks don't count as new ones, and sidewalks that need repair get it faster.

Expand park space by 5% and greenways by 10%, including a signature Greenway Loop that connects Surrey

Biographie

remis au bureau d’élection de Surrey par le candidat

William Li is a longtime community advocate, entrepreneur, and professional with decades of experience in finance and international trade. He immigrated to Canada at seven, and remembers when homes were affordable and the Canadian dream still felt within reach. Today he raises his family in Sullivan. An SFU Beedie School of Business alumnus, he serves as a director of an international trading company operating offices worldwide, connecting Canadian products to global markets.

Business taught him to negotiate hard, handle money carefully, and plan for the long term. That is how he views a city budget. Spend where it matters, account for every dollar. He is Director of Community Service at the Rotary Club of Surrey and a Sunshine Lions Club member.

William is running for safer streets, affordable living and faster commutes, so the next generation finds opportunity and hope, and thrives rather than survives.

Let's make Surrey livable.

Voir les promesses électorales de William Li

Partager ce profil

www.imaginesurrey.ca/team/william-li