Elenore Sturko MLA | |
|---|---|
| Member of theBritish Columbia Legislative Assembly forSurrey-Cloverdale | |
| Assumed office October 19, 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Mike Starchuk |
| Member of theBritish Columbia Legislative Assembly forSurrey South | |
| In office September 10, 2022 – October 19, 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Stephanie Cadieux |
| Succeeded by | Brent Chapman |
| Personal details | |
| Political party | BC Conservatives (since 2024) |
| Other political affiliations | BC Liberal/United (2022-2024) |
| Residence(s) | Surrey,British Columbia |
Elenore Sturko is a Canadian politician who currently serves as amember of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) ofBritish Columbia. First elected in a 2022 by-election inSurrey South as a member of the BC Liberal Party (later renamedBC United),[1] shecrossed the floor to join theBC Conservatives in June 2024,[2][3] and was elected inSurrey-Cloverdale inthat year's provincial election.[4]
Sturko graduated fromKamloops Senior Secondary, then entered the broadcasting industry by joiningCFJC-TV inKamloops.[5] She became a reservist with theCanadian Forces Air Command in 2007, serving with theYellowknife-based440 Transport Squadron.[5] She then joined theRoyal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in 2009, eventually attaining the rank of staff sergeant.[6][7] Stationed inSurrey since 2018, she became a spokesperson for the Surrey RCMP.[6][8] She and her wife Melissa have three children.[5][9]
FollowingStephanie Cadieux's resignation asSurrey South MLA, Sturko was approached byBC Liberal leaderKevin Falcon to run as the party's candidate,[6] and was elected to thelegislature in the September 2022 by-election.[1] She was named the official opposition education critic that October,[10] and becameshadow minister for Mental Health, Addiction, Recovery and Education that December.[11][12]
On June 3, 2024, she announced her decision to leave BC United and sit in the legislature as aConservative, becoming the party's fourth MLA.[2][9][13] She contested the electoral district ofSurrey-Cloverdale inthat October's provincial election, defeating the incumbentNew Democratic Party candidateMike Starchuk to become that riding's MLA.[14] She was named to Conservative leaderJohn Rustad'sshadow cabinet that November, serving as critic forSolicitor General and Public Safety.[15][16]
| 2024 British Columbia general election:Surrey-Cloverdale | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Conservative | Elenore Sturko | 10,268 | 48.3% | +44.82 | ||||
| New Democratic | Mike Starchuk* | 9,681 | 45.6% | -6.5 | ||||
| Green | Pat McCutcheon | 1,150 | 5.4% | -3.3 | ||||
| Freedom | Judy Meilleur | 153 | 0.7% | |||||
| Total valid votes | 21,252 | – | ||||||
| Total rejected ballots | ||||||||
| Turnout | ||||||||
| Registered voters | ||||||||
| Source:Elections BC[17] | ||||||||
| British Columbia provincial by-election, September 10, 2022:Surrey South | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Liberal | Elenore Sturko | 5,568 | 51.83 | +4.48 | $71,826.15 | |||
| New Democratic | Pauline Greaves | 3,221 | 29.98 | –13.08 | $58,814.93 | |||
| Conservative | Harman Bhangu | 1,364 | 12.70 | — | $38,150.18 | |||
| Green | Simran Sarai | 368 | 3.43 | –6.15 | $5,252.57 | |||
| Libertarian | Jason Bax | 221 | 2.06 | — | $640.83 | |||
| Total valid votes | 10,742 | 99.87 | — | |||||
| Total rejected ballots | 14 | 0.13 | –1.23 | |||||
| Turnout | 10,756 | 19.8 | –32.94 | |||||
| Registered voters | 54,363 | |||||||
| Liberalhold | Swing | +8.78 | ||||||
| Source: Elections BC[18][19] | ||||||||