Mayor’s Statement on Suspension of SPS Board

Once again, the Province is demonstrating that their approach is nothing short of a provincial police takeover in Surrey. The move to suspend the Surrey Police Board and replace it with an administrator completely removes civilian oversight and governance of policing and was done without any consultation with the City. In effect, the Minister has removed checks and balances. Not only is the Province attempting to force Surrey into an expensive police transition and a double digit tax hike, but now they are taking control of policing away from the duly elected government to force through their expensive, disorganized, and flawed plan. The Minister needs to stop playing the blame game and take responsibility for lack of proper oversight and due diligence.

On behalf of Surrey residents, I will continue to oppose this transition because of the extraordinary cost for Surrey taxpayers that will deliver no additional public safety benefit. At a minimum, we estimate the transition would cost Surrey taxpayers an additional $464 million over the next 10 years.