Surrey’s erratic zigzagging on the issue is being closely watched across the country
The chaotic saga in B.C.’s second-largest city over choosing a police force entered a new chapter this week, as Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke said council had voted privately Thursday to stay with the RCMP in spite of provincial urging to continue a transition to a municipal force.
He said his staff will review the 400-page staff report, which councillors received Wednesday night before voting in a closed meeting Thursday, to ensure that the city and RCMP are capable of meeting a number of conditions he had set out weeks ago to ensure good policing. Several jurisdictions have talked about opting out of the RCMP and creating new provincial or regional forces, especially as the force has come under fire for both its handling of internal issues and its response to major criminal events, such as the mass shooting in Nova Scotia in 2020.
Mr. Farnworth had spelled out April 28 that the province’s position on continuing the transition to a municipal force was the best option and that the government would only allow Surrey to continue with the RCMP if it met certain conditions. And it means that the city will be on the hook for severance pay for the 350 or so officers already hired by the new municipal force.
But Mr. Farnworth said the non-disclosure agreement didn’t require that and the secrecy around the vote was a Surrey council choice.
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