Surrey-Guildford

Surrey-Guildford spans the northeastern quadrant of Surrey, anchored by the Guildford Town Centre mall and the established residential streets south of Highway 1, with the newer Fraser Heights community extending northward across the freeway toward the Fraser River bluffs. The riding's demographics are shaped by significant South Asian and immigrant communities, and the geographic divide created by Highway 1 produces distinct neighbourhood identities on either side of the freeway.

Garry Begg, a retired RCMP inspector, had held the seat since its creation in 2017, winning re-election in 2020. The 2024 contest against Conservative challenger Honveer Singh Randhawa produced one of the closest results in the province, with the outcome ultimately hinging on mail-in ballots and a judicial recount.

Candidates

Garry Begg (BC NDP) — Begg was the incumbent MLA seeking a third term. A career Mountie who spent nearly four decades in the force — including an eight-year posting in Surrey where he rose to the rank of inspector — he entered the legislature in 2017 and served as government caucus whip during the NDP's minority term from 2017 to 2020.

Honveer Singh Randhawa (Conservative Party) — Randhawa was a Surrey-based lawyer who operated his own law office and was known for providing pro bono legal services to community members with limited financial means.

Manjeet Singh Sahota (BC Green Party) and Kabir Qurban (Independent) also contested the riding.

Local Issues

School capacity in the Fraser Heights area north of Highway 1 remained the most acute concern for families in Surrey-Guildford. The rapid construction of single-family homes and townhouse developments in Fraser Heights had attracted young families faster than classroom capacity could be built. Portable classrooms lined the grounds of multiple schools, and the Surrey School District's annual expenditure on portables was in the millions. The NDP government had invested in new schools and seismic upgrades across the district, but the riding's explosive growth meant the gap between demand and supply persisted.

The policing transition created particular uncertainty in Guildford. The riding fell within District 2 of Surrey's policing plan, and as of the 2024 election, the RCMP was still the primary policing presence in the Guildford area. Residents south of Highway 1 reported ongoing concerns about property crime, vehicle theft, and drug-related activity near the Guildford Town Centre, and questioned whether the phased transition to the Surrey Police Service would maintain continuity of service. Begg's own RCMP background gave him a distinctive platform to discuss public safety, though the transition question sat at the municipal–provincial boundary of responsibility.

Affordability pressures in the riding intensified during the NDP's second term. Rising property assessments, grocery costs, and utility bills squeezed households across the income spectrum. The riding's significant population of multigenerational immigrant families, many of whom relied on service-sector and gig-economy employment, found that provincial supports did not always reach those in precarious or informal work arrangements. The NDP pointed to minimum wage increases, the elimination of MSP premiums, and childcare investments, while the Conservatives argued for tax relief and the elimination of the carbon tax as the most effective route to affordability.