Fleetwood--Port Kells

Fleetwood--Port Kells is a federal electoral district in the northeastern quadrant of the City of Surrey, one of the fastest-growing municipalities in British Columbia. The riding's boundaries run from Surrey's eastern border with Langley westward along 88 Avenue, tracing the Serpentine River southwest before turning north along 144 Street and continuing to the Fraser River, capturing Barnston Island in the river between Surrey and Pitt Meadows. The riding encompasses the neighbourhoods of Fleetwood, East Newton, Guildford, Port Kells, Fraser Heights, and North Clayton. With a population of approximately 124,987, it is among the most densely populated and culturally diverse ridings in the province.

Candidates

Ken Hardie (Liberal) has represented Fleetwood--Port Kells since 2015. A broadcaster by training, Hardie attended the University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University before building a career in public communications. He served as an on-air and program director at CKX Radio and Television, then became Manager of Public Affairs at the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia and later Director of Communications at TransLink, the regional transit authority.

Dave Hayer (Conservative) is a former BC Liberal MLA who represented the Surrey-Fleetwood area in the provincial legislature from 2001 to 2013, during which time he served as Parliamentary Secretary for Multiculturalism and Immigration. He attended SFU, UBC, Douglas College, and BCIT, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration. A resident of Surrey since 1972, Hayer has served as president of the Rotary Club of Surrey and is a three-time recipient of the Paul Harris Award.

Raji Toor (NDP) ran on a platform focused on climate action, affordable housing, and universal pharmacare and dental care. She finished third in the riding.

Amrit Birring (PPC) is a software developer by profession who completed his computer science degree at UBC Vancouver. He is an avid runner, backcountry camper, and Taekwondo practitioner.

About the Riding

Fleetwood--Port Kells is one of the most linguistically diverse ridings in Canada. According to census data, only about 47% of residents report English as their mother tongue, with Punjabi (17.6%) as the second most commonly spoken language, followed by Chinese languages (8.8%), Tagalog (4.9%), and Korean (4.0%). The riding's religious landscape is similarly varied -- 43% of residents identify as Christian, roughly 20% as Sikh, with Muslim, Buddhist, and Hindu communities also well represented.

The riding's neighbourhoods span a range of urban forms. Fleetwood, once a semi-rural area defined by large lots and horse properties, has undergone significant densification with new townhouse and apartment complexes, particularly near the planned Surrey-Langley SkyTrain extension corridor. Guildford, anchored by the Guildford Town Centre mall, is a busy commercial hub. Port Kells, founded by Irish settlers in 1889, retains a more rural and industrial character along the Fraser River, with warehouses, light manufacturing, and pockets of agricultural land.

Barnston Island -- a small, predominantly agricultural island in the Fraser River accessible only by a free five-minute ferry from 104 Avenue -- is one of the riding's most distinctive features. Home to roughly 155 people and the Barnston Island 3 Indian Reserve, the island consists mostly of farmland and stands in sharp contrast to the suburban density of the rest of the riding.

Surrey's rapid population growth -- the city is projected to surpass Vancouver as British Columbia's most populous municipality -- has made issues like transit expansion, housing affordability, and community safety perennial concerns for residents of this riding. The planned extension of the SkyTrain system through the Fleetwood corridor represents one of the largest infrastructure investments in the area's history.