Surrey Police Board responds to city’s spending freeze order

The Surrey Police Union says its police officers are carrying on as normal, amid the city's council motion to stop the transition from RCMP. (CityNews Image)

By Charlie Carey

Posted December 2, 2022 9:30 am.

Last Updated December 2, 2022 9:37 am.

The Surrey Police Board is responding to the city’s order to stop all spending toward the transition to a municipal police force.

In a letter addressed to City Manager Vince LaLonde Thursday, the board’s two vice-chairs, Jessie Sunner and Cheney Cloke, say that although the city council passed motions to stop hiring employees, it cannot freeze the Surrey Police Service’s (SPS) budget, as the city does not have authority to make that decision, and it must come from the province.

In the letter, the board affirms that it is independent of the City of Surrey, which it says is outlined in the provincial Police Act.

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“The first principle under the Act is independence of police services from municipal governments, at both the Mayor and Councillor level and the city administration level. The appointment letters for Board members state, in part: ‘Municipal police boards are created independently from municipal councils and from the provincial government. This removes boards from partisan council politics and recognizes that both the municipality and the province have legitimate interests in municipal policing,'” the letter read.

The response comes after Surrey City Council voted in favour Monday night of a framework to halt the transition to a municipal police force, and keep the RCMP in the city. The report from city staff says the process to get rid of the SPS could begin as soon as March 2023.

The disbanding of the SPS was a key part of the new Mayor Brenda Locke’s campaign during the recent civic election, but the plan has seen its share of controversy from within city hall and beyond.

Councillor Linda Annis previously proposed a motion to hold a referendum to allow the public to decide on which policing body should preside over the city, while the Surrey Police Union (SPU) has also pushed back.

Last month, Public Safety Minister, Mike Farnworth, said the province will not be providing any money to support what the City of Surrey decides to do.

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