Surrey residents will have their say on a binding referendum on SurreyB次元官网网址檚 controversial policing transition after Elections BC has approved an initiative petition application that has been launched by the widow of a Surrey murder victim.

Darlene Bennett, whose husband Paul Bennett was shot dead in front of their home in Cloverdale in 2018 in what police believe was a case of mistaken identity, must collect the signatures of at least 10 per cent of registered voters in all of B.C.B次元官网网址檚 87 electoral districts, and submit them by Nov. 15, to make it stick.

Darlene Bennett screen shot

B次元官网网址淚 am very excited, hopeful with Elections BC passing the citizens initiative for a binding referendum in Surrey on the policing issue,B次元官网网址� Bennett said Thursday. B次元官网网址淚 hope this gives the residents of Surrey a voice. I hope they will be heard and I hope everyone is able to make an informed decision.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淚 think the residents of Surrey deserve this. This is their public safety, theyB次元官网网址檙e paying for it, they deserve to have a voice, and they deserve to be heard.B次元官网网址�

Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum, who campaigned on replacing the Surrey RCMP with a city-made police force, said this latest development B次元官网网址渨ill not slow down the building of our independent Surrey Police.

B次元官网网址淭ransitioning to an independent police service was the number one election issue for residents in 2018, and shortly after this council was sworn in, it unanimously voted in support of the Surrey Police Transition,B次元官网网址� McCallum said. B次元官网网址淭he province has said before that it is not interested in a referendum, and this will not change, as they have been supportive of the transition since day one.

B次元官网网址淭he idea of a provincial referendum on a municipal matter is extremely dangerous for every cityB次元官网网址檚 democratic process,B次元官网网址� McCallum added. B次元官网网址淥ur residents are clearly in support of this transition, and we are pressing forward everyday, moving closer to fully operating the Surrey Police Service.B次元官网网址�

According to an Elections BC statement issued Thursday, the purpose of the draft bill B次元官网网址渋s to have the provincial government conduct a regional binding referendum in the City of Surrey on the question of whether the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) should be retained as the police service or whether a proposed Surrey Police Service should replace the RCMP.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淚f held,B次元官网网址� Elections BC explained, B次元官网网址渢he referendum would be comprised of a single question regarding whether to retain the RCMP as SurreyB次元官网网址檚 police service or create a new Surrey Police Service, as proposed. The referendum would be binding under Section 4 of the BC Referendum Act.B次元官网网址�

After the petition will be issued on Aug. 16 Bennett will have 90 days to collect the necessary signatures. Anyone opposed to the initiative who intends to advertise or canvass for signatures against it must register with Elections BC and has until July 19 to do so.

Surrey city Councillor Brenda Locke, who has before council, is elated.

B次元官网网址淚t will be binding,B次元官网网址� Locke said of BennettB次元官网网址檚 referendum campaign. B次元官网网址淒onB次元官网网址檛 get me wrong, it will be difficult, it will be hard. But I do think there is motivation outside of Surrey.B次元官网网址�

Meantime, Locke plans to pursue her referendum-related motions despite the mayor having found them to be out of order.

B次元官网网址淢y lawyerB次元官网网址檚 opinion is just so clean and so clear how in the heck we ever got the opinion from our lawyer, at least the way the mayor described it, I donB次元官网网址檛 know. So I definitely will be bringing it up at the next (council) meeting.B次元官网网址�

Councillor Jack Hundial called Elections BCB次元官网网址檚 decision a B次元官网网址済reat step forward in having the taxpayers getting a say.

B次元官网网址淲ith the engagement process approved at the last council meeting, the true test will now be to see if the mayor and his team will actually stand by allowing citizens to have a voice,B次元官网网址� he said.

Councillor Doug Elford, of the Safe Surrey Coalition, said of BennettB次元官网网址檚 campaign and Election BCB次元官网网址檚 decision, B次元官网网址渢his is just a part of a process that the governmentB次元官网网址檚 going through.

B次元官网网址淭o be honest I think itB次元官网网址檚 going to be more symbolic than anything else,B次元官网网址� he said, considering her timeline and the number of signatures she must collect. B次元官网网址淭o me, IB次元官网网址檇 really like to see a referendum on myself, that is my preference, and I think that is more important than trying to turn back something that I believe is already way down the road. WeB次元官网网址檙e hiring constables now and I just donB次元官网网址檛 see this turning around.B次元官网网址�

In February Hundial and LockeSurreyB次元官网网址檚 policing transition province-wide, sending out a letter to more than 1,000 elected officials in local governments calling for a feasibility study and warning them that this unprecedented transition will come with financial consequences for all B.C. cities that are policed by the RCMP.

B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 a lot of local governments that are not happy with this,B次元官网网址� Locke said.

Meantime, BennettB次元官网网址檚 is the second initiative petition application to be approved this year and the 14th since the Recall and Initiative Act came into force in 1995. She is being helped by Bill Tieleman, who helped former Social Credit premier Bill Vander Zalm conduct a referendum campaign that defeated the Harmonized Sales Tax in 2011.

Bill Tieleman screen shot

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 very excited to be involved in this campaign because I think it is what is democracy at its best B次元官网网址� itB次元官网网址檚 local citizens, in this case in Surrey and also in other parts of the province, saying that they want to have a say, they want to have a voice in who polices them in Surrey,B次元官网网址� Tieleman said. B次元官网网址淭his is a very expensive decision, a very controversial decision, and itB次元官网网址檚 only right that the voters of Surrey have the final say, not politicians, not bureaucrats.B次元官网网址�

Tieleman said they will be focusing particularly on SurreyB次元官网网址檚 nine provincial ridings because B次元官网网址渢his is a Surrey issue, itB次元官网网址檚 not a provincial issue. And thatB次元官网网址檚 one of the flaws in the Initiative Act, it doesnB次元官网网址檛 allow for a regional referendum in a regional initiative.B次元官网网址�

However, he noted, the BC Referendum Act allows cabinet to designate a regional referendum and it could decide B次元官网网址渁t any point in timeB次元官网网址� that Surrey deserves to have a referendum.

B次元官网网址淚 think what weB次元官网网址檙e attempting to show here is that there is strong support in Surrey for a actual referendum on the policing issue and we believe and hope that when citizens come out and show their support for this initiative that the government will have to listen.B次元官网网址�

tom.zytaruk@surreynowleader.com
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