Dianne Watts

Mayor of Surrey

Dianne Watts was first elected as Mayor of Surrey in 2005 after serving nine years on City Council. She was re-elected for her third term in 2011, and serves as Vice-Chair of Canada’s Big City Mayors’ Caucus and Chair of Metro Vancouver's Port Cities Committee.

As Mayor of B.C.’s fastest growing city, her brand of civic leadership includes forming partnerships with other levels of government and the private sector in order to build healthy, vibrant communities. She believes in bringing people together and engaging the community in order to move Surrey forward.

The Mayor’s major policy initiatives have played a big role in attracting investment and creating jobs. For three years, Surrey has been named the best place in B.C. to invest, and in 2011 it was ranked 4th on the list of top Canadian investment cities.

In 2010, she unveiled Phase 2 of Surrey’s Economic Investment Action Plan, which is designed to foster strong economic growth through capital investment and strategic partnerships, and support the expansion of clean technology industries. The plan includes the Build Surrey program of capital projects, which will provide residents with world-class facilities throughout the city.

In 2001, Mayor Dianne Watts was honoured as the first elected official in the history of Surrey to become an Honorary firefighter for her work with the Surrey Fire Service and public safety. In 2009, she was named a Paul Harris Fellow by the Rotary Foundation of Rotary International.

Her family has owned and operated a manufacturing plant in Surrey for over 30 years. She and her husband Brian live in Cloverdale and are the proud parents of two daughters.