Premier David Eby said there will be no more money for the City of Surrey beyond $150 million that was promised by Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth this past summer to help the city shoulder the cost of transitioning to the Surrey Police Service from the Surrey RCMP.
乌鸦传媒淭here is no more money,乌鸦传媒� Eby told reporters in Victoria on Monday. 乌鸦传媒淭here is no more money. There is $150 million on the table Surrey hasn乌鸦传媒檛 taken us up on. They have a surplus in their policing budget, they have a surplus overall, there is no more money.
乌鸦传媒淗aving that shadow-boxing discussion about money on line items that we don乌鸦传媒檛 have awareness of, don乌鸦传媒檛 know what the mayor乌鸦传媒檚 talking about when she says there is more costs, it乌鸦传媒檚 just impossible.乌鸦传媒�
But Mayor Brenda Locke maintains those 乌鸦传媒渓ine items乌鸦传媒� can be found in the city乌鸦传媒檚 Oct. 13 petition to the Supreme Court of British Columbia seeking a judicial review of Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth乌鸦传媒檚 July 19 order for the city to continue with the transition to the SPS, contrary to the wishes of council乌鸦传媒檚 majority.
乌鸦传媒淗e needs to look at the petition, it乌鸦传媒檚 outlined in the petition,乌鸦传媒� Locke told the Now-Leader on Tuesday. 乌鸦传媒淢aybe he hasn乌鸦传媒檛 had a chance to look at it yet.乌鸦传媒�
乌鸦传媒淚 find it pretty disrespectful on behalf of both the premier and his solicitor general that they don乌鸦传媒檛 lift a phone and call, they would rather do this through the media,乌鸦传媒� Locke said, 乌鸦传媒渁nd I don乌鸦传媒檛 comply to that.乌鸦传媒�
乌鸦传媒淚 think they don乌鸦传媒檛 know what to do and they are trying to pressure me into withdrawing the petition,乌鸦传媒� Locke said. 乌鸦传媒淭hey want to have a simple solution to a very, very complicated situation and they乌鸦传媒檙e having a hard time proving their case. I have asked them many times to tell me why they乌鸦传媒檙e doing this.
乌鸦传媒淲e乌鸦传媒檝e got 72 years of RCMP doing a great job for the City of Surrey, we乌鸦传媒檝e got a crime severity index that has declined for over a decade and all of a sudden now we乌鸦传媒檙e saying they乌鸦传媒檙e no longer keeping Surrey safe? I beg to differ.乌鸦传媒�
The court petition claims the promised $150 million 乌鸦传媒� which the city has not yet received 乌鸦传媒� would leave Surrey with a shortfall of $85.4 million from fiscal years 2023 to 2027 乌鸦传媒渆xclusive of anticipated capital costs.乌鸦传媒�
Locke maintains the $150 million being offered toward the cost of the transition is not nearly enough to avoid massive tax increases for Surrey residents and would leave a funding shortfall of more than $314 million. The city estimates that, excluding costs of the transition, the SPS will annually cost $31.9 million more than keeping the RCMP and that dissolving the SPS to retain the Surrey RCMP would save Surrey about $235.4 million over the next five years.
乌鸦传媒淟et 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� she said during council乌鸦传媒檚 regular meeting on Oct. 16.
The following day, Eby told reporters that the provincial government 乌鸦传媒渉as 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�
Meantime, Locke sent a letter out to fellow mayors on Oct. 20 stating Surrey乌鸦传媒檚 case, charging the provincial government with 乌鸦传媒渃reating an environment for policing instability in the region乌鸦传媒� and that it乌鸦传媒檚 乌鸦传媒渢rying to take power over policing away from local governments.乌鸦传媒�
She added in her letter she will be seeking 乌鸦传媒渉undreds of millions more from the Province to protect Surrey taxpayers乌鸦传媒� if it has the ability through 乌鸦传媒渦nprecedented legislation乌鸦传媒� to force the transition ahead.
If Surrey doesn乌鸦传媒檛 maintain the RCMP as its police of jurisdiction, she told the mayors, Surrey乌鸦传媒檚 share of division adminstrative costs 乌鸦传媒� $32 million per year 乌鸦传媒� will 乌鸦传媒渘eed to be absorbed by all other municipalities across B.C. that continue to have RCMP provide policing services.乌鸦传媒�
Locke told the Now-Leader she sent the letter 乌鸦传媒渓etting them know that this is not just something that乌鸦传媒檚 going to impact Surrey, that if you乌鸦传媒檙e an RCMP jurisdiction you乌鸦传媒檙e going to get hit with significant costs.乌鸦传媒�
