Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke held a tense press conference Monday in response to a letter from Solicitor General Mike Farnworth, claiming he had not yet received a promised report on the municipality’s police transition.
“You all received that letter, I did not,” Locke stated at the beginning.
She said Farnworth still has not called her or reached out to council, and claimed he prefers to speak to her through the media.
“Until he gets his way, he will continue to put up roadblocks and move the goalposts every step of the way and that’s what he did today,” she said.
In a statement issued late Monday afternoon, Farnworth said his office had received the city’s corporate report, and ministry staff had begun reviewing it.
“The safety of people in Surrey is critical, and we are working urgently so I may make a determination as quickly as possible, if it meets the requirements I laid out to ensure safe and effective policing in Surrey and the province,” he said.
Farnworth had previously said the province was promised the report from Surrey’s city council by noon on Friday, then by the end of Friday, and although he said his staff requested it through the weekend, the province still had not seen it.
Locke said the report was never promised by noon on Friday.
Farnworth gave a deadline of Monday at 1 p.m. to the City of Surrey to receive the report or else, he said, he will be forced to make a decision about what is necessary without it.
“As the solicitor general, I need to review the city’s plan to ensure it meets the requirements for safe and effective policing. I have been very clear about this,” Farnworth said in the statement.
“I became concerned on Wednesday when I learned city staff were preparing to present a report to city council about future policing in Surrey that had not been shared with the province. Unfortunately, I also learned that city staff were directed to not provide it to my ministry officials.”
“I actually find it fear-mongering on the part of both – the premier and the solicitor – that they would put out statements like that,” Locke added. “We are being used as bargaining chips by the NDP government.”
She said Surrey staff only had one day to get the report together and committed to sending it on Monday afternoon.
“And he said we are playing games? Mr. Solicitor General, shame.”
The entire police transition debacle is embarrassing, she added.
“There’s no way we should be having this kind of dialogue.”
Locke also stated she believes that because she is a woman, that is affecting Farnworth’s behaviour towards her.
“In this case, I absolutely think there is misogyny going on, there’s no doubt in my mind,” she said, adding that she believes Farnworth would not have treated former mayor Doug McCallum this way.
On Friday, Locke announced council has voted to retain the RCMP in Surrey and not continue with the transition to the Surrey Police Service.
Farnworth responded by saying the province still needs to make the final decision and view the report from Surrey council to make sure the decision to keep the RCMP meets the province’s requirements.
“I asked the mayor to share the report and wait to hold a vote until we could agree on what was safest for people in Surrey, based on the requirements for adequate and effective policing,” Farnworth said in the statement.
“Instead, on Thursday, the city council voted on the report before the province had seen it and before I had the chance to determine if it will ensure safe and effective policing.”
Farnworth said it is critical he receives this report.
“Now is not the time to play games,” he said. “The safety of people in Surrey is too important.”
“The safety of people in Surrey is critical, and we are working urgently so I may make a determination as quickly as possible, if it meets the requirements I laid out to ensure safe and effective policing in Surrey and the province.”