Surrey mayoral candidate Mike Starchuk says, if elected, he would create a “Senakw-style partnership” involving City land, approvals and financing alongside First Nations governance.
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Surrey mayoral candidate Mike Starchuk says he would create a “Senakw-style partnership” in the city if elected in this year’s municipal vote.
Running under the Imagine Surrey banner, Starchuk’s plan is to put City-owned land “on the table” for a rental community owned and led by First Nations. In a press release cited in the campaign material, Starchuk said City Hall would provide “the land, approvals, and the financing partners,” while the Nations would decide “whether, where, and how.”
The campaign says Starchuk has worked with local First Nations as a councillor and as an MLA, and that as mayor he wants to “build a stronger relationship and work in partnership, in the spirit of reconciliation.”
Imagine Surrey says that under an Imagine Surrey administration, First Nations interested in bringing forward a proposal to City Hall would find a “willing partner.”
The campaign’s comparison is Senakw, a 10.5-acre reserve at the south end of Burrard Bridge in Vancouver where the Squamish Nation is building purpose-built rental housing. According to the campaign material, the land was home to a Squamish Nation village until the government removed it in the early 20th century, and the reserve was officially created in 2003 after a legal battle.
Senakw is being developed in multiple phases. The campaign notes that out of four phases, the first of three towers near Vanier Park is complete, and residents have started moving in “over the summer.”
The campaign material says the project is increasing rental supply in Vancouver and is intended as a step towards reconciliation, while also acknowledging that some have raised concerns about its density and height, limited vehicle parking, and high rents in some units.
Starchuk’s other campaign promises mentioned in the material include introducing a new municipal tax on homes left empty for much of the year, calling for a SkyTrain study to South Surrey and more Bus Rapid Transit lines, building a new cricket and rugby stadium, and adding washrooms at transit hubs.
The municipal election is set for Oct. 17. Other Surrey mayoral candidates identified in the material include Doug McCallum, Linda Annis and incumbent mayor Brenda Locke.
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