Mayoral candidate proposes using city-owned land at 6965 King George Boulevard for a proposed “Surrey General Hospital”
Surrey, B.C. — Former Surrey mayor and Safe Surrey Coalition mayoral candidate Doug McCallum has unveiled a proposal to establish a new full-service acute-care hospital in Newton, which he has referred to as “Surrey General Hospital.”
McCallum said the proposed facility would be located on city-owned property at 6965 King George Boulevard. Under his proposal, a future council would dedicate the site for hospital development, work to complete municipal approvals and permits within 60 days, and seek construction funding from the provincial and federal governments.
The proposal describes a full-service acute-care hospital rather than a clinic or outpatient facility. Services outlined by McCallum include an emergency department, inpatient beds, operating rooms, intensive care, maternity and neonatal care, diagnostic and imaging services, specialized pediatric treatment and a pediatric intensive care unit.
“Vancouver has Vancouver General, Surrey is growing into a major city, and Surrey will have a Surrey General,” McCallum said while announcing the proposal.
McCallum said Surrey’s continued population growth has increased the need for additional hospital capacity and specialized health-care services. He also pointed to differences in health-care infrastructure between Surrey and Vancouver as part of the rationale for his proposal.
The proposed site is located along King George Boulevard, a major transportation corridor in Surrey. McCallum said the property has already been acquired by the city and could be used for a major health-care infrastructure project.
He also referenced major infrastructure initiatives pursued during his previous term as mayor, saying his experience working with provincial and federal governments would help in seeking funding for the proposed hospital.
The proposal comes as a separate Surrey Hospital and BC Cancer Centre is under construction in the Cloverdale area through the provincial government and Fraser Health. McCallum’s proposed Newton facility would be an additional hospital project separate from that development.
McCallum said the proposed hospital would be intended to expand access to health-care services for Surrey residents, including children, mothers, seniors and families, as the city’s population continues to grow.
The proposal remains subject to government decisions, approvals and funding commitments before construction could proceed.
