The Surrey & White Rock Board of Trade welcomes Budget 2025’s strong emphasis on building a more competitive, diversified, and resilient Canadian economy. Measures that support small businesses, encourage capital investment, and expand trade opportunities beyond the U.S. are meaningful steps forward for our economic future and for the fast-growing communities of Surrey and White Rock.
We are particularly encouraged by the government’s commitment to broadening Canada’s global trade presence, including its objective to increase non-U.S. exports by $300 billion over the next decade. The new $5 billion Trade Diversification Corridors Fund is a critical investment that has the potential to significantly enhance B.C.’s role in the Pacific Gateway strategy. Strategic improvements to ports, airports, railways, and other trade-enabling infrastructure will help local exporters access new markets while easing long-standing supply-chain bottlenecks.
Small businesses will also benefit from budget measures such as enhancements to the SR&ED program, a more competitive tax environment for capital investment, and modernized support through the proposed transfer of the Canada Small Business Financing Program to the BDC. Combined with new funding for foreign credential recognition and apprenticeship training, these measures will help employers address labour shortages, adopt emerging technologies, and boost productivity.
We also appreciate the federal government’s clear recognition of the needs of our local communities through pledged investments in the White Rock Pier and upgrades to Newton Athletic Park. These commitments demonstrate the value of federal infrastructure funding at the community level and provide opportunities to enhance local amenities, support tourism, and strengthen the region’s livability.
While we acknowledge the federal government’s recent announcement of national measures to counter violent and organized crime, including Criminal Code changes, hiring 1,000 additional RCMP personnel, and expanded financial-crime enforcement, we note the absence of additional targeted public-safety investments to address the escalating extortion threats affecting businesses in Surrey and White Rock. Stronger federal-provincial coordination and dedicated funding for law-enforcement capacity, business-protection initiatives, and regional intelligence-sharing remain urgently needed, and will help prevent this issue from spreading to other communities across Canada.
We also recognize the federal government’s introduction of the new $5 billion Health Infrastructure Fund, which represents a welcome and much-needed commitment to upgrading hospitals, emergency rooms, and urgent care centres across the country. As one of Canada’s fastest-growing regions, Surrey and White Rock are in dire need of increased healthcare services, where population growth continues to outpace healthcare growth and investment, leaving our residents without timely access to critical healthcare services. Strategic investments in acute care, primary care access, and healthcare workforce development would significantly improve quality of life and support the long-term economic productivity of our region.
“This budget moves Canada in the right direction, particularly on trade diversification and small business competitiveness. The new Health Infrastructure Fund and Trade Diversification Corridors Fund are promising commitments, and we are optimistic that Surrey and White Rock will see strong regional investment. However, targeted funding is urgently needed to address the international extortion threats and violence our business community is facing. We are ready to work with the federal government to ensure these opportunities translate into safer, healthier, and more competitive communities.”
Joslyn Young, CEO
-30-
Aman Parmar
aman@swrbot.com | 604.634.0345
