Close X
Saturday, November 23, 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

Coroner confirms 595 heat-related deaths in B.C.

Coroner confirms 595 heat-related deaths in B.C.
A statement from the coroner and the Ministry of Public Safety says all the deaths are being investigated and reports on each fatality should be complete by early 2022.

Coroner confirms 595 heat-related deaths in B.C.

Legion hopes for more normalcy this poppy campaign

Legion hopes for more normalcy this poppy campaign
In the lead-up to Remembrance Day, the organization says it will have more than 34,000 traditional poppy boxes at locations across Canada, where people can donate cash and receive a poppy pin — roughly 9,000 more boxes than last year.

Legion hopes for more normalcy this poppy campaign

Canada moving on promise to cap oil, gas emissions

Canada moving on promise to cap oil, gas emissions
The prime minister was speaking at the 26th meeting of the Council of Parties to the UN climate convention, known as COP26, where more than 120 world leaders have gathered for two days to assess global efforts to address what many see as an existential problem.

Canada moving on promise to cap oil, gas emissions

Man charged in hospital attack, homicides

Man charged in hospital attack, homicides
Mounties say they first found 73-year-old Judy Swain dead in the Rural Municipality of Hanover, south of Winnipeg, and had information that a suspect was headed to the city.

Man charged in hospital attack, homicides

Rogers case heads to B.C. Supreme Court

Rogers case heads to B.C. Supreme Court
The son of late Rogers founder Ted Rogers claims he has the power to fire and appoint board members because he is chair of the Rogers Control Trust, which holds voting control through its ownership of 97 per cent of the company's Class A shares

Rogers case heads to B.C. Supreme Court

B.C. to take next step against tainted drug deaths

B.C. to take next step against tainted drug deaths
Figures released in September from the BC Coroners Service show there were 1,204 illicit drug toxicity deaths between January and the end of July, a 28 per cent jump over the same period in 2020.

B.C. to take next step against tainted drug deaths