Surrey mayoral candidate seeks new tax on empty homes to fund affordable housing

SURREY — Mike Starchuk, the leader of the Imagine Surrey party, wants to introduce a municipal tax on homes left empty for much of the year and dedicate the revenue to building new affordable housing.

Starchuk announced the proposal on Tuesday, calling on the provincial government to commit to giving Surrey the same taxing authority Vancouver received in 2016, which allowed it to create its Empty Homes Tax.

"I’m not asking the province for money. I’m asking for the same tool every mayor of Vancouver has had since 2016, and I’m asking every leader on the provincial ballot to answer in one word whether they will give Surrey that same power," said Starchuk.

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If elected mayor on Oct. 17, 2026, Starchuk says his party would pass a member motion within its first 100 days asking the province for the change and would prepare a bylaw in advance.

He is also seeking early commitments from provincial political parties and candidates ahead of the provincial general election on Oct. 24, 2026.

Under the proposal, the tax would apply to homes left unoccupied for most of the year, with exemptions for principal residences, long-term rentals, homes under renovation and owners in care.

The party has not committed to a specific rate, saying Surrey city council would set it, using Vancouver’s annual levy of three per cent of assessed property value as a benchmark.

At that rate, a taxable vacant property assessed at $1 million would face an annual bill of $30,000.

Imagine Surrey says the aim is to encourage owners to make unused homes available for people to live in, while raising new revenue to fund affordable housing projects.

The party points to Vancouver’s experience, where a 2025 report identified 979 vacant properties for the 2024 tax year, a decline of about 67 per cent from 2017.

That report said $194.3 million in tax revenue had been allocated to new affordable housing initiatives since the tax began, but acknowledged the tax's effect is difficult to isolate from other market variables.

Both Vancouver and Surrey are already covered by the provincial government’s separate Speculation and Vacancy Tax.

Last week, BC NDP leader David Eby promised that if re-elected, his party would increase that tax's rate from one per cent to two per cent for domestic owners subject to the tax, and to five per cent for foreign owners.

The proposed Surrey empty homes tax would be an additional measure, with the city controlling the use of the revenue raised.

Starchuk also wants annual reporting showing how much the provincial tax collects from Surrey homeowners and what it funds within the municipality.

The proposal comes as more homes are available for rent across Metro Vancouver.

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation reported a 3.7 per cent vacancy rate for Metro Vancouver’s secured purpose-built rental apartments in 2025, the highest the region has seen since 1988.

Broader housing platform

The new tax is part of a wider Imagine Surrey housing platform that would attach financial consequences to slow municipal approvals.

Residential building permit applications would have a 180-day deadline for a decision, after which applicants would receive 25 per cent of their fee back for each week of delay, up to a full refund.

The party also proposes pre-approved designs for laneway homes and secondary suites, and a dedicated desk to help applicants through the permit process.

Within its first year, a council led by Imagine Surrey would publish an inventory of city-owned land for new affordable housing and offer select sites to non-profits, co-operatives and Indigenous housing providers.

The platform calls for a target averaging 1,000 supportive and complex-care homes annually over four years, located near public transit, but says that would depend on partnerships and funding from other levels of government.

Starchuk asserts that mayoral candidates Brenda Locke, Doug McCallum and Linda Annis have blocked affordable and supportive housing.

Your Space Hamilton reported in September that Starchuk's party also wants to build a Fraser River waterfront district and a cricket and rugby stadium.

With files from Daily Hive