McCallum urges Metro Vancouver board to defer 2027 budget

Surrey mayor-elect Doug McCallum is urging Metro Vancouver’s outgoing board to cancel its Friday meeting or defer consideration of the region’s 2027 budget, saying newly elected officials should decide the financial plan. The board is expected to decide at the meeting whether to vote on the budget or refer it to a later session. The October 30 meeting is the outgoing board’s final scheduled meeting before new municipal councils are sworn in next week. McCallum said the next regular board meeting is set for November 27, when the new councils will be operating and will have selected their directors. He also argued the board has until March 31 to adopt its financial plan. McCallum said Surrey holds 29 votes on the regional board and argued they should not be cast on next year’s budget by directors not chosen by the council elected on October 17. His call followed local elections in which voters replaced 13 mayors across 21 municipalities. Metro Vancouver program manager Jillian Glover said the board could decide on Friday whether to receive items for information or refer them to a future meeting. She said the Local Government Act recognizes a regional district board’s continuity...