Doug McCallum not conceding Surrey election yet, party says

The incumbent mayor of B.C.'s second-largest city is not ready to concede the 2022 election, after coming within 1,000 votes of victory in the initial count.

Doug McCallum's Safe Surrey Coalition party released a statement Monday confirming the candidate is "not conceding at this point in time."

That's despite the concession speech McCallum delivered on election night, during which the 78-year-old politician suggested it might be time to "put (his) feet up."

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

Instead, the Safe Surrey Coalition said the party’s lawyers are reviewing the process for requesting a judicial recount in B.C.'s Local Elections Act.

According to the unofficial results on the City of Surrey's website, mayor-elect Brenda Locke secured 33,311 votes to McCallum's 32,338 – a difference of 973.

The initial count shows 118,908 ballots were cast this year, which would put turnout at just under 35 per cent, a slight increase from B.C.’s last municipal election in 2018.