Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke is threatening to call for an inquiry Monday night into the citysa国际传媒檚 policing transition debacle after discord between herself and Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth went from somewhat heated to volcanic on Monday morning.
sa国际传媒淪hame on Mike Farnworth,sa国际传媒� Locke told the Now-Leader, in response to an ultimatum the solicitor general issued June 19 to the City of Surrey that if he doesnsa国际传媒檛 see a corporate report related to Surreysa国际传媒檚 policing issue by 1 p.m. today he will be sa国际传媒渇orced to make a determination about what is necessary for safe and effective policing without it.sa国际传媒�
sa国际传媒淚t is critical that I receive this report,sa国际传媒� Farnworth said. sa国际传媒淣ow is not the time to play games. The safety of people in Surrey is too important.sa国际传媒�
sa国际传媒淢inistry officials have advised the city that I need this report by 1 p.m. today to review it, or I will be forced to make a determination about what is necessary for safe and effective policing without it,sa国际传媒� he warned.
Locke is livid.
sa国际传媒淗e has to be very careful sa国际传媒� you know what may well happen, and we may well see happen tonight, because Isa国际传媒檝e heard some of council talking about it, and that is to have an inquiry about what went so wrong. If you remember back four and a half years ago, this has not been appropriate, there has not been due process for the last long time.
sa国际传媒淲e are trying to put due process at the back end of a decision but regardless, this was the same minister that was there but hesa国际传媒檚 had five directors of police services in the meantime.sa国际传媒�
Locke slammed Farnworth for sa国际传媒渘ever, eversa国际传媒� returning her phone calls. sa国际传媒淚 phoned him after the meeting because at that point we didnsa国际传媒檛 even know the outcome of the decision. I phoned him, I phoned Eby, they both told me they would not talk to me until they got the report. Thatsa国际传媒檚 not their report, itsa国际传媒檚 not their authority.sa国际传媒�
The mayor said it was her authority to call a meeting to make a decision, which she did this past Thursday, in which council voted in-camera to retain the RCMP as the citysa国际传媒檚 police of jurisdiction rather than forge ahead with the Surrey Police Service.
sa国际传媒淚t was Mr. Farnworth who said Surrey council had to hurry up and make the decision so I called the meeting to make a decision and then they said but only make it if itsa国际传媒檚 the decision I want you to make. Well thatsa国际传媒檚 not how it works. He gave us two options, we made a decision based on our information. Not his information, the City of Surreysa国际传媒檚 information. So until he understands that under the Community Charter I have a responsibility, and a requirement and an authority, he is actually declaring war on the city of Surrey. Isa国际传媒檓 appalled at the behavior of this solicitor general, I am shocked that the premier is going along with it.sa国际传媒�
As for the June 15 closed-session vote, Locke said, Farnworth had put two options before council, A and B, sa国际传媒渁nd we were voting on A or B.sa国际传媒�
sa国际传媒淭hat corporate report is not for the minister. That corporate report is not for him to tell us what information he wants us to have, itsa国际传媒檚 for us to say what to say what our staff find out for us. Wesa国际传媒檙e on the ground, hesa国际传媒檚 not, hesa国际传媒檚 in Victoria, he doesnsa国际传媒檛 know Surrey sa国际传媒� we know Surrey. We voted on what we know.sa国际传媒�
Farnworth wrote in his statement released Monday that as the solicitor general he needs to review the citysa国际传媒檚 plan to ensure it meets the requirements for safe and effective policing. sa国际传媒淚 have been very clear about this,sa国际传媒� he stressed.
sa国际传媒淚 became concerned on Wednesday when I learned city staff were preparing to present a report to city council about future policing in Surrey that had not been shared with the Province. Unfortunately, I also learned that city staff were directed to not provide it to my ministry officials.
sa国际传媒淚 asked the mayor to share the report and wait to hold a vote until we could agree on what was safest for people in Surrey, based on the requirements for adequate and effective policing.
sa国际传媒淚nstead, on Thursday, the city council voted on the report before the Province had seen it and before I had the chance to determine if it will ensure safe and effective policing.
sa国际传媒淭he city has since been delaying giving us the report to review. First, it was promised by noon Friday, then by end of day Friday. My staff requested the report throughout the weekend. We have still received nothing.sa国际传媒�
Locke wouldnsa国际传媒檛 reveal the breakdown of the vote but said it could be released if council passed a motion to that end.
sa国际传媒淲e cansa国际传媒檛 even say that,sa国际传媒� she said. sa国际传媒淲e cansa国际传媒檛 say anything out of closed. Thatsa国际传媒檚 the one thing thatsa国际传媒檚 very clear, we cannot release information out of closed unless theresa国际传媒檚 a motion to do so. There was a motion for me to release information out of closed; I can tell you that Isa国际传媒檓 very happy with the vote that came to us, I can tell you that, but I cansa国际传媒檛 tell you what it was. We may make that determination, we can make a vote to do that, but to be frank, we were trying get through a process to do it as fast as we could at the directive of this solicitor general saying hurry up and make a decision.
sa国际传媒淭here was a lot of pressure and I kept saying we will have it done by the end of June and then when we do it by the end of June, because itsa国际传媒檚 not the information or itsa国际传媒檚 not the decision this solicitor general wants, then he gets upset about it and he starts playing these games. The games are not our games, the games are on the provincial government. And so am I angry? Isa国际传媒檓 pretty angry.sa国际传媒�
Locke said the vote was done in closed because council signed non-disclosure agreements at the provincial governmentsa国际传媒檚 request, in order to receive an unredacted containing his recommendation that Surrey should forge ahead with the Surrey Police Service.
sa国际传媒淚 said we donsa国际传媒檛 want to sign these NDAs because it restricts us so much about what we can say. I wanted from the get-go we wanted to be transparent about this process but he obviously didnsa国际传媒檛 want that.sa国际传媒�
Meantime, the Surrey Police Union called on Surrey Connect Coun. Rob Stuff, a former Surrey Mountie, to recuse himself from voting on the policing decision until the City of Surrey Ethics Commissioner finalizes a decision on a complaint against him.
In February the union filed a complaint with the commissioner alleging conflict-of-interest on Stuttsa国际传媒檚 part. Its president Rob Stewart issued a statement charging that Stutt voted to end the transition to Surrey Police Service from the Surrey RCMP without disclosing that his son is employed by the Surrey RCMP and his daughter is seconded from the City of Surrey and assigned to the RCMP. Nor did Stutt recuse himself, Steward stated.
Surrey Connect promised during its election campaign to bring transparency to city hall but itsa国际传媒檚 not known if Stutt voted, and if he did, how he voted during Thursdaysa国际传媒檚 closed meeting.
sa国际传媒淲hat I will say to you is, the vote on, I mean you can look at the vote that happened on December I cansa国际传媒檛 remember, that vote was 6-3,sa国际传媒� Locke said. sa国际传媒淚 cansa国际传媒檛 tell you about the issue around Rob Stutt and quite frankly nobody should, that is something between the ethics commissioner and councillor Stutt and the determination of that will be in the public at some point.sa国际传媒�
tom.zytaruk@surreynowleader.com
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