Doug McCallum’s legal fees cost taxpayers over $316K: City documents

Taxpayers in Surrey were on the hook for more than $316,000 for former mayor Doug McCallum’s legal fees for a mischief trial last year, according to the city.

According to the City of Surrey’s Statement of Financial Information published on June 20, a total of $316,663.50 was paid to Peck and Company Barristers, which represented the former mayor.

McCallum was found not guilty of mischief in Surrey Provincial Court last November in connection to an incident that took place in September of 2021, where he filed a police report accusing a member of the Keep the RCMP in Surrey group of running over his foot.

Read More: Former Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum not guilty of mischief

Coun. Linda Annis says she wishes the money for McCallum’s legal fees could have been spent better.

“We need so many things in Surrey, and to me, this is not a good use of taxpayers’ money,” she told CityNews.

“I also think that if Doug McCallum was paying his own legal bills, would he have chosen, arguably, one of the most expensive lawyers in British Columbia?”

When current Mayor Brenda Locke was campaigning last year, she promised to chase McCallum down for his legal fees in relation to the case. Locke has since backed down on that front.

Annis says there needs to be a change to what should and shouldn’t be covered by the city when it comes to legal protection.

“We need to be accountable for the way we’re spending taxpayers’ money,” she said.

In total, the City of Surrey paid more than $647 million to suppliers in 2022, according to the report.

-With files from Martin MacMahon