SAFE Surrey Coalition councillors Doug Elford and Mandeep Nagra launched a scathing attack on Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke for what they perceive as deliberate obstruction, rejection of $150-million cash funding, and misrepresentation in Surrey’s police transition process.

Recent developments have raised serious questions about Locke’s commitment to a seamless transition to the Surrey Police Service (SPS) following Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth’s directive on July 19. Both Elford and Nagra are taking a strong stand against what they see as Locke’s failure to lead effectively.

Elford bluntly pointed out: “Mayor Locke’s leadership has been marred by inaction and a lack of clear direction. We can no longer accept excuses for the delays she has caused. It’s time for her to step up or step aside.”

Nagra echoed those sentiments, adding, “We understand the complexities of the transition, but Mayor Locke’s shocking refusal to meet with Public Safety staff to discuss Minister Mike Farnworth’s offer of $150 million in provincial cash to help with the transition is inexcusable.”

The concerns raised by Elford and Nagra mirror the issues outlined in a letter from the Director of Police Services, which emphasizes the negative impact of these delays and Locke’s role in them.

Key areas of concern include:

* Locke’s inexplicable failure to endorse an extension of the Assignment Agreement for the Interim Assignment of Surrey Police Service Officers, despite approval from both the RCMP and the SPS.

* Damaging misrepresentations in Locke’s recent letter regarding the SPS’s 2023 budget, raising serious questions about the accuracy of financial data. The SPS’s provisional budget is now $160 million for 2023, a $112 million spike from the budget approved by council, which is false.

* City Council meeting had no discussion about Surrey’s police transition, a clear indicator of Locke’s lack of commitment.

* Shockingly, City staff claim they are instructed not to engage meaningfully in the transition process until City Council provides direction.

Elford and Nagra are demanding immediate action from Locke to rectify these issues and prioritize the successful transition to Surrey Police Service. They insist that the residents of Surrey deserve transparency, accountability, and leadership that can be trusted.

The Province has made it clear that Locke’s chairwomen of the audit committee, Pardeep Kooner, CPA, is misrepresenting budget costs, including falsely inflating the SPS’s provisional budget to $160M for 2023, a $112m spike from the budget approved by council. As a Chartered Professional Accountant, Finance Committee Chair Kooner should be ashamed of her actions. Further, the mayor’s history of making false claims, such as her misleading statements this past spring about Metro Vancouver mayors supporting the RCMP, has eroded her credibility, said Elford and Nagra.

They noted that Locke’s obstruction to a smooth transition to SPS is costing Surrey taxpayers $8 million per month, equivalent to $266,000 per day. It is evident that Mayor Locke’s actions are driven by pettiness and vindictiveness rather than the best interests of Surrey taxpayers.

In response to Locke’s statement that “it was disappointing that Director Lewis could not just pick up the phone and talk to her,” Elford and Nagra assert that it shouldn’t surprise the mayor that government officials prefer written communication, given her history of false representations in her interactions with government officials.