SURREY, B.C. - When Surrey-Serpentine River voters head to the polls on October 24, the CentreBC name on their ballot belongs to one of the most experienced civic politicians in Surrey’s history: Judy Higginbotham, who served 25 years as a Surrey city councillor.
Higginbotham’s record is well documented. Elected to Surrey council in 1983, she retired in 2008 after a quarter century, then the longest consecutive run on council. Before politics she taught elementary and junior high school, and worked as a writer, editor and broadcaster with Cable 10, according to her responses to the Surrey Now-Leader’s candidate questionnaire.
In the questionnaire, she describes herself as a wife, mother and grandmother who has lived in Surrey since 1976 – five decades in the community she now seeks to represent provincially.
Her stated priorities are direct. On public safety, she backs more police and a four-pillar approach of prevention, enforcement, rehabilitation and harm reduction. On health care, she wants more nurse practitioners and doctors and shorter wait times. And on community building, she calls for family housing, an end to portables in schools, and equal support for community sports, arts and culture.
Asked what she would achieve in her first 100 days, she said she would make sure Victoria knows the value of Surrey-Serpentine River: its heritage, sports tourism, agriculture, and its welcoming communities for families.
The riding is one of B.C.’s truest battlegrounds. Created for the 2024 election, Surrey-Serpentine River was won that year by Conservative Linda Hepner, a former Surrey mayor, with 9,782 votes (49.7 per cent) against 9,347 (47.5 per cent) for the NDP’s Baltej Singh Dhillon – a margin of just 435 votes. Hepner is not running again; this time the Conservative banner is carried by Jessy Sahota, a former police officer, while the NDP fields physiotherapist and clinic operator Sikander Kang.
For a new party, a candidate with Higginbotham’s name recognition is a notable asset. CentreBC was founded in 2025 by former BC United MLA Karin Kirkpatrick and is now led by Elenore Sturko, who is running in neighbouring Surrey South. The party is pitching itself as a centrist home for voters dissatisfied with the province’s polarized options.
Advance voting in Surrey-Serpentine River runs October 16 to 21, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., at A.J. McLellan Elementary (16545 61 Avenue), Frost Road Elementary (8606 162 Street) and T.E. Scott Elementary (7079 148 Street). The first two locations are open Friday to Sunday, October 16 to 18; T.E. Scott runs the full Friday-to-Wednesday period. General voting day is Saturday, October 24.
Photo: CentreBC (centrebc.ca)
Sources: Surrey Now-Leader candidate questionnaire (via europesays.com); Women of Options; Elections BC candidate report (2026-10-18); Elections BC advance voting places PDF; Wikipedia (2024 riding results, citing Elections BC)
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