FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, October 12, 2026
SURREY, BC — In an extraordinary admission at the CKNW Surrey Mayoral debate, Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke blurted out, “I knew that they had an important meeting” in the lead up to the firing of Norm Lipinski. She further said that she did “not really” know about the Lipinski firing. After four months of denials, Mayor Locke cannot run from her stumble. Global News ran the exchange repeatedly over the weekend.
If re-elected, Mayor Brenda Locke will be embroiled in the case brought forward by former Surrey Police Chief Norm Lipinski. Mayor Locke has already delayed the policing transition, defunded policing by $47M in 2026, watched as 2026 became the worst year for extortion on record, and now needs to answer serious questions about her involvement in the firing of the police chief.
Mike Starchuk called for Mayor Locke to release her phone records and to declare on the record whether it was City Councillor Rob Stutt who disclosed the information to the Mayor ahead of the meeting.
“Mayor Locke has hurt Surrey families and made us less safe. Now, she has compromised herself further with her admission that she knew more than she told us,” said Mike Starchuk, Imagine Surrey Mayoral candidate, “Mayor Locke had an opportunity to tell us the whole truth four months ago. Now we know, on the record, that she didn’t. It’s time for her to come clean.”
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About Imagine Surrey
Imagine Surrey is a civic party running a full slate of candidates in the October 17, 2026 municipal election. Led by mayoral candidate Mike Starchuk – a former firefighter and Chief Fire Prevention Officer, former City Councillor, and former MLA for Surrey-Cloverdale – Imagine Surrey is committed to making Surrey the City of Champions by delivering: safe streets, fast commutes, smart investments, lower costs, and strong services.
Council candidates: Yousef Aldabainah-Barakat, Chandan Chahal, Perminder Chohan, Narima Dela Cruz, Ashiyana Hanif, William Li, Dr. Margaret Mubanda, and Kevin Wilkie.
Contact
Trevor Loke, Campaign Manager
604-838-5178
[email protected] / [email protected]