White Rock Mayor Knight's name stays on ballot despite running for provincial seat
Megan Knight will appear as a mayoral candidate Oct. 17 while also running for Surrey South MLA on Oct. 24 under Conservative banner.
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White Rock Mayor Megan Knight will appear on both a municipal and provincial election ballot this fall, even though she announced today she is running for Surrey South MLA with the Conservative Party of British Columbia.
Knight's name will remain on the White Rock mayoral ballot for Saturday, Oct. 17, despite having shifted her focus to the provincial race for Saturday, Oct. 24. The nomination deadline for the White Rock civic election closed Sept. 11, and the withdrawal deadline was Sept. 18 — dates Knight has now passed. The chief election officer declared the final list of candidates that day, and Knight's name remains on it as one of three mayoral candidates despite her no longer pursuing the mayoral term.
Two candidates are actively seeking White Rock mayor: Susan Bains, a current city councillor with Together for White Rock, and Chris Shields, a realtor.
Knight was elected White Rock mayor in 2022 with 37.5 per cent of the vote and announced her re-election bid as recently as June 2026. In Spring 2025, the BC NDP-led government passed legislation barring MLAs from simultaneously serving as mayors or city councillors, forcing Knight's choice.
Surrey South, which lies entirely within the City of Surrey, is currently represented by Brent Chapman, who won the seat for the Conservatives in the 2024 provincial election. Chapman announced on Sept. 22 he would seek re-election under the OneBC banner, following the Sept. 20 resignation of Conservative leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay, Chapman's wife. Interim Conservative leader Lorne Doerkson has taken over the party. Elenore Sturko, who was named leader of CentreBC earlier this week, has also confirmed she will run in Surrey South.
In a statement today, Knight said: "Families in Surrey South are working harder than ever and falling further behind. They deserve a government that respects their money and earns their trust."
Advance voting in the White Rock civic election begins Oct. 7. Whether Knight will withdraw her name from the ballot before then remains unclear.
Will Knight withdraw her name from the White Rock ballot before Oct. 7 advance voting?
How did the Conservative Party and Knight coordinate her entry into a three-way race in Surrey South?
We'll update this story as answers emerge.
