Councillor Steele 

Councillor Barbara Steele, a mother of three, has been a resident of Guildford for 28 years and a member of City Council since 1998.

As Chair of the Public Safety Committee, Councillor Steele is committed to working hard to build stronger, safer and healthier neighborhoods in every part of Surrey. A key part of achieving this goal is the implementation of the innovative initiatives contained in Surrey’s new Crime Reduction Strategy, based on best practices and successful strategies used in other cities such as London (UK) and New York (USA), to reduce crime and make our streets safer.

Councillor Steele is a strong supporter of Surrey’s ambitious City Centre Plan: the relocation of City Hall, a new regional library, a new Performing Arts Centre, and, a new museum.  She is a strong proponent of The Livability Accord which will bring the communities of Abbotsford, Coquitlam, Langley and Surrey together to cooperate on the key initiatives related to reducing crime, improving road and public transit infrastructure, balancing growth and new jobs with the preservation of green space, and, re-defining the funding relationship between cities and senior levels of government.

In addition to Chairing the Public Safety Committee, Councillor Steele is Chair of the Heritage Advisory Commission and serves as the City's Liaison for the Fraser Valley Heritage Rail Society.  She is a member of the Mayor's Focus on Seniors Committee, the Mayor's Arts and Culture Committee and the Mayor's Crime Reduction Strategy Working Group. Councillor Steele also serves on a number of other committees including the Finance Committee, the Audit Committee, Surrey Crime Prevention Society, as well as the Downtown Surrey Business Improvement Association.

Councillor Steele’s experience is recognized at the regional level where she serves as a Director of Lower Mainland Local Government Association (LMLGA) and a member of the Lower Mainland Treaty Advisory Committee.  At Metro Vancouver, she is an Alternate Representative on the Fraser Basin Council and also the Mayor's Alternate on the Board of Directors. She was elected First Vice-President at UBCM and is also on the FCM Board of Directors where she serves on the Standing Committee on Community Safety and Crime Prevention as well as the Standing Committee on Municipal Finance.

Councillor Steele's past involvement with the City has been extensive and includes:

• Parks, Recreation and Culture Committee (served as Chair for four years both as Council appointed Chair and Councillor) 
• Transportation Committee
• Library Board 
• Drug Strategy Program
• Metro Vancouver Board of Directors
• President of the Surrey Arts Council

Councillor Steele is a member of the Surrey First Coalition.

For more information, contact Councillor Barbara Steele as follows: