Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke is threatening to call for an inquiry Monday night into the city乌鸦传媒檚 policing transition debacle after discord between herself and Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth went from somewhat heated to volcanic on Monday morning.
乌鸦传媒淪hame on Mike Farnworth,乌鸦传媒� Locke told the Now-Leader, in response to an ultimatum the solicitor general issued June 19 to the City of Surrey that if he doesn乌鸦传媒檛 see a corporate report related to Surrey乌鸦传媒檚 policing issue by 1 p.m. today he will be 乌鸦传媒渇orced to make a determination about what is necessary for safe and effective policing without it.乌鸦传媒�
乌鸦传媒淚t is critical that I receive this report,乌鸦传媒� Farnworth said. 乌鸦传媒淣ow is not the time to play games. The safety of people in Surrey is too important.乌鸦传媒�
乌鸦传媒淢inistry officials have advised the city that I need this report by 1 p.m. today to review it, or I will be forced to make a determination about what is necessary for safe and effective policing without it,乌鸦传媒� he warned.
Locke is livid.
乌鸦传媒淗e has to be very careful 乌鸦传媒� you know what may well happen, and we may well see happen tonight, because I乌鸦传媒檝e heard some of council talking about it, and that is to have an inquiry about what went so wrong. If you remember back four and a half years ago, this has not been appropriate, there has not been due process for the last long time.
乌鸦传媒淲e are trying to put due process at the back end of a decision but regardless, this was the same minister that was there but he乌鸦传媒檚 had five directors of police services in the meantime.乌鸦传媒�
Locke slammed Farnworth for 乌鸦传媒渘ever, ever乌鸦传媒� returning her phone calls. 乌鸦传媒淚 phoned him after the meeting because at that point we didn乌鸦传媒檛 even know the outcome of the decision. I phoned him, I phoned Eby, they both told me they would not talk to me until they got the report. That乌鸦传媒檚 not their report, it乌鸦传媒檚 not their authority.乌鸦传媒�
The mayor said it was her authority to call a meeting to make a decision, which she did this past Thursday, in which council voted in-camera to retain the RCMP as the city乌鸦传媒檚 police of jurisdiction rather than forge ahead with the Surrey Police Service.
乌鸦传媒淚t was Mr. Farnworth who said Surrey council had to hurry up and make the decision so I called the meeting to make a decision and then they said but only make it if it乌鸦传媒檚 the decision I want you to make. Well that乌鸦传媒檚 not how it works. He gave us two options, we made a decision based on our information. Not his information, the City of Surrey乌鸦传媒檚 information. So until he understands that under the Community Charter I have a responsibility, and a requirement and an authority, he is actually declaring war on the city of Surrey. I乌鸦传媒檓 appalled at the behavior of this solicitor general, I am shocked that the premier is going along with it.乌鸦传媒�
As for the June 15 closed-session vote, Locke said, Farnworth had put two options before council, A and B, 乌鸦传媒渁nd we were voting on A or B.乌鸦传媒�
乌鸦传媒淭hat corporate report is not for the minister. That corporate report is not for him to tell us what information he wants us to have, it乌鸦传媒檚 for us to say what to say what our staff find out for us. We乌鸦传媒檙e on the ground, he乌鸦传媒檚 not, he乌鸦传媒檚 in Victoria, he doesn乌鸦传媒檛 know Surrey 乌鸦传媒� we know Surrey. We voted on what we know.乌鸦传媒�
Farnworth wrote in his statement released Monday that as the solicitor general he needs to review the city乌鸦传媒檚 plan to ensure it meets the requirements for safe and effective policing. 乌鸦传媒淚 have been very clear about this,乌鸦传媒� he stressed.
乌鸦传媒淚 became concerned on Wednesday when I learned city staff were preparing to present a report to city council about future policing in Surrey that had not been shared with the Province. Unfortunately, I also learned that city staff were directed to not provide it to my ministry officials.
乌鸦传媒淚 asked the mayor to share the report and wait to hold a vote until we could agree on what was safest for people in Surrey, based on the requirements for adequate and effective policing.
乌鸦传媒淚nstead, on Thursday, the city council voted on the report before the Province had seen it and before I had the chance to determine if it will ensure safe and effective policing.
乌鸦传媒淭he city has since been delaying giving us the report to review. First, it was promised by noon Friday, then by end of day Friday. My staff requested the report throughout the weekend. We have still received nothing.乌鸦传媒�
Locke wouldn乌鸦传媒檛 reveal the breakdown of the vote but said it could be released if council passed a motion to that end.
乌鸦传媒淲e can乌鸦传媒檛 even say that,乌鸦传媒� she said. 乌鸦传媒淲e can乌鸦传媒檛 say anything out of closed. That乌鸦传媒檚 the one thing that乌鸦传媒檚 very clear, we cannot release information out of closed unless there乌鸦传媒檚 a motion to do so. There was a motion for me to release information out of closed; I can tell you that I乌鸦传媒檓 very happy with the vote that came to us, I can tell you that, but I can乌鸦传媒檛 tell you what it was. We may make that determination, we can make a vote to do that, but to be frank, we were trying get through a process to do it as fast as we could at the directive of this solicitor general saying hurry up and make a decision.
乌鸦传媒淭here was a lot of pressure and I kept saying we will have it done by the end of June and then when we do it by the end of June, because it乌鸦传媒檚 not the information or it乌鸦传媒檚 not the decision this solicitor general wants, then he gets upset about it and he starts playing these games. The games are not our games, the games are on the provincial government. And so am I angry? I乌鸦传媒檓 pretty angry.乌鸦传媒�
Locke said the vote was done in closed because council signed non-disclosure agreements at the provincial government乌鸦传媒檚 request, in order to receive an unredacted containing his recommendation that Surrey should forge ahead with the Surrey Police Service.
乌鸦传媒淚 said we don乌鸦传媒檛 want to sign these NDAs because it restricts us so much about what we can say. I wanted from the get-go we wanted to be transparent about this process but he obviously didn乌鸦传媒檛 want that.乌鸦传媒�
Meantime, the Surrey Police Union called on Surrey Connect Coun. Rob Stuff, a former Surrey Mountie, to recuse himself from voting on the policing decision until the City of Surrey Ethics Commissioner finalizes a decision on a complaint against him.
In February the union filed a complaint with the commissioner alleging conflict-of-interest on Stutt乌鸦传媒檚 part. Its president Rob Stewart issued a statement charging that Stutt voted to end the transition to Surrey Police Service from the Surrey RCMP without disclosing that his son is employed by the Surrey RCMP and his daughter is seconded from the City of Surrey and assigned to the RCMP. Nor did Stutt recuse himself, Steward stated.
Surrey Connect promised during its election campaign to bring transparency to city hall but it乌鸦传媒檚 not known if Stutt voted, and if he did, how he voted during Thursday乌鸦传媒檚 closed meeting.
乌鸦传媒淲hat I will say to you is, the vote on, I mean you can look at the vote that happened on December I can乌鸦传媒檛 remember, that vote was 6-3,乌鸦传媒� Locke said. 乌鸦传媒淚 can乌鸦传媒檛 tell you about the issue around Rob Stutt and quite frankly nobody should, that is something between the ethics commissioner and councillor Stutt and the determination of that will be in the public at some point.乌鸦传媒�
tom.zytaruk@surreynowleader.com
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