B.C. and Surrey sign deal to complete police transition
B.C. will provide up to $250 million to help Surrey transition to its own policing service
The provincial government and Surrey have signed an agreement that includes $250 million to help the City of Surrey transition to its own policing service.
The deal marks a close to the years-long battle over policing in the province's second-most populous city.
"All of us want to move on with this, and I'm very pleased that that's happening," B.C.'s Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth told reporters on Wednesday.
With Wednesday's agreement, Surrey has agreed to accept the same offer it rejected in April. The Surrey Police Service (SPS) will become the city's official police service on Nov. 29.
"Surrey council has accepted the provincial funding for the police transition," Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke said in a news release.
"As we go through this process, council will be constantly working in the best interests of Surrey taxpayers."
Locke was not present at the news conference announcing the deal.
Amy Jugpal, communications and media relations lead for the City of Surrey's mayor's office, said Locke would not be immediately available for comment.
The provincial funding is divided into two parts. Each year until 2029, B.C. will give Surrey $30 million to assist with the cost of transitioning from the Surrey RCMP to the new police service.
Between 2029 and 2034, the province will also offer up to $20 million per year to pay the difference in salary between SPS officers and RCMP officers if Surrey police officers have a higher salary.
Surrey residents will not be charged a police tax, and the agreement requires the city to provide space, funding and payroll for the new police service.
Locke also thanked the Surrey RCMP in a news release.
"We express our gratitude for everything Surrey RCMP has done to serve and protect our community for the past 70 years with their exemplary service," she said. "Through integrated policing units, such as IHIT, RCMP will continue to support the people of Surrey."
Years of conflict
The transition has been fraught with controversy since former mayor Doug McCallum announced his plan to build a new Surrey Police Service about eight years ago.
Since 2021, Surrey police officers have been deployed to the RCMP detachment. In 2022, under Locke's leadership, the City of Surrey announced it wanted to reverse course and transition back to the RCMP.
In May, the conflict went to the Supreme Court, which decided that B.C. has the right to order Surrey to transition to its own policing service.
Currently, the new police service has 431 sworn officers and support staff, according to the Public Safety Ministry. By the end of 2024, the Surrey police board has budgeted to hire 526 police officers.
The RCMP has agreed to continue supporting the Surrey Police Service with integrated policing units, such as its Integrated Homicide Investigation Team.
The transition is scheduled to end by 2026.
Election speculation
Stewart Prest, a University of British Columbia political science professor, said this deal feels like the "final chapter" in the long-running conflict over policing in Surrey.
He said the provincial government likely wanted to end the controversy ahead of the fall election.
"While the issue itself has been put to bed, we may yet see continuing debate on who is responsible for the way this has played out," he said.
At the news conference on Wednesday, Farnworth said the deal has nothing to do with the election.
Still, Prest said the policing saga may continue to weigh on voters in the provincial election this fall.
"I don't think they've made an enemy of the city as a whole … but I think they've tried the patience of Surreyans," he said. "Much of this will ultimately come down to who do residents of Surrey blame for this morass."
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With files from Meera Bains