B.C. Conservatives name incumbent White Rock mayor as Surrey South candidate
Published 3:27 pm Friday, September 25, 2026
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White Rock mayoral incumbent Megan Knight, who was seeking re-election in the municipal vote Oct. 17, has now joined the B.C. Conservative ranks for the Oct. 24 provincial election.
Knight, who was elected mayor of the seaside city in 2022 after serving as a city councillor from 2014-2018, has just been announced as the candidate for the B.C. Conservatives for MLA in Surrey South, the riding formerly represented by Brent Chapman.
Chapman announced earlier this week that he is moving to the OneBC party ahead of the upcoming provincial election.
The Conservative Party of B.C. sent out a release announcing Knight’s candidacy on Friday afternoon (Sept. 25).
NDP leader David Eby called the snap election on Tuesday (Sept. 22), citing the threat of U.S. President Donald Trump as the main reason for calling for a B.C.-wide election while a municipal election is underway.
Voters will head to the polls for municipal voting on Saturday, Oct. 17, followed by the provincial election polls one week later, on Saturday, Oct. 24.
Lorne Doerkson, leader of the Conservative Party of B.C., touted Knight’s virtues as a candidate.
“British Columbians deserve leaders who are straight with them, who outwork everyone in the room, and who never forget who they work for,” said Doerkson. “That’s Megan. She’s the change B.C. deserves: honest about the money, humble about the job and relentless about getting results.”
It’s not Knight’s first foray into provincial politics; in 2020, she sought the BC Liberal nomination for Surrey-White Rock, a seat ultimately won by now-Conservative MLA Trevor Halford.
Her candidacy in Surrey South sets up a showdown against former Surrey South MLA Elenore Sturko, who will fly the CentreBC flag after being named that party’s leader earlier this week. Most recently, Sturko represented Surrey-Cloverdale as an independent, after being removed from the B.C. Conservative caucus last September.
Whether the Surrey South riding’s most recent incumbent, Chapman, will join them in a three-way race is yet to be confirmed.
Chapman’s spouse is former B.C. Conservative Party leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay, who stepped down Sunday after a tumultuous few months as party leader. After Findlay’s departure, Chapman announced he was leaving the B.C. Conservatives for OneBC. That party’s website lists him as candidate for South Surrey-White Rock, but no such provincial riding exists; there is Surrey South, and Surrey-White Rock.
Peace Arch News has reached out to Chapman and to OneBC for clarity.
The B.C. Conservative announcement means Knight will likely be out of the current race for mayor in White Rock – although her name will likely remain on the ballot, depending on the City of White Rock’s cut-off date for removing candidate names. Her departure would leave Susan Bains and Chris Shields to contend for that seat at the council table.
Candidates can run in both elections, but they cannot sit as both an MLA and a local official, according to a recently passed provincial law.
Peace Arch News has reached out to Knight and the City of White Rock for further clarification.
— with files from Mark Page