Mike Starchuk, now officially the BC NDP candidate for Surrey-Cloverdale, reaffirmed his commitment to taking action on healthcare, housing, and affordability for people living in Surrey.

A resident of Surrey for more than 50 years, Mike Starchuk is a former Surrey city councillor and the past Chief Fire Prevention officer with the Surrey Fire Service. He is focused on people and helping his community, receiving the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2013 for his efforts.

“I’ve lived in Surrey for decades. It’s a wonderful place to raise a family. But people here need a government that’s on their side, and that’s not what they’ll get with Falcon or Rustad,” said Starchuk. “Unlike them, our BC NDP government is dedicated to making life better — by building hospitals, by investing in public transit, and by building homes for people.”

Since forming government in July 2017, the BC NDP has taken action on crucial issues that matter to the people of Surrey-Cloverdale, including:

• Keeping communities safe by hiring 250 more police officers, giving police more power to address public drug use, cracking down on repeat violent offenders, and taking on organized crime — including seizing Hells Angels clubhouses and many other proceeds of crime;
• Putting people ahead of speculators and investors by bringing in tough new restrictions on short-term rentals and a speculation tax, plus simplified approvals that make it easier and faster to get 300,000 new homes built;
• Strengthening healthcare by hiring 700 more doctors, licensing internationally trained health professionals to work in BC, and investing in a new, state-of-the art Surrey hospital and cancer care centre; and
• Helping people with costs by eliminating MSP Premiums, reducing ICBC rates by $500 a year, boosting the BC Family Benefit by $445, cutting childcare fees in half, and making birth control free.
• “Mike has called Surrey home for over fifty years, and has been fighting for his constituents for decades,” said Premier David Eby. “First as a firefighter, then as a city councillor, and now as an MLA: in him, the people of Surrey-Cloverdale have a real champion. You can count on Mike to put you first.”

Mike Starchuk joins David Eby and 91 other exceptional BC NDP candidates in this fall’s provincial election, all committed to real action to help people build a good life here in BC.