Close X
Tuesday, November 5, 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

Wildfire crews take advantage of cool weather

Wildfire crews take advantage of cool weather
Data from the Ministry of Forests and Emergency Management BC show 291 wildfires were blazing in the province late Wednesday and more than 8,500 square kilometres of land has been lost since the start of the fire season on April 1.

Wildfire crews take advantage of cool weather

Police appeal for witnesses and dash cam video following serious collision

Police appeal for witnesses and dash cam video following serious collision
On August 13, 2021 at 4:43 pm, Surrey RCMP officers came upon a two-vehicle collision between a black Dodge Charger and a Ducati motorcyle at the intersection of 70A Avenue and King George Boulevard. The driver of the motorcycle was taken to the hospital with a life-altering injury.

Police appeal for witnesses and dash cam video following serious collision

VPD investigates after girls groped near False Creek

VPD investigates after girls groped near False Creek
“These girls were all near the seawall when a stranger on a bike grabbed them from behind and sexually assaulted them,” says Sergeant Steve Addison, VPD. “Each victim did the right thing by telling a trusted adult and reporting the incidents to police so an investigation could be launched immediately.”

VPD investigates after girls groped near False Creek

553 COVID19 cases for Wednesday

553 COVID19 cases for Wednesday
82.8% (3,837,946) of eligible people 12 and older in B.C. have received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine and 73.8% (3,419,832) received their second dose.

553 COVID19 cases for Wednesday

Election focus shifts to high inflation

Election focus shifts to high inflation
 The country's headline inflation barometer clocked in at 3.7 per cent in July, which Statistics Canada said was the highest year-over-year increase since May 2011 as price growth accelerated from June.

Election focus shifts to high inflation

General who led vaccine campaign charged

General who led vaccine campaign charged
The senior military officer, who has previously served in Afghanistan and Iraq, described the past three months as the most challenging period of his 36 years in uniform.

General who led vaccine campaign charged