Lawyer says RCMP bullying claims in Surrey policing case could cause ‘undue’ concern

The legal battle between the City of Surrey and the B.C. government over the ongoing police transition has begun.

Lawyers for the city are seeking a judicial review of the province’s decision to force the switch away from the RCMP to a municipal police force.

Speaking in BC Supreme Court Monday, a B.C. government lawyer said court documents in the dispute contain significant allegations of harassment and bullying by the RCMP that should be kept from public view because they could cause “undue public concern.”

Trevor Bant told the B.C. Supreme Court that some affidavits filed in the city’s case contain allegations “critical of RCMP behaviour,” that could cause “alarm,” but they aren’t relevant to the matter before the court.

Bant also said some filings contain police staffing and operational details that could be misused.

Mayor Brenda Locke has claimed the legal process will reveal “the true costs” of the transition, adding Surrey taxpayers can’t afford it. However, the provincial government has repeatedly said the move is necessary to ensure public safety in Surrey and the rest of B.C.

Last week, the city claimed the province knows the transition to the Surrey Police Service will cost $750 million more over 10 years than if the city stays with the RCMP. Those claims came Wednesday, with Surrey saying B.C. commissioned a report from Deloitte, which “reveals” the details.

“This report confirms that the Province has been hiding titanic level costs from Surrey taxpayers,” said Locke. “The Premier and Solicitor General said they had no idea where the City of Surrey was getting our cost estimates from when they were sitting on a report that showed the true cost to be hundreds of millions more than we had even imagined.”

The city said it received the report as part of information shared in the upcoming legal proceedings. It added that it first requested the report from the province a “year ago, but that request was denied.”

In response, the Surrey Police Union said Locke was misleading the public with one of her claims, adding the mayor and city do not have their facts straight about costs.

It’s not clear when the judge will reach a decision once the five days of hearings wrap up.

The release of the report’s details came days after Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth announced the Surrey Police Service would take over from the RCMP this November.

-With files from Charlie Carey and Michael Williams