IT’S going to be one very interesting electoral clash as former Surrey mayor and three-term councillor Linda Hepner, the B.C. Conservative candidate, takes on the famous former RCMP officer Baltej Dhillon, the NDP candidate, in the Surrey-Serpentine River riding.

Meanwhile, BC United candidate Puneet Sandhar tweeted on Tuesday that she was withdrawing her candidacy because of “the recent passing of a close family member.”

Hepner’s candidacy was announced on Thursday and she appeared with BC Conservative Leader John Rustad in a video that he posted on his X account.

Hepner said: “I am coming out of retirement for a very particular reason. One is young people. I have five grandchildren and when I heard and I read that one out of every two young people is looking to leave this province, that really struck a chord with me.”

She also spoke of the “long-standing disrespect that I have seen over these past few years for the city and I just think there’s a better way of doing business.”

Dhillon, who made history as the first RCMP officer to be allowed to wear a turban as part of his uniform, volunteers as a youth counsellor, is active with many non-profits, and since 2019 has worked with BC’s anti-gang agency: the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of British Columbia (CFSEU-BC).

He says: “We need a government that will work to keep everyday people safe, through fighting organized crime, ending gang violence, and keeping young people away from crime so they can start their lives on the right track. That’s what we have in the BC NDP. That is where my passion lies. I can’t wait to take action on these issues, building on the BC NDP’s track record on public safety, housing, healthcare, and affordability.”