The provincial government is updating the Police Act in an effort to prevent the same mess from occurring that continues to define Surrey乌鸦传媒檚 policing transition to the Surrey Police Service from the Surrey RCMP.
乌鸦传媒淧eople deserve to know who is protecting their homes, families and businesses when there is a change in policing in their community,乌鸦传媒� Public Safety Minister and Solicitor General Mike Farnworth said Monday in Victoria. 乌鸦传媒淭hese amendments mean that the confusion caused by the City of Surrey won乌鸦传媒檛 be repeated elsewhere in B.C. When passed, these amendments will ensure policing transitions proceed in a way that provides certainty for people and maintains public safety.乌鸦传媒�
Farnworth said the legislation provides 乌鸦传媒渃larity and finality乌鸦传媒� to Surrey residents concerning the transition. 乌鸦传媒淎mendments to the Act will specify that the City of Surrey must provide policing services through a municipal police department. It also provides the authority for the solicitor general to cancel the existing agreement between the Province and the City of Surrey for the provision of RCMP services.乌鸦传媒�
Premier David Eby said Tuesday that whether or not Surrey is moving forward to a municipal police force 乌鸦传媒渋s no longer up for discussion, they are moving forward to a municipal force in Surrey and for everybody乌鸦传媒檚 benefit we need to just get on with that work.乌鸦传媒�
Farnworth said the legislation also provides, 乌鸦传媒渋f necessary,乌鸦传媒� the provincial government with the ability to appoint an administrator to 乌鸦传媒渁ssume the functions乌鸦传媒� of the Surrey Police Board to oversee the SPS.
To follow the bill乌鸦传媒檚 progress through the legislator, you can check out
Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke is not conceding defeat. 乌鸦传媒淲e are still all in the process of reviewing it and we will continue to do that,乌鸦传媒� she said of the legislation released Monday afternoon.
乌鸦传媒淚乌鸦传媒檓 going to be really clear 乌鸦传媒� the City of Surrey has made a position, we乌鸦传媒檙e not changing that position.
乌鸦传媒淔irst and foremost, we乌鸦传媒檙e here to protect the taxpayers of this province,乌鸦传媒� Locke told reporters. 乌鸦传媒淲e know that the cost of this transition is extraordinary.乌鸦传媒�
Eby said Tuesday it乌鸦传媒檚 乌鸦传媒渇rustrating乌鸦传媒� his government and Surrey aren乌鸦传媒檛 on the same page. 乌鸦传媒淚 think there is a moment here to regroup with the city, to reset. It is very clear that the city will not be successful in any legal challenge, it乌鸦传媒檚 a waste of taxpayer dollars, the Province is going in this direction, so let乌鸦传媒檚 sit down, let乌鸦传媒檚 move forward.乌鸦传媒�
During her Monday presser Locke referenced an easel beside her podium displaying a 乌鸦传媒渧ery conservative乌鸦传媒� $464 million more attached to the SPS over keeping the RCMP over the next 10 years 乌鸦传媒� not including capital costs and two-officer patrol cars. 乌鸦传媒淭his is going to be a tremendous increase to taxes in Surrey,乌鸦传媒� she warned. 乌鸦传媒淭hat is a minimum, an absolute minimum. That is money that should be left in the pockets of Surrey taxpayers at a time when affordability remains our number-one issue.乌鸦传媒�
乌鸦传媒淭his is going to be a tremendous increase to taxes in Surrey,乌鸦传媒� she warned. 乌鸦传媒淭hat is a minimum, an absolute minimum. That is money that should be left in the pockets of Surrey taxpayers at a time when affordability remains our number-one issue.
乌鸦传媒淲e will do everything always to protect our taxpayer,乌鸦传媒� Locke said. 乌鸦传媒淚 will do everything always to protect our taxpayer.乌鸦传媒�
The provincial government said it will provide Surrey with $150 million toward the cost of the transition but Locke says that乌鸦传媒檚 not nearly enough. Asked if his government will provide more money to Surrey, Eby said the 乌鸦传媒渂ig challenge乌鸦传媒� is the longer the dispute is dragged out, the more expensive it gets. He said it behooves Surrey to 乌鸦传媒渟it down with the Province, not to be going to court to spend more money on lawyers on a decision that乌鸦传媒檚 already been made and will not be overturned by a court.
乌鸦传媒淭he mayor fought a good fight, she raised a lot of important issues,乌鸦传媒� Eby said, but 乌鸦传媒渘ow it乌鸦传媒檚 time for us to sit down and sort it out.乌鸦传媒�
乌鸦传媒淭he Province has committed to Surrey that we will support them, we understand their additional costs here, we will be working with that and I乌鸦传媒檓 happy to have those discussions with Surrey,乌鸦传媒� Eby said.
On Oct. 13, the City of Surrey revealed it has filed a petition with the Supreme Court of British Columbia seeking a judicial review of Farnworth乌鸦传媒檚 July 19 order to proceed with the SPS. The government has 21 days to file a response.
Asked what she thinks Monday乌鸦传媒檚 development will have on Surrey乌鸦传媒檚 case, Locke replied she 乌鸦传媒渃an乌鸦传媒檛 speculate on anything with the courts. And again, we haven乌鸦传媒檛 even really looked at the legislation so I can乌鸦传媒檛 make any speculation in that regard.乌鸦传媒�
Asked if this means checkmate for Surrey, Coun. Linda Annis replied, 乌鸦传媒淚 hope this means that we乌鸦传媒檙e done and we乌鸦传媒檙e moving forward with the transition. I do think the minister乌鸦传媒檚 saying enough is enough, we need to get on with it.乌鸦传媒�
Locke did say of the legislation that Farnworth could have made his case last December, but did not.
乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 incredibly disappointing that this minister has taken so long to make a decision,乌鸦传媒� she said, adding 乌鸦传媒渉e could have said a lot of what he乌鸦传媒檚 saying today, he could have said it way back in December. He chose not to, so we乌鸦传媒檙e in this position now.乌鸦传媒�
Again on the $464 million cost, Locke said, 乌鸦传媒楾his is going to be generational, this is going to be forever. This is going to be for my kids, my grandkids, and we need to make sure that we have protected the taxpayer in our city.乌鸦传媒�
During a press scrum after the Legislative Assembly乌鸦传媒檚 Monday sitting, when Farnworth was asked what will happen with Surrey乌鸦传媒檚 court petition in light of the legislation, he replied that 乌鸦传媒渢he Province always has the ability to govern, and that乌鸦传媒檚 what we乌鸦传媒檙e doing. The court process, that乌鸦传媒檚 up to the City of Surrey.乌鸦传媒�
Asked when his ministry will file a formal response to Surrey乌鸦传媒檚 court petition, Farnworth replied 乌鸦传媒渢hat work is done by the legal services branch and they make those decisions.乌鸦传媒�
At Monday night乌鸦传媒檚 regular council meeting, Locke doubled down on Surrey council乌鸦传媒檚 majority position to stick with the RCMP.
She said she乌鸦传媒檚 instructed city staff to undertake a review of the policing transition, from day one to now. 乌鸦传媒淚 want us in Surrey to have a clear understanding of what has transpired over the last five years.乌鸦传媒�
乌鸦传媒淢y position, this council乌鸦传媒檚 position, has not changed,乌鸦传媒� Locke said. 乌鸦传媒淚 continue to oppose the transition because of the extraordinary cost for Surrey taxpayers that will deliver no public safety benefit.乌鸦传媒�
Locke added it乌鸦传媒檚 乌鸦传媒渟imply not feasible乌鸦传媒� for Farnworth to say that a police service representing just 25 per cent of frontline officers today is best positioned to be Surrey乌鸦传媒檚 police of jurisdiction.
乌鸦传媒淭he SPS is top-heavy and it乌鸦传媒檚 failed to recruit anywhere near the number of frontline officers needed to be the police of jurisdiction in the city. Surrey Police (Service) recruitment efforts are and will continue to be destabilizing for police services throughout Metro Vancouver and around the province. Let me be very clear again 乌鸦传媒� I will not sit on the sidelines and accept a provincial plan that will cost Surrey taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars, lead to significant tax increases, and that will deliver no public safety benefit.乌鸦传媒�
