PENTICTON — OneBC announced Sunday night that Surrey South MLA Brent Chapman will not run in the October 24 provincial election, 13 days after leaving the Conservatives to join the upstart party.The party posted a statement at 7:55 p.m. PDT on October 4, calling the decision mutual following "long deliberation.".Chapman did not post his own account by Sunday evening, nor did his wife, former Conservative leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay, or the Conservative Party.OneBC said the strain of the last few months was enormous, noting Chapman and Findlay ran a leadership campaign "based on strong conservative values.""Unfortunately, strong conservative values are not acceptable to the self-appointed leaders of the CPBC, and Brent and KLF were subjected to a torrent of threats and abuse from insiders," the party statement read. The statement closed by emphasizing family and security, thanking Chapman for his "principled stance," and expressing support for his decision to step back.The OneBC statement did not name specific insiders, dates, or messages. The Conservative Party did not respond by Sunday evening..Chapman’s name was already missing from the ballot. Nominations closed Saturday at 1 p.m. Pacific, and Elections BC's final list posted Sunday features 355 candidates — with no mention of Chapman. OneBC's accepted slate stands at 33. Surrey South will field five candidates: Conservative Megan Knight, CentreBC leader Elenore Sturko, New Democrat Parik Tahlan, Green Bill McConnell, and unaffiliated candidate Denis R. Hurtubise.Hurtubise initially carried a OneBC affiliation on the Saturday close list, but the final list removed the party tag. OneBC's statement did not name a replacement candidate or mention Hurtubise.Chapman won the seat in 2024 as a Conservative, defeating New Democrat Haroon Ghaffar by a margin of 3,920 votes (13,056 to 9,136). On September 22, the morning the writ dropped, he announced his defection: "Today, I will join OneBC.".Chapman stated he had been a Conservative member for 15 years and that leader John Rustad had originally asked him to run. "This is not the party I joined 15 years ago. It does not reflect the party we presented to British Columbians in 2024. I say that with sadness, not anger," he wrote, adding he watched Findlay "endure attacks from people she once stood beside."Findlay resigned the following evening on September 20. Her departure letter drew a line at what she called personal destruction. "Attacks on someone's character and family, and threats directed toward them, cross a line that should concern all of us, regardless of our politics," she wrote.The Western Standard reported on September 19 that two sources claimed elements of the Conservative caucus told Findlay to resign, threatening to otherwise release a recording of Chapman speaking in a threatening manner. .Findlay resigned a day later. At 1:32 p.m. PDT on September 20 she posted a three-page letter and wrote that she was resigning as Conservative leader, effective immediately.."The battle for Conservatives should not be with other Conservatives," she wrote. "It must be with the NDP." .She said she had made decisions she would make differently with the benefit of hindsight. She drew a line at what she called personal destruction. "Attacks on someone's character and family, and threats directed toward them, cross a line that should concern all of us, regardless of our politics," she wrote. "I am a wife, a mother, and a grandmother.”Surrey South remains a high-profile battleground. Findlay lives in the riding, and CentreBC leader Elenore Sturko, who currently holds Surrey-Cloverdale, is now running there. The Conservative candidate in Surrey South is White Rock Mayor Megan Knight, who withdrew from the October 17 mayoral ballot after the province approved a late exit.
