FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, October 15, 2026
SURREY, BC — At 11:00 am last Friday, the CKNW Surrey mayoral debate went off the air. As of 11:00 am today, 144 hours have passed. In that time Mayor Brenda Locke has answered none of the questions she was asked on that broadcast, and none of the questions Mike Starchuk has put to her in writing since. Advance voting closes tonight. Surrey votes on Saturday.
On CKNW, the mayor gave three accounts in one hour of what she knew before the Surrey Police Board fired Chief Norm Lipinski: that she was not told, that she knew the board “had an important meeting,” and, when pressed, “not really.” The chair of the board was told that meeting would decide nothing. The mayor, who is not on the board, knew it was important. She has had six days to explain how.
The timeline that the mayor is running away from
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| May 2026 | Five new members were appointed to the Surrey Police Board in the weeks before the firing, chosen in consultation with the mayor, according to Chief Lipinski’s court filing. On CKNW, the mayor confirmed her side gave the Province recommendations: “Some they picked, some they didn’t.” |
| Friday, May 29 | The board meets with no public notice. Board member Larry Thomas requests the meeting and assures chair Harley Chappell, in front of the board’s executive director, that no decisions will be made. Founding member James Carwana is told it concerns collective bargaining. Surrey Connect Councillor Rob Stutt chairs the meeting. Seven minutes in public, 91 minutes in camera. The chief is fired. The minutes remain sealed. |
| Monday, June 1 | Chair Chappell, who was not at the meeting, learns what happened. He resigns the next day. |
| Monday, September 28 | Lipinski files in the Supreme Court of BC alleging a political firing (No. S-267236). The board moves its September 24 meeting to October 22, five days after the election. |
| Friday, October 9, 10:00 to 11:00 am | CKNW debate. Asked if she was told before the firing: “No, I was not told before.” Minutes later, to Starchuk: “Yes, I knew they had an important meeting. Did I know what was in it? Not really.” Pressed by Jas Johal: “I did not know prior.” |
| Sunday, October 11 | Imagine Surrey asks the mayor in writing: what did you know, and who told you? No answer. |
| Tuesday, October 13 | Imagine Surrey asks Councillor Stutt whether he discussed the chief’s employment with the mayor before he chaired the meeting. No answer from Stutt. No answer from the mayor. Surrey Connect releases a denial without answering questions. |
| Wednesday, October 14 | Advance voting opens. Imagine Surrey asks how the mayor knew more than the chair of the board. No answer. |
| Thursday, October 15, 11:00 am | 144 hour mark passes. Still zero answers. Advance voting closes tonight. |
| Thursday, October 22 | The police board’s first public meeting since the firing. Five days after Surrey has voted. |
| Unknown future date | Court will hear the Lipinski case; reinstatement could be one possible option if Mayor Locke is deemed to have interfered in his firing |
The mayor’s position is that the police board is independent of her office. Her councillor chaired the meeting. Her recommended appointees sat at the table. And she knew the meeting mattered before the chair of the board did. That is not independence; it is interference.
The questions Brenda Locke has yet to answer
- What did you know about the May 29 police board meeting before it happened, and who told you?
- You told CKNW you knew the board was going to talk to the chief because “that came out in the media.” The meeting had no public notice. Which news story? If there wasn’t one, who was the source?
- The chair of the board was assured no decisions would be made. You called it “an important meeting.” How did the mayor know more than the chair?
- Did you, your office, or anyone at Surrey Connect discuss Chief Lipinski’s employment, or the purpose of the May 29 meeting, with Councillor Rob Stutt before he chaired it?
- Will you support unsealing the May 29 minutes and releasing the board’s reasons for the firing before Saturday?
- You told CKNW you didn’t know what was in the meeting, then offered your own guesses at what the board wanted to ask him. Which is it?
- At the Board of Trade debate on October 7, you said you couldn’t name the City’s partners on the City Centre arena. It has been eight days. Who are they?
A mayor with nothing to do with the firing of her city’s police chief would have answered these questions last Friday afternoon. Instead, the Mayor is attempting to sweep this under the rug and hoping that a judge takes her side. The biggest question that she will not answer: what happens if the court finds that she interfered? Surrey deserves to know these answers before the end of voting on Saturday.
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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]