Close X
Wednesday, November 6, 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

Meng's formal extradition hearing enters Day 2

Meng's formal extradition hearing enters Day 2
Meng Wanzhou, who is the Chinese telecom giant's CFO and daughter of the company's founder, is facing extradition to the United States on fraud charges that both she and the company deny.

Meng's formal extradition hearing enters Day 2

Boy bitten by coyote in Vancouver's Stanley Park

Boy bitten by coyote in Vancouver's Stanley Park
The Conservation Officer Service says in a statement that the five-year-old was bitten on the leg Tuesday night. The statement says the boy had run ahead of his family while they were visiting Prospect Point.

Boy bitten by coyote in Vancouver's Stanley Park

Key players in military misconduct scandal

Key players in military misconduct scandal
Harjit Sajjan has come under fire from opposition MPs and the one-time Canadian Armed Forces ombudsman over his handling of misconduct allegations. 

Key players in military misconduct scandal

Man charged after landing helicopter for ice cream

Man charged after landing helicopter for ice cream
An investigation determined the landing was not an emergency. Police said a passenger left the helicopter and went into a nearby Dairy Queen restaurant to buy an ice cream cake.

Man charged after landing helicopter for ice cream

B.C. officials warn of latest heat wave

B.C. officials warn of latest heat wave
Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth says Emergency Management BC is working with communities to ensure they have funding for measures such as cooling centres with targeted support for vulnerable people and overtime wages for staff.

B.C. officials warn of latest heat wave

Nominate Today for the Prestigious DARPAN Extraordinary Achievement Awards 2021

Nominate Today for the Prestigious DARPAN Extraordinary Achievement Awards 2021
Find the Nomination form for one of 10 coveted DARPAN Extraordinary Achievement Awards categories here!

Nominate Today for the Prestigious DARPAN Extraordinary Achievement Awards 2021