SURREY, B.C. — British Columbia's Liberal Party has retained a seat in the riding of Surrey South following a byelection to replace a longtime member of the legislature.
Elenore Sturko, a soon-to-be former RCMP sergeant, won more than half the votes to take over for ex-Liberal cabinet minister Stephanie Cadieux, who resigned in April to become Canada's first chief accessibility officer.
Sturko beat out New Democrat candidate Pauline Greaves, a teacher at the Langara school of management, who made a second attempt to claim the seat after losing to Cadieux in the 2020 provincial election by just under 1,200 votes.
Numbers from Elections BC show Sturko claimed 52 per cent of the votes, with Greaves getting 30 per cent of the support in a riding where candidates for three other parties trailed far behind.
Conservative Party of B.C. candidate Harman Bhangu, who owns a trucking firm, snatched nearly 13 per cent of the votes, university student Simran Sarai ran for the B.C. Green Party and won over three per cent of votes, while two per cent went to Jason Bax of the Libertarians.
Sturko says health care was the top concern for residents while business owners are worried about transit issues and labour shortages in the community where she's had a first-hand glimpse at issues related to the overdose crisis.
"A lot of times I've been into people's homes, spoken to people who are suffering from addiction and the family and loved ones of other people struggling and even those who lost loved ones," she said after claiming victory on Saturday, when she planned to celebrate with her family, including her parents from Winnipeg.
Issues related to the NDP's promise of a second hospital to be built in the Cloverdale area of Surrey starting next year have also been contentious in the community because the plan put forward so far is "inadequate" due to the lack of a maternity ward in one of the fastest-growing cities in the country, Sturko said
Greaves has said the former Liberal government broke a promise and sold the land for what would have been another hospital in Surrey.
Greaves, who has lived in the South Surrey area for more than 30 years, could not be reached for comment following the byelection, for which 11,000 votes were counted.
The NDP government announced earlier this year it would build the hospital for $1.72 billion.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 10, 2022.
The Canadian Press
