Elenore Sturko was elected as Surrey South MLA on September 10, 2022 and currently serves as the Shadow Minister for Mental Health, Addiction, Recovery and Education.
Elenore is a South Surrey resident with experience serving British Columbians. After graduating from high school at Kamloops Senior Secondary, she embarked on a professional journey that took her across the country. Her early career was in the television broadcasting industry, starting off at CFJC Television in Kamloops.
In 2007, Elenore decided to transition her career to public service and joined the Canadian Armed Forces as a reservist in the Royal Canadian Air Force. After completing training, she began full-time service, first with the 440 Transport Squadron, and then with the 1 Canadian Ranger Patrol Group, both located in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories.
In 2009 she joined the RCMP, where she first served in Langley, B.C. In 2012 she transferred to Yellowknife, where she worked as a frontline police officer, and then as a community policing and media relations officer. Her roles gave her the opportunity to travel extensively in the north, working with Indigenous communities, creating community programs, and even participating in an Arctic Sovereignty Patrol.
In 2016 after completing her tour of duty in the Northwest Territories, Elenore and her family moved to Ottawa where she joined the RCMP Musical Ride, participating in the 2017 cross-country tour celebrating Canada 150. Elenore transferred back home to B.C. in 2018, where she joined the Surrey RCMP. In Surrey, she served as a media relations officer and in frontline policing.
Throughout her career, Elenore has been recognized as a champion of human rights and has been an advisor on matters related to gender, sexual orientation, harassment, equity, and inclusivity. In 2019 she published a book in tribute to her Uncle Dave, a victim of Canada’s LGBT Purge, with all proceeds going to children in Nunavut and residential school survivors. In 2019 Elenore was selected to participate in the LBGT Purge Fund National Monument Visioning Committee 2019 and is a member of the Curation Advisory Counsel for the Canadian Museum for Human Rights LGBT Purge Exhibit.
Despite being a successful writer, public servant, and human rights champion, her proudest moments are as a working mom living in South Surrey with her spouse, Melissa, and their three young children.