Surrey could soon have a school trustee by-election at $840K cost, if judge so rules

Surrey could soon have a school trustee by-election at $840K cost, if judge so rules

Published 2:35 pm Thursday, October 29, 2026

A judge might decide whether Surrey will have a school trustee by-election at a cost of close to $840,000.

The situation involves Garry Thind, re-elected trustee on Oct. 17 and then elected Conservative MLA in Surrey-Guildford a week later, Oct. 24.

Once sworn in as MLA in coming weeks, Thind will be disqualified from being a school trustee, Surrey Schools confirms.

Moving forward, if a court application is made under the Local Government Act, a judge can order that the trustee position is vacant, resulting in a by-election, or order that the candidate who received the next-highest number of votes — incumbent Gary Tymoschuk, in this case — be declared elected in place of the disqualified candidate, says a school district statement sent Thursday, Oct. 29.

Under the legislation, the Chief Election Officer, a candidate in the election, or any four electors may apply to the court for a determination, the Now-Leader is told.

“Any application must be filed within 30 days of the certification of the election results, which is November 20,” Surrey Schools says in an email.

“As a result, the District cannot comment on what Garry Thind’s election as an MLA means for filling the final Board seat or the possibility of any by-election. That will depend on whether a court application is made and, if so, how the court rules.”

The district statement adds: “Initial cost estimates provided to Surrey Schools by the City of Surrey place the cost of a by-election at approximately $840,000. The district is mindful that the costs of any trustee by-election would be funded entirely by the school district.”

On B.C. election night, Thind indicated that BC Conservative party officials “are looking for options if there is any legal way of not getting a by-election done” for his vacated school trustee position.

“People will be very happy if there is no cost involved in getting a by-election done for one seat.… We don’t want an additional cost to incur on taxpayers,” said Thind, who entered the B.C. election race after he’d signed up for re-election as a school trustee with the Surrey First Education slate, which included Tymoschuk.

Thind, whose name remained on the civic election ballot despite him not wanting it there, ended up placing second among trustee candidates with 43,900 votes.