The provincial government is updating the Police Act in an effort to prevent the same mess from occurring that continues to define Surrey鈥檚 policing transition to the Surrey Police Service from the Surrey RCMP.
鈥淧eople deserve to know who is protecting their homes, families and businesses when there is a change in policing in their community,鈥� Public Safety Minister and Solicitor General Mike Farnworth said Monday in Victoria. 鈥淭hese amendments mean that the confusion caused by the City of Surrey won鈥檛 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.鈥�
Farnworth said the legislation provides 鈥渃larity and finality鈥� to Surrey residents concerning the transition. 鈥淎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.鈥�
Premier David Eby said Tuesday that whether or not Surrey is moving forward to a municipal police force 鈥渋s no longer up for discussion, they are moving forward to a municipal force in Surrey and for everybody鈥檚 benefit we need to just get on with that work.鈥�
Farnworth said the legislation also provides, 鈥渋f necessary,鈥� the provincial government with the ability to appoint an administrator to 鈥渁ssume the functions鈥� of the Surrey Police Board to oversee the SPS.
To follow the bill鈥檚 progress through the legislator, you can check out
Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke is not conceding defeat. 鈥淲e are still all in the process of reviewing it and we will continue to do that,鈥� she said of the legislation released Monday afternoon.
鈥淚鈥檓 going to be really clear 鈥� the City of Surrey has made a position, we鈥檙e not changing that position.
鈥淔irst and foremost, we鈥檙e here to protect the taxpayers of this province,鈥� Locke told reporters. 鈥淲e know that the cost of this transition is extraordinary.鈥�
Eby said Tuesday it鈥檚 鈥渇rustrating鈥� his government and Surrey aren鈥檛 on the same page. 鈥淚 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鈥檚 a waste of taxpayer dollars, the Province is going in this direction, so let鈥檚 sit down, let鈥檚 move forward.鈥�
During her Monday presser Locke referenced an easel beside her podium displaying a 鈥渧ery conservative鈥� $464 million more attached to the SPS over keeping the RCMP over the next 10 years 鈥� not including capital costs and two-officer patrol cars. 鈥淭his is going to be a tremendous increase to taxes in Surrey,鈥� she warned. 鈥淭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.鈥�
鈥淭his is going to be a tremendous increase to taxes in Surrey,鈥� she warned. 鈥淭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.
鈥淲e will do everything always to protect our taxpayer,鈥� Locke said. 鈥淚 will do everything always to protect our taxpayer.鈥�
The provincial government said it will provide Surrey with $150 million toward the cost of the transition but Locke says that鈥檚 not nearly enough. Asked if his government will provide more money to Surrey, Eby said the 鈥渂ig challenge鈥� is the longer the dispute is dragged out, the more expensive it gets. He said it behooves Surrey to 鈥渟it down with the Province, not to be going to court to spend more money on lawyers on a decision that鈥檚 already been made and will not be overturned by a court.
鈥淭he mayor fought a good fight, she raised a lot of important issues,鈥� Eby said, but 鈥渘ow it鈥檚 time for us to sit down and sort it out.鈥�
鈥淭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鈥檓 happy to have those discussions with Surrey,鈥� 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鈥檚 July 19 order to proceed with the SPS. The government has 21 days to file a response.
Asked what she thinks Monday鈥檚 development will have on Surrey鈥檚 case, Locke replied she 鈥渃an鈥檛 speculate on anything with the courts. And again, we haven鈥檛 even really looked at the legislation so I can鈥檛 make any speculation in that regard.鈥�
Asked if this means checkmate for Surrey, Coun. Linda Annis replied, 鈥淚 hope this means that we鈥檙e done and we鈥檙e moving forward with the transition. I do think the minister鈥檚 saying enough is enough, we need to get on with it.鈥�
Locke did say of the legislation that Farnworth could have made his case last December, but did not.
鈥淚t鈥檚 incredibly disappointing that this minister has taken so long to make a decision,鈥� she said, adding 鈥渉e could have said a lot of what he鈥檚 saying today, he could have said it way back in December. He chose not to, so we鈥檙e in this position now.鈥�
Again on the $464 million cost, Locke said, 鈥楾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.鈥�
During a press scrum after the Legislative Assembly鈥檚 Monday sitting, when Farnworth was asked what will happen with Surrey鈥檚 court petition in light of the legislation, he replied that 鈥渢he Province always has the ability to govern, and that鈥檚 what we鈥檙e doing. The court process, that鈥檚 up to the City of Surrey.鈥�
Asked when his ministry will file a formal response to Surrey鈥檚 court petition, Farnworth replied 鈥渢hat work is done by the legal services branch and they make those decisions.鈥�
At Monday night鈥檚 regular council meeting, Locke doubled down on Surrey council鈥檚 majority position to stick with the RCMP.
She said she鈥檚 instructed city staff to undertake a review of the policing transition, from day one to now. 鈥淚 want us in Surrey to have a clear understanding of what has transpired over the last five years.鈥�
鈥淢y position, this council鈥檚 position, has not changed,鈥� Locke said. 鈥淚 continue to oppose the transition because of the extraordinary cost for Surrey taxpayers that will deliver no public safety benefit.鈥�
Locke added it鈥檚 鈥渟imply not feasible鈥� for Farnworth to say that a police service representing just 25 per cent of frontline officers today is best positioned to be Surrey鈥檚 police of jurisdiction.
鈥淭he SPS is top-heavy and it鈥檚 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 鈥� 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.鈥�
