Close X
Tuesday, November 26, 2024
ADVT 
National

Group calls for vote on Surrey, B.C., police force

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 15 Nov, 2021 05:22 PM
  • Group calls for vote on Surrey, B.C., police force

SURREY, B.C. - A group opposing the planned transition from the RCMP to a municipal police force in Surrey, B.C., says it has collected close to 43,000 signatures from residents calling for a referendum on policing in the city.

Darlene Bennett launched the campaign with the group Surrey Police Vote over concerns about rising costs associated with starting a new municipal police force, which was a key pledge in Mayor Doug McCallum's election campaign in 2018.

The city council voted in favour of the transition in 2018, the public safety minister approved the creation of the Surrey Police Board last year, and Surrey's budget for 2021 showed the transition was $18.5 million more than the original $45-million cost estimate.

Amber Stowe, media relations lead with McCallum's office, says the mayor would not comment on the petition before Elections BC delivers the final result.

A statement from the Surrey Police Union says the 42,942 signatures collected by the Surrey Police Vote initiative falls far below the legislative requirement of 10 per cent of voters from all 87 electoral districts in B.C. in order to trigger a referendum.

Bennett said upon launching the petition that the initiative would not campaign across the province, rather it would focus on the nine electoral districts in Surrey in hopes of demonstrating the need for a regional referendum to the provincial government.

B.C.'s Referendum Act gives provincial cabinet the power to order a referendum in a particular region, campaign strategist Bill Tieleman said in a statement on Monday.

The petition's signatures represent about 13.5 per cent of about 318,000 registered voters in Surrey's nine districts, according to a 2017 tally from Elections BC.

 

MORE National ARTICLES

Federal government posts $12.7B deficit for June

Federal government posts $12.7B deficit for June
Program spending, excluding net actuarial losses, totalled $39.1 billion in June, down from $51.3 billion a year earlier. Revenue increased to $29.6 billion for the month, up from $19.9 billion in June last year.

Federal government posts $12.7B deficit for June

Garneau: 500 more Canadians out of Kabul by U.S.

Garneau: 500 more Canadians out of Kabul by U.S.
Canada's military mission in Afghanistan ended that day, leaving an unknown number of Canadians and their families trapped, as well as vulnerable Afghans who fear Taliban reprisals.

Garneau: 500 more Canadians out of Kabul by U.S.

Parties prescribe health measures on the hustings

Parties prescribe health measures on the hustings
During a stop in Mississauga, Ont., Justin Trudeau says a re-elected Liberal government would procure enough vaccines to ensure all Canadians have access to free COVID-19 booster shots and any needed second-generation vaccines.

Parties prescribe health measures on the hustings

724 COVID19 cases for Thursday

724 COVID19 cases for Thursday
The Ministry of Health says in a statement that people who were not fully vaccinated accounted for 82.4 per cent of all COVID-19 cases and 86.4 per cent of hospitalizations between Aug. 11 and Tuesday this week.

724 COVID19 cases for Thursday

Suspect arrested after Vancouver Police dog bitten

Suspect arrested after Vancouver Police dog bitten
The suspect was bitten by the police dog and treated at hospital. PSD Mando has minor injuries. Police are recommending multiple charges.

Suspect arrested after Vancouver Police dog bitten

Two major B.C. wildfires now classified as 'held'

Two major B.C. wildfires now classified as 'held'
The BC Wildfire Service says the nearly 900-square-kilometre Sparks Lake fire burning north of Kamloops Lake and east of Cache Creek is being held as of Thursday, meaning suppression has been sufficient to ensure the blaze is not likely to spread beyond its boundaries under current and forecasted conditions.

Two major B.C. wildfires now classified as 'held'