Surrey mayor Brenda Locke has launched a legal challenge to keep the RCMP in Surrey after the provincial government in an undemocratic move tried to shove the Surrey police down city’s throat despite Surrey having the final say which was voted by council and Surrey voters to keep the RCMP. The City of Surrey has announced Friday it is filing a petition with the Supreme Court of British Columbia for a judicial review of the Province of British Columbia’s order of July 19, 2023 to continue with the transition to the Surrey Police Service. “My team and I were elected to stop the proposed police transition,” said Locke. “Surrey simply cannot accept the extraordinary burden that our taxpayers will face as a result of a provincial order that will not deliver any public safety benefit.”

By R. Paul Dhillon – Editor DESIBUZZCanada

SURREY – Surrey mayor Brenda Locke has launched a legal challenge to keep the RCMP in Surrey after the provincial government in an undemocratic move tried to shove the Surrey police down city’s throat despite Surrey having the final say which was voted by council and Surrey voters to keep the RCMP.

The City of Surrey has announced Friday it is filing a petition with the Supreme Court of British Columbia for a judicial review of the Province of British Columbia’s order of July 19, 2023 to continue with the transition to the Surrey Police Service.

The City of Surrey is opposed to the proposed transition that would result in a significant additional tax burden at a time when Surrey residents are facing existing affordability challenges.

 “My team and I were elected to stop the proposed police transition,” said Locke. “Surrey simply cannot accept the extraordinary burden that our taxpayers will face as a result of a provincial order that will not deliver any public safety benefit.”

Peter German, respected lawyer and expert on policing and public safety, has been retained to advise and support the City on this matter.

 “I believe Council put forward a sensible plan to keep the RCMP, which is in the best interest of taxpayers and public safety,” said Peter German. “The warnings about higher costs and inability to recruit frontline officers for the Surrey Police Service have all come true, and the City has an obligation to act in the public interest.”

In addition to the court proceeding, the City has sent a letter to the Province outlining its ongoing concerns.

BC Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General Mike Farnworth responded angrily to Surrey’s right to launch a legal challenge by saying that he is extremely disappointing that the municipal government of Surrey has decided to spend significant taxpayer dollars on lawyers, trying to further delay the transition to the Surrey Police Service (SPS), by taking legal action against the Province.

“People in Surrey want the uncertainty over who will police their city to end. They want this debate to be over. They want government money spent on protecting their communities instead of on legal fees to continue old fights that have dragged on too long. The decision has been made, and it’s time for the city to accept the decision and move forward with the police transition.

“The financial assistance of $150 million has not been accepted by city council. This money is intended to help offset the costs of moving forward with the Surrey Police Service, so that costs are not passed on to residents and businesses in the form of high tax increases.

“On Monday, Oct. 16, I will be introducing legislation that will provide clarity to the people of Surrey, and will provide a clear process for any municipality that wants to change its police of jurisdiction. This legislation won’t be a surprise to the City of Surrey, we’ve discussed our intentions publicly over the past few months and city staff have been thoroughly briefed on its contents.

Surrey First Councillor Linda Annis said Locke’s decision to take the Province of British Columbia to court over the police transition is a costly stalling tactic, with Surrey residents forced to pick up the bill.

“This whole thing isn’t about what’s good for our city, it is clearly about political ego,” noted Annis. “Our taxpayers paid more than $300,000 to defend Doug McCallum around the issue of having his foot run over in a grocery store parking lot. Can you imagine the time it will take and the millions it will cost to take the province to court over the transition from the RCMP to the Surrey Police Service (SPS). Clearly, tax dollars don’t mean anything to Brenda Locke.”

Annis said the decision to go to court is just more stalling on the part of the mayor, and the wasted time and money are costly roadblocks that get in the way of finalizing the transition to the SPS.

“Surrey taxpayers are looking for leadership and they’re not finding it at city hall these days,” said Annis. “The province has made the final decision, and the vast majority of our residents simply want to get the transition completed so city council can focus on other important issues such as transit, hospitals, infrastructure, and schools. Instead, Mayor Locke has sidelined these other important issues by continuing her personal fight with the provincial government. This is really a case of political ego running wild, with taxpayers forced to pay the bill.”