Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke says she refuses to take marching orders from a bureaucrat in Victoria after the province乌鸦传媒檚 director of police services fired off a 乌鸦传媒渞ude乌鸦传媒� letter to her on Oct. 4 protesting that a lack of leadership and engagement at Surrey City Hall is causing concerning delays to the city乌鸦传媒檚 policing transition.
乌鸦传媒淭he letter was disappointing but it乌鸦传媒檚 inaccurate and it乌鸦传媒檚 obviously trying to point blame but it乌鸦传媒檚 completely inaccurate, his statements are completely inaccurate, he doesn乌鸦传媒檛 know the picture on the ground and I guess the other piece is I have no idea why Glen Lewis would be writing me,乌鸦传媒� Locke told the Now-Leader Tuesday (Oct. 10).
乌鸦传媒淗e乌鸦传媒檚 a bureaucrat, he should be writing bureaucrats. If the minister wants to say something to us he乌鸦传媒檚 welcome to say something but it乌鸦传媒檚 a little off protocol for a bureaucrat to be writing.乌鸦传媒�
Assistant Deputy Minister Glen Lewis in his Oct. 4 letter to Locke lists 乌鸦传媒渟ignificant乌鸦传媒� work that has been taken at senior levels of government since the city was advised in July that it must continue its transition to the Surrey Police Service, but says little has been done at the municipal level.
乌鸦传媒淚t is my observation that this lack of progress and delay is due in large part to a lack of leadership and engagement by City Council and City staff,乌鸦传媒� Lewis, also director of police services, writes.
乌鸦传媒淚n my view, City staff have been only minimally engaged in select aspects of this work to date and are seemingly constrained by a lack of clear direction from the Mayor and Council to progress the transition.乌鸦传媒�
City staff 乌鸦传媒渃onsistently state to its partners that they are instructed not to engage meaningfully in any work乌鸦传媒� on the transition until council directs them to, Lewis adds.
Lewis in his letter to Locke writes 乌鸦传媒淚 strongly urge that the City rectify these matters forthwith and assume the leadership required to carry out its transition. To this end, I request a report back on the remedy of these items, in writing, from the City by the end of business day, October 13, 2023.乌鸦传媒�
This rankles Locke. 乌鸦传媒淗e picks a short week, first of all, so he gives us basically five business days to respond to something that乌鸦传媒檇 they乌鸦传媒檝e taken literally almost, what, eight, nine months to come to a conclusion on,乌鸦传媒� she replied. 乌鸦传媒淚 think it乌鸦传媒檚 rude and as I said, he乌鸦传媒檚 a bureaucrat, he乌鸦传媒檚 not going to instruct the mayor of a city what to do. I乌鸦传媒檓 certainly not going to jump for a bureaucrat in Victoria.乌鸦传媒�
Last month, following questions to SPS Chief Constable Norm Lipinski and Surrey RCMP Assistant Commissioner Brian Edwards, Locke said the 乌鸦传媒渓eadership ball乌鸦传媒� was in the province乌鸦传媒檚 court and that the province 乌鸦传媒渘eeds to make sure乌鸦传媒� that there is a path forward.乌鸦传媒�
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乌鸦传媒淭his council has done everything asked of us and within our authority to follow through on our obligation to determine the policing model for our city,乌鸦传媒� Locke said at the time. 乌鸦传媒淢uch of the issues that we are dealing with are provincial and federal issues and that has become a lot of the stall.乌鸦传媒�
A corporate report that came before council Sept. 11 concluded that although Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth had directed Surrey to forge ahead with the SPS, 乌鸦传媒渙utstanding challenges remain乌鸦传媒� and development of a 乌鸦传媒渃omprehensive framework and planning documents is necessary for any transition to SPS.乌鸦传媒�
Farnworth ordered city council on July 19, 2023 to carry on with the transition to the SPS from the Surrey RCMP, despite council having voted 5-4 in November 2022 to maintain the Mounties as the city乌鸦传媒檚 police of jurisdiction.
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Locke and her Surrey Connect five-member majority campaigned on keeping the RCMP.
Other claims Lewis made in his letter include:
乌鸦传媒� Cost-increase concerns expressed by Locke to Premier David Eby 乌鸦传媒渕ay be inaccurate and/or misrepresented.乌鸦传媒�
乌鸦传媒� The city failed to rectify its budget for the SPS following Farnworth乌鸦传媒檚 July decision (in March 2023, the city allocated just $49 million to the first two quarters of the fiscal year, despite a 2023 provisional budget of approximately $160 million submitted by the Surrey Police Board last fall).
乌鸦传媒� While Locke has 乌鸦传媒渟tated publicly to the media乌鸦传媒� that she had no input on formal terms of reference for the independent facilitator who was appointed to help facilitate the transition process, as of the letter乌鸦传媒檚 date, she did not take opportunities that were provided to do so.
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Meantime, Surrey First Coun. Linda Annis issued a press release Oct. 6 suggesting Lewis乌鸦传媒檚 letter also reinforces that 乌鸦传媒減olitical ego乌鸦传媒� is playing a role in stalling the policing transition.
乌鸦传媒淐learly, just like local taxpayers, the provincial government has had enough of the political foot dragging from Mayor Locke,乌鸦传媒� Annis says, noting the inaction is costing taxpayers an extra $8 million per month, through having to pay for two police forces at the same time.
乌鸦传媒淭he decision to move forward with the transition to the SPS has been made, and regardless of how Brenda Locke feels about it, she has a responsibility to get on with it. Instead, we are seeing a serious and calculated lack of progress that has its roots in political ego rather than doing what乌鸦传媒檚 good for Surrey.乌鸦传媒�
Also last week, Safe Surrey Coalition councillors Doug Elford and Mandeep Nagra issued a press release attacking Locke.
乌鸦传媒淢ayor Locke乌鸦传媒檚 leadership has been marred by inaction and a lack of clear direction. We can no longer accept excuses for the delays she has caused. It乌鸦传媒檚 time for her to step up or step aside,乌鸦传媒� Elford says.
Nagra echoed him.
乌鸦传媒淲e understand the complexities of the transition, but Mayor Locke乌鸦传媒檚 shocking refusal to meet with Public Safety staff to discuss Minister Mike Farnworth乌鸦传媒檚 offer of $150 million in provincial cash to help with the transition is inexcusable,乌鸦传媒� Nagra charged.
In reply to Annis, Elford and Nagra, Locke said the 乌鸦传媒渓evel of disrespect they have shown towards not only me but to council is enormous but I乌鸦传媒檓 not going to respond to their comments, it乌鸦传媒檚 all just political. I wish they spent more time trying to be ambassadors for this city, not constantly acting the way they do, but they choose to.乌鸦传媒�
Meanwhile, Surrey Board of Trade CEO Anita Huberman sent a letter to Farnworth on Oct. 4 concerning local businesses being saddled with a bigger tax bill in 2024 on account of two police forces operating in the city with no second-phase plan for replacing the Surrey RCMP with the Surrey Police Service.
Huberman also charged that since Jessica MacDonald was appointed as the liaison between the Provincial Government and the City of Surrey in the summer, 乌鸦传媒渘o public comments or materials have been released highlighting the work done thus far. We are deeply concerned with the lack of transparency and communication.乌鸦传媒�
On that, Locke said she last met with MacDonald in August. 乌鸦传媒淚 believe she乌鸦传媒檚 talked with some of the staff here but she hasn乌鸦传媒檛 provided us with, at least that I know of, anything concrete so I乌鸦传媒檓 not sure, but I do understand what the Surrey Board of Trade and Anita is talking about, and I乌鸦传媒檓 concerned about it too. There is no question that the predicament that the minister has put the City of Surrey in is a very, very costly one and he may be doing it for the balance of the province, but for the City of Surrey, his decision is going to cost our residents significantly and all our taxpayers, including our business community.乌鸦传媒�
Locke has on occasion complained that Farnworth isn乌鸦传媒檛 contacting her personally. She said she last received a letter from him in mid-September. 乌鸦传媒淗e乌鸦传媒檚 finally admitting he doesn乌鸦传媒檛 have a plan so fair enough, but somehow he wants us to create the plan and that乌鸦传媒檚 difficult,乌鸦传媒� Locke said Oct. 10.
乌鸦传媒淚 find it interesting they had been saying well there is a plan, we kept talking about it and now he乌鸦传媒檚 saying there isn乌鸦传媒檛 a plan, we need you to create the plan. Well, we have a plan 乌鸦传媒� our plan was to keep the RCMP and he said our vision isn乌鸦传媒檛 his vision so he needs to share his vision.
乌鸦传媒淚t seems to me Victoria has a pretty tough time picking up the phone,乌鸦传媒� Locke said. 乌鸦传媒淚 don乌鸦传媒檛 know why they don乌鸦传媒檛 have the courtesy of talking to a duly elected mayor and council. I don乌鸦传媒檛 understand it. It乌鸦传媒檚 surprising, the behaviour is very surprising.乌鸦传媒�
乌鸦传媒� with files from Tracy Holmes.
