Surrey’s Metro Exit Plan: The $31 Tax Question That Could Stall the Newton SkyTrain

Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum has formally moved to withdraw Canada’s second-largest city from Metro Vancouver, keeping only water, sewer and waste services under the regional umbrella. According to a Metro Vancouver fact sheet cited in the Vancouver Sun, the average regional homeowner paid $875 in 2025 for Metro services, with $781 covering those core utilities. Regional parks—which include Tynehead Regional Park and other green spaces in Surrey—accounted for roughly $63 of that total. If McCallum succeeds in his plan, the average Surrey taxpayer would save approximately $31 annually, or $2.58 monthly, while potentially losing access to regional planning, transit coordination, and growth management services that have shaped the Lower Mainland for decades. The motion was scheduled for consideration at the first regular council meeting following November’s municipal elections, alongside other campaign commitments including a four-year property tax freeze and new aerial surveillance equipment for the Surrey Police Department.