Surrey Mayor expected to name members of new police transition committee on Monday
Posted July 21, 2019 3:18 pm.
Last Updated July 21, 2019 3:30 pm.
SURREY (NEWS 1130) — Members of a new committee meant to transition Surrey from RCMP to its own police force are expected to be named by the mayor on Monday, and it’s taking some councillors by surprise.
RELATED: City hall instability could be death blow to Surrey mayor’s dream of municipal force, political watcher says
Mayor Doug McCallum made moves to bring in a local police force this week by unilaterally dissolving the existing the Public Safety Committee made up of all city councillors, and replacing it with a new temporary Police Transition Advisory Committee that will be made up of councillors of his choosing.
"Putting the cart before the horse" – Spoke with @LindaAnnisBC today about Surrey moving ahead with a Police Transition Advisory Committee. She says unilateral decision-making by the mayor makes no sense when police force hasn't been approved by the province. #SurreyBC @NEWS1130
— Nathan Durec (@ndurec) July 21, 2019
Coun. Linda Annis, who has been an outspoken critic of the mayor, says she’s frustrated with McCallum’s unilateral decision.
“I think it’s just the cart before the horse, way premature. We should not be formulating a committee like this and spending taxpayers’ money to do it until we know what direction we’re going,” she says.
RELATED: ‘Phoney baloney’: Surrey group says city’s claims of sweeping support for municipal force are a farce
“We’re getting way ahead of the game. We need to wait and hear what the province has to say before we make any further investment on this transition plan.”
The Surrey police transition report is with Minister of Public Safety Mike Farnworth and there is no timeline on his decision.
Annis says the mayor promised during the election to work with others, but says this is a prime example of him continuing to work in isolation.
“He had said during his campaign that he would have an open and transparent government,” she says. “We’re not seeing that at all. It’s a one-man show, and he is not consulting with his councillors.”
A survey done by city staff last month showed 9 in 10 people support a municipal police force, a result groups who want to keep the RCMP in Surrey have called into question.
