CTV News analyzed about three weeks' worth of McCallum's speeches, statements at public meetings, and press conferences to find the mayor’s claims, in some cases, don’t stand up to inspection.
Sometimes, his claims seem to further his political agenda, such as exaggerating a drop in the children participating in ice sports, which was part of his argument to cut the previous administration's projects, including a $44.5 million Cloverdale Sports and Ice Complex.
A claim the city's debt is higher than city reports say it is could support a total of $135 million in proposed cuts to the previous administration's projects, including the $58 million Grandview Heights Community Centre and Library.
A claim the costs of building a SkyTrain extension to Langley are lower than TransLink says they are could make one of McCallum's two big-ticket promises, SkyTrain and a municipal police force, more attractive.
But other times, the claims, such as what he said about Uber, do not seem to advance any particular political agenda. To make our list, the claims had to be on camera, at a public meeting or addressed to the press, and not be corrected as a one-off error.
Here is the CTV report that was broadcast on Friday:
Mayor of Surrey, Doug McCallum fact checked!
Doug McCallum ran under the party "Safe Surrey Coalition". However, this week he rejected adding twelve police officers to the RCMP because of cost. He wants to replace the RCMP with a city run police force. When we lived in Richmond they studied replacing the RCMP and decided starting up a city force would be too expensive. The Vancouver Sun reported just before the last election: The cost differential is a glaring one. Vancouver residents currently pay $422 each year for their municipal police. Surrey residents pay just $272 each for the RCMP.
And we have another four years before a civic election!
Mayor of Surrey, Doug McCallum fact checked!
Doug McCallum ran under the party "Safe Surrey Coalition". However, this week he rejected adding twelve police officers to the RCMP because of cost. He wants to replace the RCMP with a city run police force. When we lived in Richmond they studied replacing the RCMP and decided starting up a city force would be too expensive. The Vancouver Sun reported just before the last election: The cost differential is a glaring one. Vancouver residents currently pay $422 each year for their municipal police. Surrey residents pay just $272 each for the RCMP.
And we have another four years before a civic election!
