Surrey Board of Trade Selected for Stakeholder Consultation to Create the Surrey Police Evaluation Framework

The Surrey Board of Trade has been identified as a stakeholder related to public safety by the Policing and Security Branch of the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General. The purpose is to help provide input into a process to examine municipal requests to transition their police service model.

Given the complexities of the policing environment in BC, it is essential that a comprehensive evaluation framework be developed to assess these proposals and the impacts of such requests on policing and public safety. To support them in the development of the evaluation framework, the Ministry has commissioned Deloitte to lead stakeholder engagement meetings and ensure an independent and objective lens. Other stakeholders are also being consulted by the Province.

Some items that will be considered are:

1. Provincial Government considerations when evaluating a request to create a new Police Department

2. Degree of public consultation needed from a municipality and/or the Province prior to a decision

3. Impacts/risks/gains to a police transition for the: a. business community b. economic vitality c. federal funding for community safety programs

On April 15, 2019, the Surrey Board of Trade met with

BC’S Solicitor General and Public Safety Minister, the Honourable Mike Farnworth, and other representatives at the Vancouver Cabinet office to discuss Surrey’s policing transition.

“The Surrey Board of Trade reiterated our position in support of keeping the Surrey RCMP, harnessing existing resources, creating a holistic model for public safety that not only included the RCMP but other supports for youth, mental health, and more,” said Anita Huberman, CEO, Surrey Board of Trade.

“The Surrey Board of Trade maintains the position of keeping the RCMP in Surrey, in response to the release of the City of Surrey Police Report.”

The Surrey Board of Trade discussed with Minister

Farnworth areas that included public engagement, cost impacts to business taxpayers, public safety as it relates to business sustainability and attraction, interim issues on technology and training.

“After speaking to Minister Farnworth, it was made very clear to us that there will be a considered and thoughtful provincial process to evaluating Surrey’s policing plan.”