City of Surrey convenes Special Closed Council Meeting to address misleading statements made by Councillors Bose, Annis and Elford and to protect staff

Surrey, BC – The City of Surrey held a Special Closed Council meeting on Friday March 21 that addressed recent public statements made by Councillor Bose—supported by Councillor Annis—concerning the City’s engagement of Hunden Strategic Partners Inc. and allegations regarding staff conduct. The meeting also addressed concerns arising from comments made by Councillor Elford about the City’s handling of his request for City employee salaries.

“Let me be absolutely clear: Hunden was hired in 2024 well before the current U.S. tariff environment, and all contractual arrangements have been conducted lawfully,” said Mayor Brenda Locke. “Any suggestion by Councillors Bose and Annis that our professional staff acted improperly by directing information requests through the Freedom of Information (FOI) process is unfounded. This includes misleading information provided to the media by Councillor Elford that staff should have simply handed him information regarding the salaries of 2 staff members, implying that staff were obstructing him due to his position. This is patently false and grossly misrepresents the duties and obligations of our employees under FIPPA. In all cases, City staff were, in fact, fulfilling their obligations under provisions of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA).”

During the March 21 meeting, Mayor Locke reaffirmed Council’s commitment to lawful governance, transparency, and the protection of City staff from partisan misrepresentation. Mayor Locke also addressed the disclosure of confidential Closed Council information by Councillors Bose and Annis, underscoring that they knew—or should have known—such disclosures are not permitted under the Community Charter, the Council Code of Conduct, and FIPPA.

“Any Councillor who deliberately drags our dedicated staff into partisan agendas will be called to account for misrepresenting the facts,” Mayor Locke added. “These actions erode trust and hinder the effective governance our residents expect and deserve.”

Council passed four key resolutions to ensure accountability, correct misinformation, and preserve public confidence:

1. Disclosure of Hunden Engagement Information
   Council directed staff—subject to FIPPA and any other relevant considerations—to publicly disclose a summary of information related to the engagement of Hunden Strategic Partners Inc. This summary will include terms and conditions of the contracts, background information, previous Closed Council decisions, and any authorized and actual expenditures.
2. Disclosure of Legal Opinion
   Council directed staff to disclose the City Manager’s confidential memo dated March 20, 2025, including an independent legal opinion from Don Lidstone, K.C., regarding Council Members’ access to municipal records.
3. Investigation into Councillor Conduct
   Council initiated an external investigation into whether Councillor Bose and Councillor Annis breached City bylaws or policies by publicly disclosing Closed Council information, and whether Councillors Bose, Annis, and Elford made inappropriate comments about staff’s FOI directives in possible contravention of the City’s Respectful Workplace Policy.
4. Public Disclosure of Resolutions
   Council directed staff to publicly release the above resolutions in the interest of openness and transparency.

“Our priority is to provide clear information to Surrey residents and to protect the integrity of our democratic processes,” said Mayor Locke. “We will always stand up for our staff when they carry out their lawful duties and for the public when they deserve to know the facts.”

Two separate documents have been posted to the City’s website here under Information Released from Closed Meetings:

• Disclosure of Information Related to the Engagement of Hunden Strategic Partners Inc
• Disclosure of Memo Regarding Council Members Access to Information

For further details and updates, the City will make additional information publicly available as it becomes ready for disclosure under applicable legislation.