Mayor Doug McCallum proposes 60,000-seat stadium for Surrey

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The mayor of Surrey has by no means been shy about considering massive, and with a municipal election on the horizon, he’s speaking massive.

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On Wednesday, throughout a breaking-ground ceremony in Cloverdale for a brand new ice enviornment complicated, Doug McCallum mentioned he want to construct a 60,000-seat stadium in Surrey within the coming years.

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“We’re going to construct a 60,000-person enviornment in Surrey. It will likely be a multi-use enviornment for all sports activities,” he declared.

“The town is a really massive metropolis, we’ll be larger than Vancouver in 4 or 5 years. We want a sports activities stadium so we’re going to construct a sports activities stadium within the subsequent few years.”

Regardless of McCallum’s declare concerning the metropolis inhabitants development, Metro Vancouver’s personal inhabitants development projections don’t see Surrey’s inhabitants exceeding the town of Vancouver’s till 2040 on the earliest, not someday this decade.

McCallum advised Postmedia the brand new facility must be someplace on the Expo Line, both on the present line or the extension in the direction of Langley, since he needed it to be surrounded by parkland.

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“We’re going to do one thing very distinctive with it, to guard the environment, this stadium can have a park round it,” he mentioned. “We gained’t have any automobiles at it, individuals must take SkyTrain or fast buses.”

He known as Surrey a “metropolis of households” and mentioned constructing a big-league sports activities stadium can be according to the opposite public facilities he’s pushed for since changing into mayor once more in 2018. The 78-year-old McCallum was beforehand mayor from 1996 to 2005.

“We’ve spent some huge cash the final couple years constructing new sports activities amenities and we’re going to proceed constructing sports activities amenities,” he mentioned. 

“We want a giant stadium for our massive cultural occasions, we don’t have a spot to place them on proper now … the final Vaisakhi parade, we had 700,000 individuals.”

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Vaisakhi organizers claimed 500,000 attended the 2019 parade, the final time the occasion came about due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

McCallum additionally urged that the native film trade, specifically the South Asian film trade, may use the stadium as a manufacturing facility.

The mayor mentioned that he hadn’t spoken with different ranges of presidency but about doable funding assist, together with the province which owns B.C. Place Stadium, however is assured the province and the federal authorities would have curiosity.

“We haven’t approached the province on it, however you’re proper, we might in all probability strategy the province for some cash and doubtless the federal authorities. We’ve labored with these governments prior to now, with the $4 billion SkyTrain extension as an example,” he mentioned.

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“We really feel assured that they’d. I believe with a view to construct it we must take a look at some land that we personal that’s close to the fast transit line. As a result of land is pretty costly now that will be our half that we might surrender,” he added.

“We have already got began to place the phrase out to massive corporations which are in Surrey, whether or not they may assist fund it or some kind of sponsorship. We really feel very comfy after talking with a lot of massive companies that we’d be capable to finance it.”

Melanie Mark, the provincial minister for tourism, arts, tradition and sport was travelling and unavailable to remark. The ministry of municipal affairs, which has a finances for infrastructure, declined to remark for this story.

McCallum mentioned in previous conversations with the B.C. Lions, he understood that greater than 50 per cent of their fan base got here from Surrey and would thus be eager to go to a stadium a lot nearer to house.

He mentioned they’d additionally talked to the Canucks prior to now, so maybe they’d have an interest on this stadium, although how an ice rink would work in a stadium that will in any other case serve outside sports activities wasn’t clear.

“We’ve talked to the Canucks, the homeowners of the Canucks, about whether or not they would put a farm workforce there, or attempt some video games there, or possibly even transfer there,” he mentioned.

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The announcement caught many unexpectedly.

Anita Huberman, President and CEO of the Surrey Board of Commerce, was skeptical.

“It’s an election promise and definitely it’s not within the Metropolis of Surrey’s capital plan and definitely I see the town having to spend cash to construct such a stadium,” she mentioned. “There’s at the moment no plan and no consultations. There are different infrastructure wants, this announcement caught us unexpectedly.”

A transparent, coherent plan wanted to be articulated, she mentioned.

“I would assist it, the Surrey Board of Commerce may assist it … however we need to know the way way more property taxes will enterprise must pay? We want a performing arts centre, a conference centre. Extra tourism belongings to make our metropolis a vacation spot. We want extra resorts. There is no such thing as a growth plan for Surrey. That’s what we have to hear from all of our candidates.”

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McCallum’s stadium plan was panned by a few of his mayoral race rivals.

Jinny Sims, mayoral candidate for Surrey Ahead, mentioned the proposal smacks of electioneering.

“This looks as if a pre-election, get the votes, make a giant promise,” she mentioned, including McCallum doesn’t have a case for a 60,000-seat stadium.

She agreed that Surrey, because the province’s second-largest metropolis, wants extra infrastructure, “however a stadium this dimension? It looks as if overreach.”

Surrey First mayoral candidate Gordie Hogg mentioned he’s stunned McCallum is making a big-budget promise for a stadium nobody appears to be clamouring for.

“I’m amazed he would decide to attempt to spend cash after they don’t have sufficient for his or her police power, which they are saying is excessive precedence,” mentioned Hogg.

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Surrey has different extra urgent priorities, resembling public security and the necessity for recreation amenities, added Hogg, not an extravagant new stadium when there’s already B.C. Place in Vancouver.

Longtime Liberal MP Sukh Dhaliwal, who can be working for the town’s prime job, mentioned the sector announcement is a distraction from the true points dealing with the town.

“Proper now, the precedence on individuals’s minds just isn’t a 60,000-seat stadium,” he mentioned. “Persons are frightened about making ends meet.”

The main focus, he mentioned, must be to finish divisions in council and ease price of residing for residents.

McCallum mentioned that he’d spoken with Lions proprietor Amar Doman, although when wasn’t clear.

“We had not heard about this however we sit up for listening to extra,” Matt Baker, a spokesperson for the Lions advised Postmedia when requested about McCallum’s announcement.

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The Lions’ observe facility and workforce places of work are in Surrey however they play their video games in downtown Vancouver on the 60,000-seat B.C. Place Stadium.

The Vancouver Whitecaps, who share B.C. Place with the Lions, have been requested about their response to McCallum’s thought however targeted on their present association of their reply.

“We’ve an excellent partnership with B.C. Place and proceed to work collectively in making a incredible sporting expertise for our followers. We’re additionally wanting ahead to working with B.C. Place as Vancouver prepares to be a number metropolis for the 2026 FIFA Males’s World Cup,” Axel Schuster, the Main League Soccer workforce’s CEO and sporting director, mentioned in a press release.

— with information from Cheryl Chan

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