Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke says she refuses to take marching orders from a bureaucrat in Victoria after the province91裸聊视频檚 director of police services fired off a 91裸聊视频渞ude91裸聊视频� letter to her on Oct. 4 protesting that a lack of leadership and engagement at Surrey City Hall is causing concerning delays to the city91裸聊视频檚 policing transition.

91裸聊视频淭he letter was disappointing but it91裸聊视频檚 inaccurate and it91裸聊视频檚 obviously trying to point blame but it91裸聊视频檚 completely inaccurate, his statements are completely inaccurate, he doesn91裸聊视频檛 know the picture on the ground and I guess the other piece is I have no idea why Glen Lewis would be writing me,91裸聊视频� Locke told the Now-Leader Tuesday (Oct. 10).

91裸聊视频淗e91裸聊视频檚 a bureaucrat, he should be writing bureaucrats. If the minister wants to say something to us he91裸聊视频檚 welcome to say something but it91裸聊视频檚 a little off protocol for a bureaucrat to be writing.91裸聊视频�

Assistant Deputy Minister Glen Lewis in his Oct. 4 letter to Locke lists 91裸聊视频渟ignificant91裸聊视频� work that has been taken at senior levels of government since the city was advised in July that it must continue its transition to the Surrey Police Service, but says little has been done at the municipal level.

91裸聊视频淚t is my observation that this lack of progress and delay is due in large part to a lack of leadership and engagement by City Council and City staff,91裸聊视频� Lewis, also director of police services, writes.

91裸聊视频淚n my view, City staff have been only minimally engaged in select aspects of this work to date and are seemingly constrained by a lack of clear direction from the Mayor and Council to progress the transition.91裸聊视频�

City staff 91裸聊视频渃onsistently state to its partners that they are instructed not to engage meaningfully in any work91裸聊视频� on the transition until council directs them to, Lewis adds.

Lewis in his letter to Locke writes 91裸聊视频淚 strongly urge that the City rectify these matters forthwith and assume the leadership required to carry out its transition. To this end, I request a report back on the remedy of these items, in writing, from the City by the end of business day, October 13, 2023.91裸聊视频�

This rankles Locke. 91裸聊视频淗e picks a short week, first of all, so he gives us basically five business days to respond to something that91裸聊视频檇 they91裸聊视频檝e taken literally almost, what, eight, nine months to come to a conclusion on,91裸聊视频� she replied. 91裸聊视频淚 think it91裸聊视频檚 rude and as I said, he91裸聊视频檚 a bureaucrat, he91裸聊视频檚 not going to instruct the mayor of a city what to do. I91裸聊视频檓 certainly not going to jump for a bureaucrat in Victoria.91裸聊视频�

Last month, following questions to SPS Chief Constable Norm Lipinski and Surrey RCMP Assistant Commissioner Brian Edwards, Locke said the 91裸聊视频渓eadership ball91裸聊视频� was in the province91裸聊视频檚 court and that the province 91裸聊视频渘eeds to make sure91裸聊视频� that there is a path forward.91裸聊视频�

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91裸聊视频淭his council has done everything asked of us and within our authority to follow through on our obligation to determine the policing model for our city,91裸聊视频� Locke said at the time. 91裸聊视频淢uch of the issues that we are dealing with are provincial and federal issues and that has become a lot of the stall.91裸聊视频�

A corporate report that came before council Sept. 11 concluded that although Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth had directed Surrey to forge ahead with the SPS, 91裸聊视频渙utstanding challenges remain91裸聊视频� and development of a 91裸聊视频渃omprehensive framework and planning documents is necessary for any transition to SPS.91裸聊视频�

Farnworth ordered city council on July 19, 2023 to carry on with the transition to the SPS from the Surrey RCMP, despite council having voted 5-4 in November 2022 to maintain the Mounties as the city91裸聊视频檚 police of jurisdiction.

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Locke and her Surrey Connect five-member majority campaigned on keeping the RCMP.

Other claims Lewis made in his letter include:

91裸聊视频� Cost-increase concerns expressed by Locke to Premier David Eby 91裸聊视频渕ay be inaccurate and/or misrepresented.91裸聊视频�

91裸聊视频� The city failed to rectify its budget for the SPS following Farnworth91裸聊视频檚 July decision (in March 2023, the city allocated just $49 million to the first two quarters of the fiscal year, despite a 2023 provisional budget of approximately $160 million submitted by the Surrey Police Board last fall).

91裸聊视频� While Locke has 91裸聊视频渟tated publicly to the media91裸聊视频� that she had no input on formal terms of reference for the independent facilitator who was appointed to help facilitate the transition process, as of the letter91裸聊视频檚 date, she did not take opportunities that were provided to do so.

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Meantime, Surrey First Coun. Linda Annis issued a press release Oct. 6 suggesting Lewis91裸聊视频檚 letter also reinforces that 91裸聊视频減olitical ego91裸聊视频� is playing a role in stalling the policing transition.

91裸聊视频淐learly, just like local taxpayers, the provincial government has had enough of the political foot dragging from Mayor Locke,91裸聊视频� Annis says, noting the inaction is costing taxpayers an extra $8 million per month, through having to pay for two police forces at the same time.

91裸聊视频淭he decision to move forward with the transition to the SPS has been made, and regardless of how Brenda Locke feels about it, she has a responsibility to get on with it. Instead, we are seeing a serious and calculated lack of progress that has its roots in political ego rather than doing what91裸聊视频檚 good for Surrey.91裸聊视频�

Also last week, Safe Surrey Coalition councillors Doug Elford and Mandeep Nagra issued a press release attacking Locke.

91裸聊视频淢ayor Locke91裸聊视频檚 leadership has been marred by inaction and a lack of clear direction. We can no longer accept excuses for the delays she has caused. It91裸聊视频檚 time for her to step up or step aside,91裸聊视频� Elford says.

Nagra echoed him.

91裸聊视频淲e understand the complexities of the transition, but Mayor Locke91裸聊视频檚 shocking refusal to meet with Public Safety staff to discuss Minister Mike Farnworth91裸聊视频檚 offer of $150 million in provincial cash to help with the transition is inexcusable,91裸聊视频� Nagra charged.

In reply to Annis, Elford and Nagra, Locke said the 91裸聊视频渓evel of disrespect they have shown towards not only me but to council is enormous but I91裸聊视频檓 not going to respond to their comments, it91裸聊视频檚 all just political. I wish they spent more time trying to be ambassadors for this city, not constantly acting the way they do, but they choose to.91裸聊视频�

Meanwhile, Surrey Board of Trade CEO Anita Huberman sent a letter to Farnworth on Oct. 4 concerning local businesses being saddled with a bigger tax bill in 2024 on account of two police forces operating in the city with no second-phase plan for replacing the Surrey RCMP with the Surrey Police Service.

Huberman also charged that since Jessica MacDonald was appointed as the liaison between the Provincial Government and the City of Surrey in the summer, 91裸聊视频渘o public comments or materials have been released highlighting the work done thus far. We are deeply concerned with the lack of transparency and communication.91裸聊视频�

On that, Locke said she last met with MacDonald in August. 91裸聊视频淚 believe she91裸聊视频檚 talked with some of the staff here but she hasn91裸聊视频檛 provided us with, at least that I know of, anything concrete so I91裸聊视频檓 not sure, but I do understand what the Surrey Board of Trade and Anita is talking about, and I91裸聊视频檓 concerned about it too. There is no question that the predicament that the minister has put the City of Surrey in is a very, very costly one and he may be doing it for the balance of the province, but for the City of Surrey, his decision is going to cost our residents significantly and all our taxpayers, including our business community.91裸聊视频�

Locke has on occasion complained that Farnworth isn91裸聊视频檛 contacting her personally. She said she last received a letter from him in mid-September. 91裸聊视频淗e91裸聊视频檚 finally admitting he doesn91裸聊视频檛 have a plan so fair enough, but somehow he wants us to create the plan and that91裸聊视频檚 difficult,91裸聊视频� Locke said Oct. 10.

91裸聊视频淚 find it interesting they had been saying well there is a plan, we kept talking about it and now he91裸聊视频檚 saying there isn91裸聊视频檛 a plan, we need you to create the plan. Well, we have a plan 91裸聊视频� our plan was to keep the RCMP and he said our vision isn91裸聊视频檛 his vision so he needs to share his vision.

91裸聊视频淚t seems to me Victoria has a pretty tough time picking up the phone,91裸聊视频� Locke said. 91裸聊视频淚 don91裸聊视频檛 know why they don91裸聊视频檛 have the courtesy of talking to a duly elected mayor and council. I don91裸聊视频檛 understand it. It91裸聊视频檚 surprising, the behaviour is very surprising.91裸聊视频�

91裸聊视频� with files from Tracy Holmes.