Surrey , British Columbia Canada

Incorporated in 1879, Surrey has a rich history of people with diverse ethnic backgrounds who have come together to make Surrey one of British Columbia's most unique communities.

Surrey is governed by an eight-member City Council and a seven-member School Board. The current Mayor of Surrey is Doug McCallum. The last elections were held in November 2002, and conservatives won the Mayor's seat, and a majority on both the Council and School Board.

In the recent 2005 provincial elections, the New Democratic Party of British Columbia won 4 of Surrey's seats, all of them in the more urbanized north and center of the city, while the BC Liberal Party won three seats in the more rural east and south.

In the Canadian House of Commons (2004 elections), the Conservative Party of Canada holds 3 of Surrey's 4 seats, while one is held by conservative independent Chuck Cadman. In May 2005, Cadman gained national noteriety by casting the one vote that saved Prime Minister Paul Martin's government from collapsing.

Transportation overall has played a major role in the development of Surrey. The first regular ferry service across the Fraser River was started in 1882 on the steam ferry "K de K" with the point of departure at Brownsville. The Canadian National Railway, Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway, and Southern Rail of BC rail systems are still active and stretch across Surrey to eastern provinces and southward into the United States.

The Fraser Surrey Docks on the Fraser River service more than 400 deep sea vessels annually, over 2 million tons of cargo from around the world pass through the terminal. It is the largest facility of its kind on the west coast of North America.

Public transport connects Surrey's centres to each other as well as to other Lower Mainland cities and municipalities. Skytrain has four stations within Surrey, and reaches Vancouver within 35 minutes.

With numerous easy access and exit routes, Surrey, once branded the car theft capital of North America, saw a 20 per cent drop in 2004 in car theft thanks to the Bait Car Program.