Months of sabre-rattling rhetoric between Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke and Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth over the city鈥檚 incendiary policing transition amplified into political cannon fire this week after Locke announced on Monday the city is challenging in court the 鈥榗onstitutionality鈥� of the provincial government鈥檚 decision to replace the Surrey RCMP with the Surrey Police Service.
An amended petition to the one Surrey filed in B.C. Supreme Court on Oct. 13 was filed Nov. 20 and Locke characterized this move as a 鈥渟ignificant step to stop the NDP police service鈥� as a result of the provincial government鈥檚 鈥渁ttempted police takeover, which would require double digit 鈥� double digit 鈥� NDP tax hike on Surrey taxpayers.
鈥淲e are challenging the constitutionality of the province鈥檚 latest legislation,鈥� Locke said. 鈥淪urrey voters deserve to have their voices heard.鈥�
鈥淲e have to fight for what鈥檚 right,鈥� she said.
鈥淭his is not a municipal police force that we鈥檙e looking at right now,鈥� Locke said of the SPS. 鈥淭his is a provincial imposition on the citizens and the residents and the taxpayer of Surrey. That鈥檚 not what the voters asked for.鈥�
Farnworth dismissed Locke鈥檚 latest move as 鈥渏ust an example of delaying tactics by the mayor and I think all it does is cost taxpayers money and it is a waste of money and a waste of time.鈥�
鈥淲e have every confidence in the constitutionality of the legislation,鈥� he said Nov. 20. 鈥淭he decision has been made, the future of policing in Surrey is the Surrey Police Service.鈥�
This latest petition is aimed at the provincial government amending the Police Act last month to specify that Surrey must provide policing services through a municipal police department gave the solicitor general authority to cancel the existing agreement between the provincial government and the City of Surrey for the provision of RCMP services.
鈥淭his is absolutely a tragedy,鈥� Locke said. 鈥淎nd I think citizens in Surrey absolutely deserve better. I hear from them every day, they鈥檙e concerned about affordability and this is a significant impact on affordability.鈥�
Farnworth said at the time that 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.
Locke all but declared political war on the NDP government Monday. 鈥淭he question before the courts is whether the province has the constitutional right to do what it is attempting to do to Surrey and Surrey taxpayers with this legislation,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 say I鈥檓 digging in my heels, but what I would say is I will fight for Surrey taxpayers every single day and we know that the costs are incredible.鈥�
Farnworth waged political war back, slamming Locke鈥檚 reference to the NDP tax on Surrey and the NDP police service as a 鈥渃heap political shot.鈥�
鈥淵ou know there are hundreds of men and women right now, on the ground in Surrey, who are dedicated police officers and for the mayor of Surrey to denigrate that by trying to take some cheap political shot I think is disrespectful to those men and women who put their life on the line every single day to protect the citizens of Surrey,鈥� Farnworth remarked, 鈥渨hether they鈥檙e Surrey Police Service members or whether they鈥檙e RCMP. I just think it鈥檚 incredibly disrespectful.鈥�
鈥淔or the mayor to say that you know, oh, it鈥檚 an NDP police service, quite frankly, I think it鈥檚 a disgrace.鈥�
Locke was taken aback.
鈥淔or the solicitor general to use the sacrifice of police officers over a political dispute was highly, highly unusual and I would say inappropriate,鈥� she said. 鈥淚f the NDP don鈥檛 want to be associated with an unaffordable, disorganized police force which is what they have lined up then they can fix that.鈥�
Prior to the legislation being amended, Locke noted, the Police Act said local governments get to choose their police department. 鈥淭hat was the Act previously, that is what they鈥檝e changed specific to Surrey and that is a massive concern to me.鈥�
The mayor said she was elected to 鈥渇ight鈥� for Surrey residents 鈥渆very day,鈥� and promised that鈥檚 what she鈥檒l do. Locke said this conflict is about affordability in Surrey and dodging a double-digit tax increase for its residents. She said she鈥檚 concerned for families, seniors, 鈥渙rdinary citizens and everybody that is going to be dramatically, dramatically impacted by this NDP tax on Surrey.鈥�
鈥淭his government does not have the right to run roughshod over every local government that doesn鈥檛 bend to their will,鈥� Locke said. 鈥淲hen Surrey didn鈥檛 agree with their costly plans they hastily ordered us to move forward with a very expensive and disorganized transition and when we had challenged their authority to do that, they rushed through legislation at a record pace to cover up the mistakes that they had made.鈥�
Locke noted that prior to the 2022 city election the provincial government 鈥渟aid choosing a police was the city鈥檚 decision, so my team and I ran on a platform that was clear 鈥� we would stop the police transition and keep the RCMP in Surrey.鈥�
She added that after the election, the provincial government said the City of Surrey 鈥渉ad the option to put forward a plan to keep the RCMP. It is now clear that the province had other plans in mind.鈥�
On Oct. 13, the City of Surrey filed its first petition with the Supreme Court of British Columbia seeking a judicial review of Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth鈥檚 July 19 order to proceed with the SPS, as the mayor continues to stands firm in the majority of council鈥檚 intention to stick with the RCMP as Surrey鈥檚 police of jurisdiction.
The provincial government has yet to file a response to Surrey鈥檚 petition with the court registry and 鈥渇or reasons that are privileged鈥� cannot provide an estimated date. Respondents served in Canada are typically given 21 days to respond.
鈥淎s far as I know there hasn鈥檛 been a response filed and I will be meeting with lawyers about that very soon,鈥� Locke told the Now-Leader.
Farnworth on Nov. 16 temporarily suspended the Surrey Police Board 鈥� of which Locke was chairwoman 鈥� and appointed retired Abbotsford police chief Mike Serr as its replacement administrator.
Locke sees Farnworth鈥檚 move to put the 鈥渃ompletely dysfunctional鈥� SPB on ice and appoint an administer in its stead as a decision on his part that Surrey doesn鈥檛 need civilian oversight.
鈥淭he minister has decided that Surrey doesn鈥檛 need civilian oversight at the police board and so he suspended the entire police board,鈥� she told the Now-Leader. 鈥淚 think there鈥檚 no question, if anyone looks back at the open part of the police board meetings, this police board was completely dysfunctional. The province knew that, the former director of police services knew that, they have apologized to me for the behaviour of the board.鈥�
Farnworth appointed Serr under Section 8 of the Police Amendment Act, he said, 鈥渁fter careful consideration of the work by the Surrey Police Board, which has been limited due to the lack of progress from the City of Surrey in advancing the police model transition to the SPS.鈥�
Locke said she doesn鈥檛 know how much Serr is being paid. 鈥淚 heard it was $225 an hour.鈥�
She said the city of Surrey still hasn鈥檛 seen a plan from the provincial government on how the transition will move ahead.
鈥淲e鈥檝e said 鈥榳hat is your plan?鈥� and they somehow think we should provide that plan and I鈥檝e said to them we have a plan, and that鈥檚 to keep the RCMP in Surrey, we gave you that plan, but we haven鈥檛 seen their plan.鈥�
鈥淣ow they have removed civilian oversight and installed another police officer to carry out this expensive, disorganized transition. At best the province misled Surrey taxpayers,鈥� Locke added. 鈥淭his is not a Surrey Police Service, this is an NDP Police Service that reports to the solicitor general directly. My team and I have been clear 鈥� we oppose this transition and will do everything within reason to stop it.
鈥淭here is no civilian oversight, so how are we to say this is our police force? Of course this is the NDP police force, it鈥檚 the one appointed by the minister.鈥�
According to a City of Surrey press release, 鈥淥ver the next decade, the province鈥檚 police transition is estimated to cost at least $464 million with no additional public safety benefit to the residents of Surrey.鈥�
Farnworth said Serr will submit a budget to Surrey by Nov. 30 and if the city says it鈥檚 not happy with the budget, 鈥渢hat goes to the director of police services for them to make a decision, recommendations or changes or what have you. That鈥檚 been in existence in the Police Act for a long time and has been used from time to time.鈥�
