Ex-MLA and Former Conservative Leader Step Back

Former Surrey South MLA Brent Chapman will not be on the ballot for the upcoming provincial election. Chapman, who was previously set to represent OneBC in South Surrey, was omitted from the official Elections BC candidate roster following the Oct. 3 filing deadline. His wife, former Conservative Party of BC leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay, is also absent from the listings after resigning her leadership role on Sept. 20 amid an exodus of party MLAs.

Addressing his decision, Chapman stated he has “just had enough,” adding regarding Findlay’s departure, “Why would she be running? What would be the benefit of her running? I think, at some point, you stop.”

OneBC Responds to Candidate Exit

In a statement posted to social media, OneBC expressed complete support for Chapman’s decision to step down, noting that the pressure over recent months had been immense. The party stated that Chapman and Findlay faced “a torrent of threats and abuse” and claimed their conservative principles were rejected by Conservative Party of BC leadership.

Surrey South and Surrey-White Rock Slate Confirmed

With filings closed, five candidates are officially contesting the Surrey South riding. Denis R. Hurtubise is displayed as a OneBC contender on the party website, though Elections BC lists him as unaffiliated. The remaining candidates include CentreBC leader Elenore Sturko, Conservative Party candidate and outgoing White Rock mayor Megan Knight, BC NDP candidate Parik Tahlan, and BC Green Party candidate Bill McConnell. Knight withdrew from her municipal re-election campaign to join the provincial contest.

In the neighboring riding of Surrey-White Rock, six candidates are confirmed. Incumbent Conservative MLA Trevor Halford faces challenges from BC NDP candidate and former White Rock mayor Darryl Walker, BC Green Party candidate Christine Kinnie, CentreBC candidate Waqas Rana, OneBC candidate Amanda James, and independent candidate Kevin Diakiw.

Advance voting is scheduled for Oct. 16 to 21, ahead of final voting day on Saturday, Oct. 24. Local municipal elections take place one week prior, on Oct. 17.

Local Entrepreneur Joins Municipal Race

As part of its coverage leading up to the Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026 municipal election, Black Press Media is inviting all local council candidates to share their background, motivations, and main priorities. Responses are being made public in the order they arrive.

Among those running is local entrepreneur Indy Dhial, who currently owns and runs a two-location licensed childcare business. His professional history also includes working as a regional sales manager at Shaw, where he directed teams across Northern British Columbia, the Thompson-Fraser area, and the Okanagan.

Community Involvement and Priorities

Dhial brings extensive experience from various community organizations. He serves as President of the OKGN Sports and Cultural Society, and sits as a director for the ECEBC Regulatory Board, Rutland Youth Soccer Association, Kelowna Men’s Soccer League, and the Uptown Rutland Business Association.

In explaining his decision to run, Dhial expressed a desire to give back to the city where he raised his family. He stated his goal is to ensure Kelowna remains safe, affordable, and well-prepared for future growth through practical leadership and follow-through.

Addressing Community Safety

Identifying community safety as the primary challenge facing the city, Dhial advocates for fully resourced fire, bylaw, and RCMP services. He also supports consistent public enforcement alongside local initiatives like street outreach, Downtown On Call, and the URBA Community Safety Team.

Dhial emphasized that enforcement must be paired with support services. His plan includes working alongside local providers, Indigenous partners, BC Housing, and Interior Health to establish a single coordinated intake system. This framework would assess individuals dealing with severe financial hardship, homelessness, mental illness, or addiction, linking them directly to housing, treatment, and support. While acknowledging the municipality cannot resolve these challenges single-handedly, he stated the city must foster partnerships, push for senior-government funding, demand clear public behaviour standards, and transparently report results.

Viral exposure sparks worldwide donations

An online post by American influencer Mandi Jung highlighting a Kelowna municipal campaign sign has triggered global attention and financial contributions. Jung shared an image of one of Brady Rogers’s 35 lawn signs with her 100,000 followers on X, calling it “the most millennial thing I have seen in my entire life.” The post garnered 147,000 likes, while an associated video reel amassed roughly 1.5 million views, driving unexpected international interest toward the local race.

“This last week especially has been pretty wild,” Rogers said. “It’s been very unexpected. Locally I’ve been getting attention, but then somebody in the states I guess found me and made a reel about my campaign and it’s I think had one and a half million views or something.”

Humour as a voter engagement strategy

The 33-year-old candidate, who operates a business 3D-printing household items from recycled plastic, turned to social media to launch his campaign. “I decided I wanted some signs and had some funny ideas, so I put it out on Instagram to raise some money and set up a campaign,” Rogers said.

His physical campaign signs state, “Brady Rogers for city council. Don’t worry, I’ll fix everything. Terms and conditions apply.” Readers scanning a QR code on the signs are directed to a website where Rogers openly states that he lacks qualification, lacks political expertise, and dislikes politics, before concluding, “Fine, I’ll do it.” Rogers explained that his lighthearted approach aims to capture public focus and motivate residents to participate in voting.

Policy proposals and local platform

Beyond the viral marketing, Rogers is focusing on city governance and community challenges. “Our city has a lot of good initiatives and good work being done on it. But I’m looking at how we can better integrate some of those initiatives and perhaps provide more unified leadership on it,” he stated.

His platform addresses specific business and resident concerns, particularly regarding street-level drug use. “There’s more the city can be doing to address the immediate concerns that businesses and residents have around things like open drug use. I’ve been looking into the idea of perhaps testing a zero-tolerance policy in Kelowna around open drug use. It’s not going to stop people from doing drugs, but I think it would mean a lot to businesses if we could at least push the drug use off the streets,” Rogers said.