Surrey ‘will not be pressured or bullied’ into making quick policing decision: Mayor

Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke is firing back, a day after B.C. Solicitor General Mike Farnworth sent a strongly worded letter to city councillors about the ongoing police transition.

Locke is taking issue with the public safety minister’s note, which expressed “grave concern” that not all on council are considering all the information available.

“I am not surprised with the letter from the Solicitor General,” Locke said in a statement. “Throughout this whole process he has avoided direct conversations with me and has once again chosen to do so.”

About half of council has yet to sign confidentiality agreements that would allow them to see the province’s full report recommending Surrey move ahead with the transition to the Surrey Police Service (SPS).

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• Surrey mayor says she hasn’t seen B.C.’s unredacted policing report

The province’s report came out in April, heavily redacted, with the expectation Locke and councillors would sign non-disclosure agreements (NDA) before being allowed to see sensitive police operational and government financial information.

In his letter, dated June 1, Farnworth also outlines his concern about the delays and lack of timelines, asking Surrey council to set a date for when all the NDAs will be signed and when a decision on policing can be expected.

Locke has not confirmed whether she has signed the NDA to receive the unredacted report.

Locke says “everyone is frustrated” by how long this process has taken. However, she says “transparency and public safety are paramount to the people of Surrey.”

“The Province has taken over 5 months to arrive at their recommendations and we are now expected to make a decision in a few weeks? Council will make an informed and responsible decision, but we will not be pressured or bullied into making a hasty one,” the mayor’s statement continues.

While Farnworth’s letter also “formally” confirmed the B.C. government is prepared to provide city millions of dollars to continue the transition to the SPS, Locke is suggesting the province put those funds elsewhere.

“The City has factored out the costs for retaining the Surrey RCMP and we are confident in our numbers,” Locke’s statement reads.

“The $150 million carrot the Solicitor General is dangling before the City only if it chooses the Surrey Police Service does not address the true costs for setting up a new police force. I suggest the Province can make better use of this money to address the infrastructure shortfall in Surrey, such as much-needed new schools or a new hospital.”

However, Farnworth says the province is already providing “significant financial resources” for things like healthcare and education in Surrey.

Surrey mayor’s claims that letter is bullying is ‘absolutely ridiculous’: Mike Farnworth

Speaking with CityNews Friday, Farnworth doubled down on the comments he made in his letter.

“We’ve made it clear and what we want now is a decision from the City of Surrey,” he said.

Farnworth says currently, despite the ongoing transition, there is “safe and effective policing in the City of Surrey.”

“There is a plan that is in place, it is frozen, it ensures that there are the required number of police officers that are in place. So there’s no issue there right now in terms of safe and effective policing in Surrey. But Surrey has to make a decision, not the least of which it’s costing the taxpayers of Surrey $8 million a month,” he explained.

The solicitor general is pushing back on Locke’s claims that his letter was “bullying,” saying that notion is “absolutely ridiculous.”

He says he opted to send a letter rather than have a phone so his direction would be absolutely clear.

“The thing about a letter is, it’s transparent, it’s there in black and white. There can be no misinterpretation. A phone call, that depends on what someone wants to hear or not hear in a phone call,” Farnworth said.

“That’s why the letter was sent. It’s so that, one, they have the report, and they also have a full understanding of the costs of going back to the RCMP — not only in terms of things such as severance. But as long as the transition takes, they’re paying for that as well.”

With files from Charlie Carey, Mike Lloyd, Kier Junos, and OMNI News