FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sunday, October 11, 2026

SURREY, BC — In a single hour on the CKNW Surrey mayoral debate on October 9, Mayor Brenda Locke gave three different accounts of what she knew before the Surrey Police Board fired Chief Norm Lipinski.

Asked directly by host Jas Johal whether she was told before the board fired him, she said: “No, I was not told before. In fact, I never knew that he was fired. I knew that the board was going to talk to him because obviously that came out in the media.”

Minutes later, responding to Mike Starchuk, she said: “Yes, I knew they had an important meeting. Did I know what was in it? Not really.”

When Johal pressed her, she returned to: “I did not know prior and no, they didn’t have that conversation with me.”

“Not really” is clearly not a “no.”

The May 29 meeting where the chief was fired had no public notice. So who told her, what did they tell her, and why didn’t they share the same information with former Police Board Chair Harley Chappell? 

Starchuk focused on two relevant points of information:

• That a new Surrey Police Board member divulged in a public setting information about the May 29th meeting
• That it was Surrey Connect Councillor Rob Stutt who chaired the meeting where Norm Lipinski was fired. Councillor Stutt is a member of Brenda Locke’s party and is running for re-election with her.

“In the fire service, ‘not really’ is how people get hurt. You checked the room or you didn’t,” said Starchuk. “The mayor gave three answers in one hour. Surrey only needs one. What did you know, and who told you? Advance voting opens Wednesday. Answer before then.”

“A police chief should never have to keep the mayor happy to keep his job,” said Starchuk.

The exchange aired repeatedly throughout the day yesterday on Global News. Locke has dodged questions about the incident and has not held any interviews since admitting that she knew more than she has told us for four months. Surrey residents are demanding answers and that she reveal exactly what she knows and whether her or her Councillor had any part in the dismissal of former Police Chief Norm Lipinski.

Former Chief Norm Lipinski is challenging his dismissal in the Supreme Court of BC (Lipinski v. Surrey Police Board, No. S-267236). The allegations have not been tested in court.

-30-

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]