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A public policy institute for Surrey
Policy for the city ahead.
Surrey will soon be British Columbia's largest city. Metro Surrey exists to make sure the decisions shaping it — on housing, transit, safety, and growth — are made with evidence, not slogans.
What is Metro Surrey?
Metro Surrey is the formal home for Surrey-focused civic research, advocacy, and public engagement. Led by Executive Director Mohkam Singh Malik, we bring together residents, students, professionals, researchers, and community leaders who believe Surrey deserves serious ideas and a clearer vision for its future.
We are non-partisan, but not neutral about Surrey's future. We are biased toward growth that works, public services that deliver, and a city that respects families, workers, newcomers, students, and seniors.
Surrey is not a suburb waiting to be noticed. It is a major city with major responsibilities — and it deserves the same serious policy attention given to larger downtown centres.
Our five pillars
Every campaign, report, and explainer we publish fits under one of five pillars — the issues that will decide whether Surrey's growth actually works for the people who live here.
Housing, growth, and livability
Zoning, approvals, affordability, rental supply, and family-sized homes. Surrey needs 53,111 more homes by 2028 — we track whether the city is on pace.
Explore this pillar →Transportation and infrastructure
Commute times, SkyTrain and bus rapid transit, road safety, and whether regional infrastructure funding is fair to fast-growing cities.
Explore this pillar →Public safety and community confidence
What Surrey's crime data actually shows, the police transition, prevention that works, and safety debates that are practical instead of political.
Explore this pillar →Jobs, investment, and local prosperity
The city's goal is one job per resident worker by 2042 — roughly 300,000 new jobs. We ask whether Surrey is actually on track.
Explore this pillar →Youth, families, and social mobility
Surrey is one of Canada's youngest big cities. We study education, youth jobs, newcomer success, childcare, and whether young people can build a future here.
Explore this pillar →Design Surrey Better: no more Norman Doors
Bad design isn't just annoying — it affects accessibility, safety, dignity, and daily life. Our first campaign starts with Norman Doors: doors so badly designed you can't tell whether to push or pull. They're a small, visible symbol of a bigger problem — too many public spaces are designed without enough attention to the people who use them.
We're calling on the City of Surrey to review confusing and inaccessible design in public-facing spaces and commit to standards that work for everyone: seniors, people with disabilities, parents with strollers, kids, and newcomers.
Publications
Practical, readable research for residents, journalists, officials, and decision-makers. First reports coming soon:
Surrey Budget Report Card
An annual grade on taxes, capital spending, public safety costs, debt, and value for residents.
Surrey Mayoral Platform Guide
A non-partisan comparison of platforms and commitments in the 2026 municipal election.
Design Surrey Better policy brief
Accessible public design, Norman Doors, wayfinding, and resident-friendly civic facilities.
A stronger Surrey needs people willing to build it.
Join a growing network of residents, students, researchers, and community leaders shaping the future of this city.
Join Metro Surrey