Surrey- After B.C. public safety minister and solicitor general Mike Farnworth announced that the City of Surrey has refused to accept province’s financial assistance worth up to $250 million, Mayor Brenda Locke has hit back at the provincial government.
In a press release, the Mayor said, “Despite being more than five years into the police transition, the province refuses to agree to a number of reasonable commitments that are clearly their responsibility to ensure a safe, efficient and economical policing transition.”
“This dispute is about the city’s ability to choose its policing model. The city’s voters have chosen the RCMP and City Council has accordingly resolved to maintain the RCMP as its municipal police force,” the Mayor said.
“The city respects the confidentiality of that process. It does not agree with the representations in the minister’s statement. It is the city’s position that the province provided no firm financial commitment that would provide redress to Surrey taxpayers for the full cost of transitioning to a police force they did not vote for,” the statement issued by the Mayor said.
In her press release, the Mayor highlighted a few points saying the province refuses to agree to a number of reasonable commitments that are clearly their responsibility to ensure a safe, efficient and economical policing transition.
Her points included ”the province’s failure to develop a plan or model for the new police force, a transition plan, or a completion date for the transition; the provincial government’s refusal to commit to a completion date for the transition, ending Surrey taxpayers’ burden of paying for two separate police departments; and the province’s refusal to commit to sufficiently funding the Justice Institute of B.C., to ensure there are enough police officers to staff a new police force”.
“As I’ve said all along, I will stand up for the best interests of our taxpayers. It’s important that the public have all the details, and hear the truth, and I’m glad all will be revealed as court proceedings begin on April 29,” said the Mayor.