Elenore Sturko leads CentreBC into the Oct. 24 BC election
Former BC Conservative MLA Elenore Sturko became leader of CentreBC after the party's previous leader returned to the Conservatives in late September.
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CBC reported on Oct. 11 that Elenore Sturko is leading CentreBC into the Oct. 24 BC provincial election, running as a candidate in Surrey-South.
Sturko was previously elected as an MLA with the BC Conservative Party and later sat as an Independent. CBC said she has belonged to three provincial parties in about four years in politics. She became CentreBC's leader after the party's previous leader, Peter Milobar, returned to the Conservative Party within a week of taking the role.
How CentreBC's leadership changed in September
According to CBC, on Sept. 18, 2026, former BC Conservative MLAs announced they had joined CentreBC, and Mike Bernier stepped aside as leader so Peter Milobar could take the position. On Sept. 22, Milobar and others returned to the Conservative Party of BC after Kerry-Lynne Findlay resigned as that party's leader. Sturko stayed with CentreBC and rose to lead it.
What CentreBC says it would do
In the CBC interview, Sturko described several positions CentreBC is running on. On public safety, the party says it would add 100 provincial RCMP officers per year for five years, which the party puts at 500 new officers in total, to fill gaps in specialized units across the province. Sturko also said the party would make the extortion task force budget permanent and increase the number of prosecutors in the BC Prosecution Service. On mental health, she described a plan for what the party calls "intensive housing": long-term care for people with severe mental health and substance use conditions who cannot care for themselves.
On trade, Sturko told CBC that BC's forestry, steel and aluminum industries are affected by trade tensions with the United States, and said the country should diversify its trade partners.
These positions are the party's stated commitments; voche.me has not independently checked the figures or plans.
Who is running in Surrey-South
Voters in Surrey-South can review the full candidate list for their district on voche.me at /bc/provincial-2026/races/mla/surrey-south. Elenore Sturko's candidate page is at /bc/provincial-2026/candidates/elenore-sturko.
Advance voting for the Oct. 24 election runs Oct. 16 to 21. Voters can find their voting place and check their registration at Elections BC's website.
Questions this story answers
Who is Elenore Sturko?
Elenore Sturko is the leader of CentreBC and a candidate for MLA in the Surrey-South district. She was previously a BC Conservative MLA and later sat as an Independent before joining CentreBC. CBC reported on Oct. 11, 2026, that she had recently become the party's leader after its previous leader stepped down and rejoined the Conservative Party of BC.
What is CentreBC?
CentreBC is a provincial party in British Columbia that was founded in 2025. According to CBC, several former BC Conservative MLAs joined the party in mid-September 2026. Sturko became its leader after Peter Milobar, who had held the position for less than a week, returned to the Conservative Party of BC following Kerry-Lynne Findlay's resignation as Conservative leader.
What happened with CentreBC's leadership before Sturko took over?
According to CBC, on Sept. 18, 2026, former BC Conservative MLAs announced they had joined CentreBC, and Mike Bernier stepped aside as leader to let Peter Milobar take the role. On Sept. 22, Milobar and others returned to the Conservative Party after Findlay resigned as Conservative leader. Sturko stayed with CentreBC and became its leader.
What district is Elenore Sturko running in?
Elenore Sturko is running for the MLA seat in Surrey-South as the CentreBC candidate. Surrey-South is one of 93 provincial districts where voters will choose their MLA on Oct. 24, 2026. You can see the full list of Surrey-South candidates on the district page at voche.me.
What does CentreBC say it would do on public safety?
According to CBC's interview with Sturko, CentreBC says it would add 100 provincial RCMP officers per year for five years (500 in total) to fill gaps in specialized units. The party also says it would make the extortion task force budget permanent and increase the number of prosecutors in the BC Prosecution Service. These are the party's stated commitments; voche.me has not independently verified the figures.
How many parties are in the BC provincial election?
Several parties are running candidates in the Oct. 24, 2026 BC provincial election, including the BC NDP, the Conservative Party of BC, the BC Greens, CentreBC, OneBC, and others. You can see the full party list and each party's candidates at /bc/provincial-2026/parties/centre-bc and related pages on voche.me.
When is election day for the BC provincial election?
Voting day for the BC general election is Oct. 24, 2026. Advance voting runs from Oct. 16 to Oct. 21. Any registered voter in British Columbia can vote at an advance voting place or at their assigned voting place on Oct. 24. See Elections BC's website for your voting place.
Has Elenore Sturko held elected office before?
Yes. According to CBC, Elenore Sturko was previously elected as an MLA under the BC Conservative Party. She later sat as an Independent before joining CentreBC. CBC reported she has been in politics for about four years as of the October 2026 interview, having moved through three parties in that time.
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