FORMER Surrey mayor Doug McCallum on Wednesday condemned Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke’s decision to spend half a million dollars of taxpayer money on what he described as “partisan political ads,” which misleadingly claim that a new police service in Surrey will lead to reduced funding for schools, health and transit.

McCallum highlighted the deceitful nature of these ads, pointing out that such matters fall under provincial jurisdiction and are not the responsibility of the City of Surrey.

“These claims are not just misleading, they’re patently false. The funding for schools, health and transit falls under the jurisdiction of the provincial government, not the City of Surrey,” McCallum pointed out. “This blatant spread of misinformation by Mayor Locke shows a disturbing pattern of deceit, consistent with her previous misinformation about the transition costs and misleading the public and 27 Metro Vancouver mayors.”

McCallum also criticized another aspect of Locke’s ad campaign regarding the costs of the new police service. He noted: “Mayor Locke is providing a ’10-year cost’ for the police transition, which is practically impossible to ascertain, as the City of Surrey’s financial plans are confined to a five-year framework. This is yet another example of her misleading the public.”

He called on Locke to immediately stop the misinformation campaign and return the half a million dollars back to the taxpayers and issue a public apology for the misinformation campaign.

McCallum said: “Mayor Locke owes the people of Surrey an apology and a refund for the misuse of public funds. The city’s money should be used responsibly, not for disseminating false information.”

He also pointed out the implications of using taxpayer funds for disseminating false information.

“Mayor Locke must remember that taxpayer-funded advertisements are required to be truthful and unbiased. By spreading these falsehoods, she’s not only deceiving the public but also potentially exposing the City of Surrey for false advertising,” he warned.

“The citizens of Surrey deserve better,” McCallum said. “They deserve leadership that is forthright, transparent, and respectful of their hard-earned money. Spreading falsehoods through expensive ad campaigns is not just unethical but also potentially damaging to our city’s governance and financial stability.”

MEANWHILE, Surrey First Councillor Linda Annis also slammed Locke, calling the mayor’s $500,000 public relations campaign against the Surrey Police Service “pure politics and a waste of tax dollars.”

Annis said: “I believe it’s time to get on with the transition and start building the best municipal police department in the province.’
She added: “Meanwhile, the mayor refuses to move forward and is now spending tax dollars on a politically motivated disinformation campaign against the Surrey Police Service. If the SPS took $500,000 to attack the mayor, I’d be furious because they should be spending their time and tax dollars on public safety.

“So, when the mayor wastes $500,000 we don’t have as a city, I’m equally frustrated  about how little she values the tax dollars residents send to city hall. I look at our parks, pools, rinks and playgrounds and I can think of all sorts of better ways to spend $500,000. Instead Brenda Locke is using these scarce dollars to attack our city’s police department. I look at the billboards and advertising against the SPS and I don’t see honest public information, I see political ego that’s costing our taxpayers.”

Annis asked: “How can Mayor Locke ever say she cares about budgets or costs when she does something as wasteful as this? I’ve seen our city’s budget and frankly we don’t have $500,000 to waste like this.”