Skip to content

'Mr. Surrey' to be memorialized

Bill Reid's name will be part of Cloverdale's Amphitheatre and 62 Avenue.
43854surreyREID-Bill
Bill Reid will be memorialized with an outdoor venue

Bill Reid will be memorialized with an outdoor venue, a Cloverdale road and a statue, according to a plan adopted by council on Monday.

Known as Mr. Surrey, Reid was close to the hearts of many, particularly in Cloverdale, which he trumpeted as one of the best places to live.

The city is planning to rename the Cloverdale Millennium Amphitheatre as Bill Reid Millennium Amphitheatre. Surrey is also looking at naming 62 Avenue, between 176 and 180 Streets, Bill Reid Way.

Plans are also in the works to have have artist Paul Slipper carve a statue of Reid for placement in Cloverdale.

Reid was arguably one of the biggest boosters of Surrey and of Cloverdale, where he was considered the unofficial mayor.

Reid was alderman with the municipality of Delta from 1973 to 1978, a Social Credit MLA from 1986 to 1991, and was minister of tourism from 1986 to 1989.

Following his political career, he served as vice-president of the South Surrey and White Rock Chamber of Commerce, the president of the Cloverdale Business Improvement Association, and executive director of the Cloverdale Chamber of Commerce.

He died of cancer on May 28, 2013. He was 78.

On Monday night, Surrey council endorsed a proposal to rename the Cloverdale Amphitheatre and a road after Reid.

The venue and road could be named by May, with an official launch at the May 23 rodeo.

The sculpture is expected to take three months to create.