B.C. Conservatives name candidates in all 10 Surrey ridings for the Oct. 24 election

The Conservative Party of B.C. has named candidates in all 10 Surrey-area ridings, describing them as “strong candidates for serious times.” The full list was released Tuesday, Sept. 29, weeks before the Oct. 24 snap election called by Premier and NDP leader David Eby. The party says the candidates form “a unified team with decades of experience in business, education and public service,” following a tumultuous period for the party.

The candidates are Jessy Sahota in Surrey-Serpentine River; Gurpreet Gary Thind in Surrey-Guildford; Nicholas Cartmell in Surrey-Cloverdale; Harj Dhaliwal in Surrey-Newton; Garry Purewal in Surrey-Fleetwood; Meagan Knight in Surrey South; Trevor Halford in Surrey-White Rock; Bryan Tepper in Surrey-Panorama; Zeeshan Wahla in Surrey City Centre; and Mandeep Dhaliwal in Surrey North. Halford, Tepper and Mandeep Dhaliwal are incumbents.

The Conservatives promise to “make life affordable again, restore safety to Surrey’s streets, fix health care and give Surrey the strong leadership it deserves.” Party officials also say the slate is united behind leader Lorne Doerkson.

The party says Surrey is facing an unprecedented cost-of-living crisis under Eby, with grocery, housing and gas prices stretching families. It says emergency rooms are overwhelmed, young people who grew up in Surrey cannot afford to stay, and small-business owners are struggling with rising costs and a wave of extortion and violence that has left many afraid to open their doors. The report directs readers to its developing list of Surrey candidates from all parties and a separate account of what happened in the last election.