Doug McCallum no longer seeking recount in Surrey election

Doug McCallum launches his campaign for re-election by promising a massive new stadium in Surrey on Aug. 24, 2022.

Outgoing mayor Doug McCallum has decided to concede Surrey's municipal election after all.

McCallum's Safe Surrey Coalition announced Friday that the party will no longer be pursuing a judicial recount of the results, which left mayor-elect Brenda Locke ahead by just under 1,000 votes.

In a statement, the Safe Surrey Coalition said it decided to reverse course following "further review from our legal advisors."

McCallum was gracious in defeat after the election was declared in Locke's favour on Saturday night, with the 78-year-old politician suggesting he was ready to step aside.

"The people have spoken, and that's what elections are all about," McCallum said during a brief concession speech.

He reversed course less than 72 hours later, announcing he was not actually ready to concede.

Experts noted the grounds for getting a judicial recount in a municipal election are very limited, and require a candidate to provide compelling evidence that the count was wrong.

"In order to seek a judicial recount, one has to file an application with a sworn affidavit setting out the facts that support the allegations being made by the candidate," John Alexander, a lawyer who specializes in local government law, told CTV News this week.

"You can’t just do it on a supposition or a suspicion. You have to have some reasons or grounds."

Had McCallum moved forward with his request, he would only have had until Monday to convince a judge to allow the recount.

With files from CTV News Vancouver's Shannon Paterson