After four years on Metro’s board, part of every bad decision, and paid $100,000 in meeting fees, Brenda Locke finally thinks it’s time for change at Metro.
Surrey, BC (Sept. 2, 2026): Surrey First Councillor and candidate for mayor Linda Annis says when it comes to making much-needed changes at Metro Vancouver, Mayor Brenda Locke is four years and $100,000 too late.
“After being on the Metro Board for the past four years, and being part of every bad decision made by Metro, Brenda Locke, who was paid $100,000 to attend meetings, thinks it’s time to make changes, the same changes I and other councillors across the region have been demanding for years,” said Annis. “Meanwhile, Councillor Pardeep Kooner, one of Brenda Locke’s councillors, claims the North Shore Wastewater Treatment Plant fiasco is now a $5.5 billion bill. That’s concerning for a lot of reasons, including the fact that the Metro Board voted to cancel a planned independent review of the project, and Brenda Locke didn’t speak up. The lack of transparency and incompetence at Metro at every level is discouraging, and the reason why councillors such as Daniel Fontaine from New Westminster, Kash Heed from Richmond and I have called for a smaller board, a return to the basics of sewer and water, and dropping meeting fees for board members. We’ve been calling for those changes for years, and while Metro refused to listen, taxpayers certainly heard us.”
Annis said it is hard to take Locke seriously when she is coming to the table after it has been set by councillors from across the region who were ignored and dismissed by Metro.
“The problems at Metro have been known for years, and the North Shore Wastewater Treatment debacle costs are now being divided up and charged to taxpayers, including here in Surrey where we will all be paying for the next 15 years, and even longer if Councillor Kooner is correct,” said Annis. “Brenda Locke did not stand up for Surrey, and now just weeks before the municipal election, she finally wants to make changes that others have championed for years.”