Red tape is the biggest complaint I get about city hall: Linda Annis
Surrey, BC (Sept.17, 2026): Surrey First Councillor and candidate for mayor Linda Annis said Brenda Locke’s claim at Wednesday evening’s mayoral debate that there is no red tape at city hall is news to her and just about anybody who has ever had to deal with the city.
“The biggest single complaint I get from people is about city hall red tape and how difficult it is to get things done,” said Annis. “People get frustrated dealing with their city hall and the time it takes, and when you dig into their concerns, red tape is the culprit.”
Annis said she wants to modernize city hall and its processes, starting by asking city staff what changes they would make to make their jobs and city processes easier, faster and less of a roadblock.
“I want to give our city staff the chance to help reinvent and modernize city hall,” said Annis. “They want to do a good job, but we’ve strangled them with so much red tape, paperwork and layers of bylaws that stifle creativity and get in the way of moving our city forward faster. It was a real surprise to hear Mayor Locke claim there was no red tape at city hall, because Surrey residents definitely think otherwise.”