Surrey residents will have their say on a binding referendum on Surrey害羞草研究所檚 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.害羞草研究所檚 87 electoral districts, and submit them by Nov. 15, to make it stick.

Darlene Bennett screen shot

害羞草研究所淚 am very excited, hopeful with Elections BC passing the citizens initiative for a binding referendum in Surrey on the policing issue,害羞草研究所� Bennett said Thursday. 害羞草研究所淚 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.害羞草研究所�

害羞草研究所淚 think the residents of Surrey deserve this. This is their public safety, they害羞草研究所檙e paying for it, they deserve to have a voice, and they deserve to be heard.害羞草研究所�

Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum, who campaigned on replacing the Surrey RCMP with a city-made police force, said this latest development 害羞草研究所渨ill not slow down the building of our independent Surrey Police.

害羞草研究所淭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,害羞草研究所� McCallum said. 害羞草研究所淭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.

害羞草研究所淭he idea of a provincial referendum on a municipal matter is extremely dangerous for every city害羞草研究所檚 democratic process,害羞草研究所� McCallum added. 害羞草研究所淥ur residents are clearly in support of this transition, and we are pressing forward everyday, moving closer to fully operating the Surrey Police Service.害羞草研究所�

According to an Elections BC statement issued Thursday, the purpose of the draft bill 害羞草研究所渋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.害羞草研究所�

害羞草研究所淚f held,害羞草研究所� Elections BC explained, 害羞草研究所渢he referendum would be comprised of a single question regarding whether to retain the RCMP as Surrey害羞草研究所檚 police service or create a new Surrey Police Service, as proposed. The referendum would be binding under Section 4 of the BC Referendum Act.害羞草研究所�

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.

害羞草研究所淚t will be binding,害羞草研究所� Locke said of Bennett害羞草研究所檚 referendum campaign. 害羞草研究所淒on害羞草研究所檛 get me wrong, it will be difficult, it will be hard. But I do think there is motivation outside of Surrey.害羞草研究所�

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

害羞草研究所淢y lawyer害羞草研究所檚 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 don害羞草研究所檛 know. So I definitely will be bringing it up at the next (council) meeting.害羞草研究所�

Councillor Jack Hundial called Elections BC害羞草研究所檚 decision a 害羞草研究所済reat step forward in having the taxpayers getting a say.

害羞草研究所淲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,害羞草研究所� he said.

Councillor Doug Elford, of the Safe Surrey Coalition, said of Bennett害羞草研究所檚 campaign and Election BC害羞草研究所檚 decision, 害羞草研究所渢his is just a part of a process that the government害羞草研究所檚 going through.

害羞草研究所淭o be honest I think it害羞草研究所檚 going to be more symbolic than anything else,害羞草研究所� he said, considering her timeline and the number of signatures she must collect. 害羞草研究所淭o me, I害羞草研究所檇 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. We害羞草研究所檙e hiring constables now and I just don害羞草研究所檛 see this turning around.害羞草研究所�

In February Hundial and LockeSurrey害羞草研究所檚 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.

害羞草研究所淭here害羞草研究所檚 a lot of local governments that are not happy with this,害羞草研究所� Locke said.

Meantime, Bennett害羞草研究所檚 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

害羞草研究所淚害羞草研究所檓 very excited to be involved in this campaign because I think it is what is democracy at its best 害羞草研究所� it害羞草研究所檚 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,害羞草研究所� Tieleman said. 害羞草研究所淭his is a very expensive decision, a very controversial decision, and it害羞草研究所檚 only right that the voters of Surrey have the final say, not politicians, not bureaucrats.害羞草研究所�

Tieleman said they will be focusing particularly on Surrey害羞草研究所檚 nine provincial ridings because 害羞草研究所渢his is a Surrey issue, it害羞草研究所檚 not a provincial issue. And that害羞草研究所檚 one of the flaws in the Initiative Act, it doesn害羞草研究所檛 allow for a regional referendum in a regional initiative.害羞草研究所�

However, he noted, the BC Referendum Act allows cabinet to designate a regional referendum and it could decide 害羞草研究所渁t any point in time害羞草研究所� that Surrey deserves to have a referendum.

害羞草研究所淚 think what we害羞草研究所檙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.害羞草研究所�

tom.zytaruk@surreynowleader.com
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