Group says City of Surrey is barring employees from signing their pro-RCMP petition

The man leading the charge against Surrey’s transition to a civic police force says the city is barring employees from signing his petition.

Ivan Scott, who runs the Keep the RCMP in Surrey campaign, says his group set up a table outside city hall on Tuesday to catch last-minute tax filers and add their names to the growing list.

But he says multiple people who identified as city staffers told him they couldn’t sign while they were working.

“They said, ‘We’re working, and we cannot do that while we’re on duty and we’ve been told we can’t do that,'” Scott said Friday. “This wasn’t isolated either.

“Eventually, we had some people come up to us who said, ‘Well, I think this is wrong and I want to sign, but should I do it now?’ They were hoping someone wasn’t watching. That’s the sort of intimidation that was happening.”

Scott wasn’t sure whether the directive was an official policy of the city and was only relying on what those staffers told him that day.

But he said the idea of it was disturbing.

WATCH: (Aired July 1) ‘Keep the RCMP in Surrey’ campaign hits Canada Day celebrations

1:31 ‘Keep the RCMP in Surrey’ campaign hits Canada Day celebrations

“Under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, you can’t do that,” Scott said. “It’s concerning to me if people’s rights are being denied. We live in a country that allows that.

Global News has reached out to the union for comment.

In an email, the City of Surrey denied any directive existed preventing employees from signing the group’s petition.

“There is no truth to that claim,” a spokesperson said.

The Keep the RCMP in Surrey campaign has faced resistance from the city before.

The group was denied a booth inside the Canada Day celebrations at the Bill Reid Amphitheatre after the city said it went against their policy of only featuring non-partisan and apolitical content.

WATCH: (Aired June 28) Surrey man fights city hall over Canada Day booth

1:47 Surrey man fights city hall over Canada Day booth

Scott and other members showed up anyway, brushing by security and collecting signatures outside the building.

The group’s written petition has so far gained more than 4,000 signatures. An online version directed at Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth has another 7,000.

Many other residents have voiced opposition to the transition plan, blaming the city for a lack of transparency and not properly explaining the need for a civic force.

Meanwhile, a group of local South Asian faith leaders has written a letter to Farnworth, calling on him to quickly approve the transition.

Farnworth is continuing to review the report on the police transition and has not set a deadline for a decision.

But sources tell Global News the minister is concerned about both the new force’s information technology capabilities and whether enough officers can be made available to staff that force in a short period of time.

Farnworth has said many times his top priority is the safety of Surrey residents, particularly during a transition period.

—With files from Keith Baldrey and Simon Little