Centre BC: leader, positions and history for the 2026 BC election
Centre BC, which writes its name CentreBC, was registered in 2025. Elenore Sturko, the MLA for Surrey-Cloverdale, has led it since 2026-09-22 and says she is running in Surrey South. The party says its full platform is still being written.
WHO THEY ARE
About Centre BC
Elections BC lists Elenore Sturko as the leader of Centre BC, and its ballot name as CentreBC. Sturko won Surrey-Cloverdale in 2024 for the Conservative Party, with 10,268 votes (48.31 percent), according to Elections BC. The legislature’s member list, read on 2026-09-30, gives her party as Independent.
Sturko became leader on 2026-09-22. Four days earlier, she and seven other MLAs who had left the BC Conservative caucus joined the party, and Peter Milobar became its leader. On 2026-09-22, the day the election was called, Milobar and the six others went back to the Conservatives. Sturko stayed and took over as leader.
Former MLA Karin Kirkpatrick founded the party. Elections BC approved it in early April 2025, and it launched outside the legislature on 2025-04-10. Kirkpatrick stepped down in June 2026, and Mike Bernier led the party from 2026-07-18 until Milobar replaced him.
The party says it gives a voice to voters who want strong public services and a strong private sector, and wants “a balanced approach to government”. Its president, Mike Wignall, says it is building another option to the BC NDP and the BC Conservatives. Sturko told CBC News the party is built on social responsibility, fiscal responsibility and being “a home for liberals”.
The party says its Policy Committee is still writing its first policy areas, and that a full platform will follow. Its earlier releases set out positions on the cost of food, child care, extortion in Surrey, forestry, pipelines and Indigenous title. All of them were published before Sturko became leader.
Former BC Green leader Andrew Weaver is running for the party in Oak Bay-Gordon Head, the party and The Tyee report. The party was registered after the 2024 election, so it has no result from that election.
THE TEN ISSUES
Where Centre BC stands
Every party on this site is covered on the same eleven issues, so nothing is hidden by leaving a subject out. 11 of 11 have published policy behind them.
| Issue | Published position | Commitments |
|---|---|---|
| Housing | Not yet researched | 1 |
| Health care | Not yet researched | 3 |
| Cost of living | Not yet researched | 2 |
| Public safety | Not yet researched | 4 |
| Economy | Not yet researched | 4 |
| Education | Not yet researched | 1 |
| Climate | Not yet researched | 1 |
| Reconciliation | Not yet researched | 4 |
| Transportation | Not yet researched | — |
| Taxes and budget | Not yet researched | 2 |
| Governance | Not yet researched | — |
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
7 questions about Centre BC
Who leads Centre BC?
Elenore Sturko, the MLA for Surrey-Cloverdale. She became leader on 2026-09-22, and Elections BC lists her as leader.
Where is Elenore Sturko running?
She says she is running in Surrey South, where she was first elected in 2022. Elections BC’s list of accepted nominations did not show her name on 2026-09-30. Nominations close on 2026-10-03.
What happened with the MLAs who joined in September?
Eight MLAs joined on 2026-09-18 and Peter Milobar became leader. On 2026-09-22 Milobar and six others returned to the BC Conservatives. Sturko stayed.
Has the party published a platform?
Who founded the party?
Karin Kirkpatrick, who was elected as a BC Liberal in 2020 and sat for BC United until 2024. Elections BC approved the party in April 2025.
Is Andrew Weaver running for Centre BC?
Does the party get public money from Elections BC?
Elections BC’s allowance page lists payments for 2025 and 2026 only to the BC Green Party, the BC NDP and the Conservative Party. Centre BC did not exist at the 2024 election, which sets who qualifies.
Sources
A source marked SAYS SO ITSELF is the party's own material. It proves what the party claims, not that the claim is true.
- Registered political parties in British Columbia Elections BC · checked
- Provincial candidate list, 2026 general election Elections BC · checked
- Current party standings, 43rd Parliament Legislative Assembly of British Columbia · checked
- Statement of votes, 2024 provincial general election Elections BC · checked
- Annual allowances paid to political parties Elections BC · checked
- Financial Reports and Political Contributions System Elections BC · checked
- CentreBC home page SAYS SO ITSELFCentreBC · checked
- Get to know Elenore Sturko SAYS SO ITSELFCentreBC · checked
- Our Vision for B.C. SAYS SO ITSELFCentreBC · checked
- Our Values SAYS SO ITSELFCentreBC · checked
- Our Policy Philosophy and Process SAYS SO ITSELFCentreBC · checked
- Resources: constitution, bylaws and party rules SAYS SO ITSELFCentreBC · checked
- CentreBC news SAYS SO ITSELFCentreBC · checked
- Former MLA Karin Kirkpatrick officially launches CentreBC SAYS SO ITSELFCentreBC · published · checked
- CentreBC sets five hard conditions for any Northern Pipeline SAYS SO ITSELFCentreBC · published · checked
- CentreBC unveils 3-step plan on transnational extortion in Surrey SAYS SO ITSELFCentreBC · published · checked
- CentreBC on the NDP Look West plan SAYS SO ITSELFCentreBC · published · checked
- CentreBC demands provincial action on closure of Crofton mill SAYS SO ITSELFCentreBC · published · checked
- Opinion: Ending intimate partner violence requires more than announcements SAYS SO ITSELFCentreBC · published · checked
- Budget 2026: Managing Decline is Not Leadership SAYS SO ITSELFCentreBC · published · checked
- Budget 2026: A Blueprint for Bankruptcy SAYS SO ITSELFCentreBC · published · checked
- Opinion: The Hard Work of Certainty SAYS SO ITSELFCentreBC · published · checked
- CentreBC prepares for first AGM, leadership change, and next phase of growth SAYS SO ITSELFCentreBC · published · checked
- Opinion: Healthcare crisis was never a surprise SAYS SO ITSELFCentreBC · published · checked
- Opinion: B.C. schools and artificial intelligence SAYS SO ITSELFCentreBC · published · checked
- CentreBC completes first AGM SAYS SO ITSELFCentreBC · published · checked
- Opinion: Ottawa and B.C. moved toward CentreBC pipeline conditions SAYS SO ITSELFCentreBC · published · checked
- Former cabinet minister Mike Bernier to lead CentreBC SAYS SO ITSELFCentreBC · published · checked
- Opinion: BC deserves better than chaos or extremism SAYS SO ITSELFCentreBC · published · checked
- Statement: British Columbians deserve answers as wildfires rage SAYS SO ITSELFCentreBC · published · checked
- Opinion on HIV care funding at Spectrum Health SAYS SO ITSELFCentreBC · published · checked
- Statement: Reconciliation, Certainty, and Prosperity SAYS SO ITSELFCentreBC · published · checked
- CentreBC names Lakhwinder Jhaj as candidate for Abbotsford-Mission by-election SAYS SO ITSELFCentreBC · published · checked
- News release: Milobar flips again SAYS SO ITSELFCentreBC · published · checked
- CentreBC Leader Elenore Sturko welcomes Andrew Weaver as candidate in Oak Bay-Gordon Head SAYS SO ITSELFCentreBC · published · checked
- Ex-BC United MLA who ran as independent registers new Centre BC provincial party Global News · published · checked
- Former B.C. MLA launches new pragmatic, centrist party Global News · published · checked
- Candidates finalized for Abbotsford-Mission byelection Abbotsford News · published · checked
- Former B.C. Conservatives join forces with CentreBC, with Milobar tapped as new leader Vista Radio (AM 1150) · published · checked
- Centrists, former B.C. Conservatives join forces under Milobar CBC News · published · checked
- Peter Milobar new leader of CentreBC CJDC-TV · published · checked
- CentreBC MLAs defect back to the B.C. Conservatives after snap election call Vista Radio (AM 1150) · published · checked
- Kamloops Centre MLA Milobar rejoins BC Conservatives CFJC Today · published · checked
- Andrew Weaver is back as a CentreBC candidate The Tyee · published · checked
- Elenore Sturko’s political ride lands her as leader of CentreBC Times Colonist (The Canadian Press) · published · checked
- Centre BC leader Elenore Sturko running in Surrey South Peace Arch News · published · checked
- First weekend of provincial campaigns wraps in B.C. CBC News · published · checked
Compare Centre BC with the other nine parties
Every party is covered on the same eleven issues. The comparison pages put them side by side, one issue at a time, with the source next to each position.