Mike Farnworth, British Columbia’s public safety minister, said Surrey residents knew who would be in charge of police in Metro Vancouver on Friday.
Farnworth said Thursday that the government will announce decisions on the future of policing in the city.
Surrey was well advanced in the process of switching from the RCMP to an independent Surrey Police Service when voters elected a mayor opposing the change.
This indecision cost Surrey taxpayers millions of dollars, but Mayor Brenda Locke said the move to the RCMP would cost less than the move to police services.
The state government has already approved the move to the city police, and now the mayor and city council hope to agree to the contrary.
Farnworth said it was one of the most difficult decisions his government had to make.
“This is a very complex issue and there is a significant amount of work being done and we will be making a decision tomorrow,” Farnworth said in parliament on Thursday.
A key issue in the government’s decision, Mr Farnworth said, is Surrey and state security.
The minister has previously said he is concerned about RCMP staffing levels in the state and calls for reform of the cavalry included in a recent investigation into the Nova Scotia shooting.
BC United leader Kevin Falcon said the government has not provided enough data it has collected about the pros and cons of the two law enforcement options to decide which police to support. Stated.
This report by the Canadian Press was first published on April 27, 2023.
