Doug McCallum guarantees to construct 60,000-seat stadium if re-elected as Surrey mayor

Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum is promising to construct a 60,000-seat stadium within the metropolis if re-elected this fall.

The marketing campaign promise is a part of the Protected Surrey Coalition election platform, particulars of which will probably be launched Thursday morning (Aug. 25), the mayor says.

“If we’re re-elected, we’re going to construct a 60,000-seat area in Surrey,” McCallum instructed the Now-Chief in a telephone name Wednesday (Aug. 24).

“It will be multi-purpose and may very well be modified to deal with any sport, perhaps baseball, and soccer,” he added, “and we’ve a giant demand for occasions we’ve, particularly for cultural festivals, however we don’t have anyplace to place these occasions.”

In Vancouver, BC Place Stadium has a capability of simply over 54,000, and the 2 pro-sport tenants, BC Lions soccer membership and Vancouver Whitecaps soccer workforce, come nowhere near filling the stadium with followers for video games.

McCallum says 60,000 seats in an acceptable capability for a Surrey stadium, or “area,” as he referred to as it.

“We have now massive cultural occasions, and have the flexibility to have lots of people attend occasions. We don’t have even a mid-sized area,” McCallum mentioned.

“We’re a giant metropolis now, and we’ve to begin considering massive like this. I believe it’s shortsighted to construct a stadium that isn’t going to be sufficiently big and may work over the subsequent 20 or 30 years.

“There are occasions that we really feel we are able to fill it with, particularly within the cultural space, and in addition there’s all kinds of requests we get from the film trade, for filming places. They’re at all times in search of massive amenities, massive areas and so forth.”

A precise location isn’t but determined, McCallum mentioned.

Sports activities have turn out to be “very, very massive in Surrey proper now,” he mentioned, “and we’ve been instructed that if we take a look at spectators for soccer and hockey, a very good variety of the spectators are from Surrey.

“We have now a few of the greatest sports activities amenities in Surrey, and we’re going to proceed to construct them,” McCallum added.

The civic election in Surrey will probably be held on Oct. 15.

Jasbir Sandhu, a council candidate with Sukh Dhaliwal’s United Surrey slate, expressed his doubt concerning the marketing campaign pledge over Twitter, as did many others Wednesday.

“This can be a distraction from their document over the past 4 years,” Sandhu tweeted. “The canal continues to be not constructed. Beware of huge guarantees by determined politicians up for re-election.”

Extra response from Twitter:

We will’t even fill BC place – who would the tenants be? Give me break!
Anybody with data of the sports activities scene in Vancouver is aware of {that a} 25-35k outside stadium is what is required

— Andy (@ACanucks1) August 24, 2022

Mayor McCallum proposing 60K-seat stadium? Like Doug himself, that idea ran its course years in the past. BC Place constructed for objective of luring Main League Baseball. Didn’t occur. By no means will. Agree with @DeanABarbour. 25-30K extra essential and achievable. Nonetheless, a pipe dream.

— Mike Beamish (@sixbeamers) August 24, 2022

From the thoughts that introduced you much less Police service for far more cash comes Boondoggle 2: White Elephant Stadium.

— Andrew Legge (@Andrew_Legge) August 24, 2022

It must be constructed beside the canals for straightforward entry https://t.co/Nl3KS30FLj

— clean 🇺🇦 (@smoothmedia) August 24, 2022

For what? We don’t have a single main sports activities workforce that would want that.

Even when we had nfl or mlb that might be a stretch to fill constantly.

— Darcy Hope (@TheFarquaad) August 24, 2022

Why? What franchises is he chasing in what sport? Are CFL and MLS not being served now? Does he assume Surrey would get Main League Baseball?

— Nick Martin (@NickMartin14) August 24, 2022

Let’s see right here. We don’t want any therapy centres, hospitals, psychological well being amenities, or low price housing. However an empty 60,000 seat stadium will probably be excellent. Are the folks of Surrey certain that it was Doug’s foot that was run over?

— watcher of the skies (@yah_but) August 24, 2022

The Cloverdale facility ought to have been constructed years in the past and now the SSC lastly breaks floor at a a lot larger price.

And what’s the SSC hoping to convey right here with a 60k stadium? Have they got a tentative contract with a sports activities workforce? Have they got the financials to indicate us?

— Cindy Dalglish (she/her) (@CindyDalglish) August 24, 2022

Surrey election