Victoria-
It seems that the tussle between the City of Surrey and the provincial government over the police transition is far from being sorted out.
On Tuesday, B.C. public safety minister and solicitor general Mike Farnwoth said the city rejected an agreement that included a 10-year financial commitment: $150 million over five years, plus added assurance that if SPS officers were more expensive than RCMP officers in 2029, the province would cover the difference every year for another five years to 2034 – up to $20 million per year.
Issuing a statement, Farnworth said, “Mayor Brenda Locke and the Surrey city council have failed to act in the best interest of the people of Surrey. Once again, they have demonstrated they want to continue this conflict rather than working together to complete the transition and keep people safe.”
“In January of this year, the City of Surrey asked the Province to negotiate an agreement to help them to complete the transition to the Surrey Police Service (SPS), resolve the conflict, provide certainty and support the people of Surrey. In the interest of moving forward, we negotiated in good faith to provide the city with the reassurance they told us they needed. Unfortunately, it’s clear that Mayor Locke and Surrey city council would rather drag this out for years to come, instead of working together to do what’s best for people and businesses in Surrey,” the solicitor general added.
He said the province provided solutions to avoid transition related tax increases and despite it, the city has rejected the proposal.
He said since the city has rejected the financial proposal, the province will the $ 150 million to support the transition directly until it is completed.
Attacking the Mayor and the council, the public safety minister said if Surrey residents have to bear additional cost in this regard, it will be the failure of the council and the Mayor.
“We put solutions on the table to prevent transition-related tax increases and still, the city rejected it. Since the city has rejected financial support for the people of Surrey, the Province will use the $150 million to support the transition directly until it is completed. Any additional costs that end up getting passed on to the people of Surrey are the result of the failure of the mayor and council.
“Although we are disappointed in the actions of the mayor and council, the transition will continue and look forward to announcing the target date of a change of command shortly,” the statement read.