City of Surrey ethics commissioner reviewing complaint against city councillor

Surrey, B.C.’s ethics commissioner is actively reviewing a complaint against a city councillor.

Rob Stutt is accused of having family ties to the RCMP and there are calls for him to abstain from future votes on policing.

Stutt is a former RCMP officer, and according to the Surrey Police Union, his children are also currently employed by the RCMP.

The union told Global News this puts him in a conflict of interest when it comes to votes on policing in Surrey.

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“We filed the complaint against Coun. Stutt to ensure the decision-making was being made in a fair and transparent manner,” said Const. Ryan Buhrig with the police union.

The union’s recent complaint to Surrey’s ethics commissioner claims Stutt was in a conflict of interest when he voted to keep the RCMP in Surrey, noting that the vote passed by a razor-thin margin of five in favour and four against.

Now, the ethics commissioner has responded to the union.

“I have reviewed your complaint and have decided to accept your complaint for formal review,” said Peter Johnson.

“This does not mean that I have made any findings or drawn any conclusions, only that (the) complaint meets the threshold requirements for formal review under the Code of Conduct bylaw.”

Buhrig said a decision needs to be reached soon for the citizens of Surrey.

“We feel this decision needs to be made promptly. Surrey residents deserve an answer around policing and this decision from the ethics commissioner factors into that,” he said.

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Last week, B.C.’s Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth strongly recommended Surrey continue transitioning to Surrey Police Service.

He offered to sit down with Surrey’s mayor and council to discuss covering the cost of the transition, which could total $150 million over five years.

Mayor Brenda Locke has said she wants to keep the RCMP and will review the minister’s report in the weeks ahead.

“Council and I will take the time to review the (solicitor general)’s information, the one he put forward today and we will act in the best interest of the citizens of Surrey,” she said.

As for the ethics complaint, there’s no timeline for a decision and Stutt has not responded to a Global News request for comment.

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