Governments consistently under-invest in the arts as a means of stimulating the economy because it makes them unpopular. People ask why spend money on musicians, artists, local TV, local media and writers when there are homeless people sleeping under bridges. The answer is that the arts do not just make us more inquisitive, fulfilled and connected; arts funding is the most effective means of creating family-supporting jobs, dollar for dollar. Period.

Proudly Surrey will invest in the arts sector like no previous civic administration, changing how we work with urban space to make the arts an economic engine of our city.

We will create a Bear Creek Arts Strip along 88th Avenue and King George Boulevard, anchored by a renewed Surrey Arts Centre. This will include the construction of new municipal buildings for restaurant, gallery and studio space on public land on the north and south sides of 88th between King George and Lauder Drive

We will re-zone the private residences between Lauder and King George to permit incremental conversion to commercial and mixed-use space

We will increase the budget of Surrey Arts Centre to fund local dramatic and musical production, phasing out the Arts Club contract

We will increase the budget of Surrey Art Gallery to fund better gallery shows with greater emphasis on local and aboriginal production

We will establish a property tax discount system for short-term gallery rentals, reducing property taxes on commercial spaces that grant short-term (1-3 month) leases to artists and galleries

We will invite Emily Carr University to partner with the city in creating a Surrey campus either as part of the Bear Creek Arts Strip and/or the University Drive development to further expand Surrey’s local university campus system

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