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CentreBC unveils affordability plan at another Surrey campaign stop for Sturko
CentreBC leader Elenore Sturko outlined tax, child care, transit and insurance proposals at a Newton grocery store, saying a typical two-income family could save about $540 a year.
Affordability was the focus of another B.C. election campaign stop for CentreBC leader and Surrey South candidate Elenore Sturko on Monday morning, Oct. 19. At Organic Warehouse, a grocery store in Newton, she presented party proposals she said would put money back in British Columbians’ pockets, saving a typical two-income family about $540 a year.
The platform promises lower taxes, a cap tying residential BC Hydro rate increases to inflation, 20,000 new $10-a-day child care spaces by 2030, and a new refundable BC Commuter Credit. The credit would give passengers 15 per cent back on monthly or annual transit passes and BC Ferries multi-trip fares.
If elected, CentreBC says it would reverse the NDP’s 2026 increase to the lowest provincial personal income tax bracket, lowering the rate to 5.06 per cent effective Jan. 1, 2027. The party would also raise the renter’s tax credit to $600 a year and index it to inflation. It would maintain the existing freeze on ICBC basic insurance rates until spring 2027, then keep rates at or below inflation through 2030.
“Our plan addresses household financial pressures together,” Sturko said at a podium set up in the store’s produce section. “People are working hard and still struggling to afford the basics,” she said. “CentreBC will implement practical measures that lower household expenses, make bills more predictable and leave working families with more money in their pockets.”
Sturko was named CentreBC leader on Sept. 22 and announced her candidacy in Surrey South three days later. Many of the party’s campaign events have been held in Surrey, which the report describes as a key battleground in the B.C. election. The riding’s other four candidates are Megan Knight (Conservatives), Parik Tahlan (NDP), Bill McConnell (Greens) and Denis Hurtubise (unaffiliated).
The CentreBC candidates with Sturko in Newton on Monday were Judy Higginbotham (Surrey-Serpentine River), Sargy Chima (Surrey-Cloverdale), Parm Bhandol (Surrey North), Paul Brar (Surrey-Fleetwood), Raman Sharma (Surrey City Centre), Kyle Stevenson (Langley Walnut Grove) and Vikas Gautam (Burnaby Centre).