Linda Hepner

Linda Margaret Hepner (born May 16, 1949) is a Canadian politician, who served as the 36th mayor of Surrey, British Columbia as of the 2014 municipal election. As a member of the Conservative Party of BC, she recently won a seat in 2024 BC provincial election and currently serves as the MLA for Surrey-Serpentine River.

Personal life Hepner is currently married to Alan McMillan, who is an administrator the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design. Her only son, Gordon Hepner, is a city councillor in Surrey, and she has two grandsons through him.

City of Surrey career Hepner's career with the City of Surrey started in 1985, In her roles, she was responsible for the Film and Special Events section including major events such as Canada Day, Party for the Planet, and Air Canada PGA corporate events. She also supported the Council's Business Development Committee. Hepner cruised to a victory and her political slate, Surrey First, swept all eight city councillor seats. Some believe that Hepner had major advantages over her opponents including a well organized and well financed team, especially a Surrey First ground crew which mobilized quickly to get out the vote in massive numbers. As a proponent of the LRT she brought to light its potential to help solve a piece of Surrey's transportation problems, defending her city's decision to build light rail rather than Skytrain. She also successfully led the initiative to relocate a large homeless population from 135A Street known as the "Surrey Strip". The camp was dismantled and over 100 people were moved to modular housing. Hepner did admit that this initiative would require a lot of money and extensive collaboration with other levels of government over funding, however she emphasized that "the cost of not investing will be much more disruptive", as widespread flooding could affect over 1,500 residents, hundred of jobs, and over $1 billion in property value and over $25 billion in truck and rail traffic. On October 20, 2018, former mayor Doug McCallum was elected to succeed her in the 2018 Surrey municipal election.

Achievements Hepner was recognized as one of the Top 50 Influencers in British Columbia and appointed a Chair for Mental Health with Simon Fraser University. She went on to win her seat in the Legislative Assembly of BC by 435 votes.

Hepner currently serves as the Critic for Housing in the official opposition's shadow cabinet.

Electoral record

2014 Surrey Municipal Election