EDITOR’S NOTE: The Now-Leader has published an update to this story that questions Brenda Locke’s statement that the Metro Vancouver Mayors’ Committee supported the move to keep the RCMP in Surrey. Locke’s political rivals argue the committee voted to write a letter to the province to urge a quick decision on the transition, regardless of the outcome, but Locke is standing by her interpretation. Click here to read the updated story.
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All 23 mayors on the Metro Vancouver Mayors’ Committee are backing Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke’s play to retain the RCMP as the city’s police of jurisdiction rather than continue with the transition to the Surrey Police Service.
Delta Mayor George Harvie’s motion to support Surrey’s decision was unanimously passed on Wednesday. Locke said the outcome of that vote should send a clear message to the provincial NDP government that not only should the RCMP stay the course but a decision to that effect “must be made promptly.
“He did it, I really appreciated it, but he did it on his own,” she told the Now-Leader or Harvie’s motion, which he presented under ‘other business.’
Locke is the chairwoman of the committee.
“I’ve got to tell you I hear from mayors all over, but particularly in Metro Vancouver because I see them all the time, they’re always asking me, so many of them, I constantly get asked when are they going to make a decision and why are they not honouring Surrey’s decision, I hear that all the time from mayors and councillors.
“I can’t think of one mayor that hasn’t said what’s taking them so long, you’ve given them all the information, it’s your decision to make, I wouldn’t want him to do that do us,” she said of Public Safety Minister and Solicitor General Mike Farnworth. “They understand the cost implications of this. It does affect them, and that’s the other thing – the instability of what safety is, is starting to impact others.”
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Surrey Coun. Doug Elford, who supports the transition to the SPS, said Surrey’s contribution to the RCMP’s ‘E’ Division, “which is upwards $20 million per year,” shields other communities from “a lot” of financial burden.
“Surrey’s citizens have been carrying a lot of these committees when it comes to the “E” Division costs,” he said. “I think the real reason is it’s all about money, not about policing. I’m convinced Surrey carries a lot of the burden for the RCMP in the Lower Mainland. That’s what it boils down to if you think about it.”
“I’m curious if George (Harvie) would be interested in us giving him advice in how his police is, I mean he has his own municipal police force himself,” Elford said. “I’m struggling with this support with the RCMP.”
Elford said he suspects Harvie “got pressure” from mayors of cities that are policed by the RCMP “to support this kind of motion.
“It’s kind of mind-boggling that someone who has his own municipal force would support an RCMP detachment,” he said.
Harvie could not be immediately reached for comment.
The RCMP has been Surrey’s police of jurisdiction since it took over from the Surrey Police on May 1, 1951, as the result of a plebiscite. Surrey’s is the largest RCMP detachment in all of Canada.
On Nov. 5, 2018, the council of the day, led by mayor Doug McCallum, served notice to the provincial and federal governments that it would end its contract with the RCMP to set up its own force.
Four years and one civic election later, on Nov. 14, 2022, the current council led by Locke decided on a 5-4 vote to maintain the Surrey RCMP as this city’s police of jurisdiction instead of forging ahead with the Surrey Police Service.
Farnworth this past Monday in Victoria told reporters he’s expecting to receive “information” from the director of police services later this week. “At the last time we spoke, I said that I wanted to have a decision by the time the tax notices go out, which is in mid-May. I want to assure everyone that it’s being worked on very, very fast. The initial plan to go to transition to Surrey Police Service, that took an initial 18 months. We received the information from the City of Surrey just before Christmas and the ministry staff have been working very expeditiously on it and I would like to get this done, as I said before, as soon as possible.”
“I understand the mayor of Surrey’s position, Surrey has the right to make decisions around policing and the mayor’s sole concern is the city of Surrey. My responsibility as solicitor general is to ensure safe and effective policing not only for Surrey but for the entire province of British Columbia,” Farnworth told reporters.
Locke at Monday’s Surrey council meeting asked the city’s finance manager Kam Grewal how much Farnworth’s “stall of the decision” has cost the city to date.
“In terms of effectively carrying two police organizations, that monthly burn rate, if you will, it’s approximately $8 million per month,” Grewal replied.
Locke said the city initially expected a decision by the end of January.
“It’s extremely disappointing, the minister knows full well the cost. He knows we’ve been waiting for this decision for a very long time. He knows that the RCMP have provided safe and effective policing in this city for 72 years. He knows that the city has made the decision to change to the RCMP and he also knows that in the Police Act it is the responsibility, the jurisdiction of the local government, to pick their police force,” she told the Now-Leader earlier this week. “It is our right, according to the Police Act, to choose our police force.”
While taking the matter to court, if need be, is “absolutely” in the city’s toolkit, Locke said, “that would be an absolute last resort. But that is not my wish. I will take the word of the premier when he says to me it will go Surrey’s way. He said that. The previous premier said that, and this minister, this solicitor general, also said it is Surrey’s decision. The length of time it is taking them to make this decision is really unfortunate, and it’s unfortunate that they didn’t take this kind of time to make the decision to go with the switchover that we’re into at this point. It’s too bad they didn’t do this kind of due diligence at the front end.”
Locke said at the “get-go” in 2018 there should have been a feasibility study done on not only how Surrey’s policing transition would impact the city but also the rest of the region. West Vancouver, Delta, New Westminster and Vancouver have lost police officers to Surrey’s transition to SPS, she noted. “Police officers are difficult to hire, so they’re not happy with that,” she said of her fellow Metro mayors.
tom.zytaruk@surreynowleader.com
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