Close X
Monday, November 25, 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

768 COVID19 cases for Friday

768 COVID19 cases for Friday
There are currently 6,031 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and 169,653 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 298 individuals are in hospital and 135 are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation.

768 COVID19 cases for Friday

Leaders ask voters to cast ballots on Sept. 20

Leaders ask voters to cast ballots on Sept. 20
Speaking in the border city of Windsor, Ont., Trudeau says the policy debates Canadians have had over the past five weeks will underpin the next government's agenda.

Leaders ask voters to cast ballots on Sept. 20

BC Hydro warns more outages possible this fall

BC Hydro warns more outages possible this fall
The latest report from the Crown utility says record-breaking heat between June and August in many parts of the province killed trees or weakened their root systems.    

BC Hydro warns more outages possible this fall

U.S. cruise bill would hurt B.C. economy: official

U.S. cruise bill would hurt B.C. economy: official
Under the proposed legislation, foreign cruise ships carrying more than 1,000 passengers can bypass Canadian ports if they wish. Ian Robertson, the CEO of the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority, said the bill would hurt Victoria and British Columbia's economy.

U.S. cruise bill would hurt B.C. economy: official

Party leaders' offices charge pennies for copies

Party leaders' offices charge pennies for copies
The office Trudeau runs as MP for Papineau in Montreal — not prime minister — submitted the charge on his office expenses in March. It submitted another eight-cent “copy charge” last September.

Party leaders' offices charge pennies for copies

B.C. reports 4 deaths, 706 new COVID-19 cases

B.C. reports 4 deaths, 706 new COVID-19 cases
About 30 per cent of active cases are located in the Fraser Health region, followed by nearly 26 per cent in Interior Health, 18 per cent in Vancouver Coastal Health, close to 15 per cent in the North and 11 per cent in Island Health. There are 23 active outbreaks in health-care settings, including three hospitals.

B.C. reports 4 deaths, 706 new COVID-19 cases