National

Surrey business community grapples with police tax

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 05 Oct, 2023 01:22 PM

Business leaders in Surrey are pleading with the province to provide a clear plan as the city grapples with the next stage of implementing a new police force.

The Surrey Board of Trade has sent a letter to Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth saying the city needs a solid policing strategy with adequate wraparound support services and infrastructure as it juggles the costs of the outgoing R-C-M-P and incoming Surrey Police Service.

Board president Anita Huberman says it has been close to five years since the switch began and Phase 1 is still incomplete, with no plan for Phase 2.

MEDIA RELEASE: Surrey Board of Trade Concerned About Business Taxation with Two Police Forces in 2024https://t.co/zfC1EMHpnA @SBofT @mikefarnworthbc @brendalockebc @JanetBrown980 @GlobalBC @CKNW @CityNewsVAN @OMNITelevision @redfmvancouver @CBCNews @CTVVancouver @VancouverSun pic.twitter.com/UjSsp5EYSf
— Anita Huberman (@anitahuberman) October 5, 2023

She says it's still uncertain how the move to a municipal police force will impact business taxation in Surrey but -- with some estimates of the total cost at more than one-billion dollars -- she urges Farnworth and provincially appointed liaison Jessica MacDonald to share any details they have.

Prev Next

MORE National ARTICLES

No charges for Vancouver cop: IIO

A Vancouver police officer will not be charged for subduing a man who was vandalizing cars, threatening people and damaging property in the city's West End in July 2021. The man suffered cuts to his face and head as well as a broken arm when he was confronted by two officers after numerous people called 9-1-1 to report a person was waving a tree branch and using it to damage cars and threaten other pedestrians.

No charges for Vancouver cop: IIO

House peppered with bullets: Richmond RCMP

Mounties in Richmond are investigating separate, late-night shootings that have left a house, vehicle and garage peppered with bullets. A statement from R-C-M-P says the first shooting in the 6300 block of Chelmsford Street happened more than two weeks ago, on August 27th, and the second occurred on August 29th.

House peppered with bullets: Richmond RCMP

B.C. premier breaks ground on second hospital, cancer centre at cost of $2.88 billion

A long-awaited and often promised second hospital for the City of Surrey marked a milestone today with a groundbreaking ceremony promising the opening of the new facility by 2029. Premier David Eby says the start of construction on the new $2.88 billion hospital and cancer treatment centre is an anticipated and needed health-care expansion in one of British Columbia's fastest growing communities.

B.C. premier breaks ground on second hospital, cancer centre at cost of $2.88 billion

2 Canadian Sikhs sentenced for role in murder of man over drug debt

Andrew Baldwin, 30, who used and trafficked drugs, was stabbed to death on November 11, 2019, as he watched a movie with a friend in a basement apartment at Whalley in the Surrey city of British Columbia. While Jagpal Singh Hothi was charged with first-degree murder, his friend and accomplice Jasman Singh Basran, who tried to get rid of evidence, was charged with being an accessory, The Vancouver Sun newspaper reported on Monday.

2 Canadian Sikhs sentenced for role in murder of man over drug debt

One evacuation imposed, another dropped, as B.C. wildfires burn through September

The order is the only one issued in B.C. in the last 24 hours, but several other orders and alerts have been ended or downgraded over the same period, including orders covering 25 homes affected by the out-of-control McDougall Creek wildfire near West Kelowna.

One evacuation imposed, another dropped, as B.C. wildfires burn through September

Liberal MPs meet to prep for fall sitting, as Trudeau stares down slumping polls

Liberal MPs are gathering in London, Ont., to plan their strategy as the party grapples with rising discontentment toward Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Polls show the Liberals have sunken to their lowest levels of support since taking government in 2015, largely to the benefit of the Conservatives.