Surrey Council Unanimously Adopts RCMP Revocation Motion and Creation of New Police Force

The new mayor and new council for the second largest city in British Columbia pbaded a motion to expel the RCMP and create their own team within two years.

Shortly after being sworn in on Monday evening, Mayor Doug McCallum and the eight councilors unanimously approved the Surrey Police Service's creation motion.

The long-awaited action, an election promise by Mr. McCallum and his Safe Surrey coalition, which has won seven of the council's eight seats, calls for the termination of the Surrey RCMP contract.

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During the last election campaign, McCallum and his team argued that Surrey would have better police services through their own forces.

At a press conference Monday, McCallum acknowledged the quick timetable for the creation of a new force, but said he was keeping his promise to voters. "We will go very fast," he said.

The new mayor, who has been back in office for nine years, ending in 2005, said that 50 to 60 per cent of the Surrey constituency would now be moving to a new municipal force.

Mr. McCallum indicated that his goal was to recruit police through the Justice Institute of British Columbia, which trains police officers, as well as police officers from other municipalities who live in Surrey and Vancouver. would prefer to work at home.

At one point, Mr. McCallum read that he had said that it was a BC statement. Solicitor General Mike Farnworth confirmed the city's plan and said that the province would help.

RCMP Assistant Commissioner Dwayne McDonald, Surrey Police Commander, said the city has every right to end its relationship with the force.

Mr. McDonald, who witnessed the swearing in at Surrey City Hall, said that the RCMP would continue to provide "high quality" policing services to the community for as long as it was necessary. she would be under contract.

When asked to advocate for the Surrey plan to be stopped, he said, "I do not know if it's our place to change anyone's mind."

Also on Monday, the new council pbaded a motion to eliminate a fully funded 11-station light rail system in Surrey.

In keeping with a campaign promise, McCallum and his team want to replace the light rail with a SkyTrain system that will connect the existing King George Station, now the end of the venerable Expo Line, with the city of Langley.

The LRT would cost $ 1.65 billion as estimates suggest that Mr. McCallum's SkyTrain train would cost $ 2.9 billion. Mayor McCallum said that a SkyTrain system could be built at the same cost as the LRT.

Surrey will now have to advocate for change with the Council of Regional Mayors as well as the Province and Ottawa.

Shortly after McCallum's press conference, TransLink's managing director, the regional transportation agency, said in a statement that they were suspending work on the project pending advice from the mayor's council and the council. TransLink Board of Directors.