‘The motion simply asked Minister Farnworth for a prompt decision, without picking a side’
SURREY First Councillor Linda Annis said on Tuesday that a statement on the City of Surrey’s website from Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke claims that Metro Vancouver mayors had voted unanimously last week to support retaining the RCMP in Surrey. They did not. This is either a misstatement or a misunderstanding by Locke and needs to be removed, she added.
“Even [Public Safety] Minister [Mike] Farnworth acknowledged that the message he received from the Metro mayors simply asked him for a timely decision on the issue, and did not direct him to retain the RCMP,” noted Annis.
“It’s hard to understand how that request got interpreted by Mayor Locke as unanimous support for keeping the RCMP in Surrey. Her statement on the city website is wrong and misleading and should be removed immediately.
“Everyone agrees that we need a decision one way or the other because costs are climbing, but I think our mayor owes the Metro mayors an apology for getting it wrong in her statement.”
Annis said she ran on holding a public referendum to decide who should police Surrey, noting that the “entire issue has become a costly fiasco.”
“The public has been ignored and left on the sidelines for more than four years. The result is a costly, chaotic, and divisive political mistake that is costing our taxpayers millions,” said Annis.
“The problem is that whenever politicians ignore the community and make a mistake, it is taxpayers who pick up the tab and, in this case, it amounts to hundreds of millions. If anyone wants proof, just check your property tax bill that’s coming in the mail.”
READ ALSO:
Public Safety Minister has no choice but to continue with Surrey municipal police transition