'Time to move on': Surrey mayor appears boxed in after province turns police recommendation into an order
Compared to three months ago, there was much less public pushback to the province's decision
In a day all about Surrey, the most noteworthy line may have come from Vancouver.
"It's time to move forward on policing," said Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim in a statement put out after Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth announced he was now ordering the City of Surrey to move forward with its transition to a local police service, three months after it was merely a recommendation.
That the mayor of Vancouver felt compelled to weigh in on the situation spoke to the way the story has evolved in the last five years from a local policy debate to a neverending provincial controversy — one that Sim would like to see come to an end.
"We respect the Solicitor General's decision to keep the Surrey Police Service as the primary law enforcement agency for Surrey. We appreciate the Minister for bringing this matter to a close."
Of course, the matter might not be closed: Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke said the city would "explore our options" in the wake of Farnworth's announcement.
In recent weeks, as it became clear that Farnworth was likely to take this course of action, she also pointedly refused to rule out Surrey taking legal action against the province.
But the events of the past few days show the limited paths ahead for Surrey if it wishes to prolong the conflict and attempt to get its way.
WATCH | Farnworth says city's case for RCMP did not meet the bar for 'adequate and effective policing':
Debate today vs. three months ago
Consider in April, when Farnworth made his original recommendation for the Surrey Police Service while leaving open a narrow option for the RCMP to be retained.
Afterwards, Locke held a blistering news conference where she said, "We have a choice," and said the city still picked the RCMP. The RCMP expressed disappointment with the province. The National Police Federation said it supported Locke. The senior opposition councillor, who wasn't aligned with either side of the debate, called for a referendum.
Now consider the immediate reaction to Wednesday's news.
"It's time to move on," said Linda Annis, saying the debate had sidetracked Surrey. The National Police Federation criticized the decison, but also called on the province to prepare a transition plan with "a clear and imminent end date for the Surrey RCMP," while Farnworth indicated he had the tacit support of federal RCMP officials.
Meanwhile, Sim's statement reflected the weariness of many regional politicians about the five-year drama that has caused stress on their own police departments.
And rather than hold a news conference — and get the camera time and sound bites that would accompany it — Locke only issued a statement.
Why the reduction in immediate debating?
One reason could be an additional three months of fatigue in litigating the same arguments. But another could be the new rumours surrounding contract policing by the RCMP across the country.
"One of the things that has helped [Farnworth] has been the affirmation by the federal government that they're going to take a very close look at the RCMP," said Rob Gordon, SFU criminology professor emeritus.
"I'm not sure what Brenda Locke thinks she's going to be able to pull out of the hat, but it won't be very much … if it goes to court, so be it, but it'll be years before it gets resolved."
What comes next?
If it doesn't go to court, there will still be outstanding issues to deal with in the months ahead.
One is costs: Farnworth reaffirmed the province would commit up to $150 million to help with the transition, but Locke's statement notably focused almost as much on the finances as it did on a potential fight with the province.
"I will also be asking for a face-to-face meeting with the Minister to understand how he intends to compensate for the significant tax burden that will be placed on Surrey residents and businesses as a result of his decision," she wrote.
Another big question is how the province will introduce legislation to, as Farnworth put it, ensure a situation like this "never happens again" when it comes to a process that must be followed if a municipality tries to change its police force.
The province has defended its approach to the last nine months, claiming it had to respect Surrey's policy desires before coming down with the proverbial hammer. At the same time, the language of "never happens again" indicates an understanding that the process was less than ideal.
Those will be developments worth watching for taxpayers in Surrey, along with people passionate about the Police Act.
But Farnworth's announcement could mean the months of constant stories about the controversy could be at an end.
"It will calm down," predicted Gordon.
"They're certainly fighting words by Locke, but one wouldn't have expected anything else."
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