Former Surrey mayor Linda Hepner went out to an early lead in Surrey-Serpentine River for the B.C. Conservatives against the B.C. NDP's Baltej Singh Dhillon — and she never looked back.
The Conservative candidate ended the night with just shy of half the votes, standing at 49.89% of the vote. Dhillon, meanwhile, took 47.27%, with independent Jim McMurtry grabing 2.83%.
Three candidates campaigned to win votes in Surrey-Serpentine River—a new riding in the 2024 provincial election—former teacher Jim McMurtry (Independent), against Hepner (Conservative), and former RCMP officer Dhillon (NDP).
Hepner spent four years as mayor (2014-2018) and did not seek reelection in the 2018 Surrey municipal election. She is hoping her return to politics grants her the first seat offered in new riding. She has lived and worked in Surrey for more than 40 years, was the city’s economic development manager, and spent nine years as a city councillor before winning the mayoral race 10 years ago.
Dhillon has worked in law enforcement for more than 35 years. He worked as an RCMP officer for many years and then went to work with the B.C. anti-gang agency. He lives in Surrey and has raised his kids there. His wife also ran a childcare centre in Surrey.
McMurtry is a long-time teacher and coach. He has directed plays and has organized the Cloverdale Terry Fox Run in the past. He is also a former principal.
A brief history of Surrey-Serpentine River
Surrey-Serpentine River is a new provincial electoral district that was contested for the first time in the 2024 British Columbia general election. The riding, located between Cloverdale and Newton, was created out of portions of Surrey-Cloverdale, Surrey-Panorama and Surrey-Fleetwood. Both farmland and Surrey’s Serpentine River cut through the centre of the riding, separating the small south-east corner of the new electoral district—comprising West Cloverdale—from both the Fleetwood and East Newton portions.
