Surrey residents will have their say on a binding referendum on Surrey香蕉视频直播檚 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.香蕉视频直播檚 87 electoral districts, and submit them by Nov. 15, to make it stick.

Darlene Bennett screen shot

香蕉视频直播淚 am very excited, hopeful with Elections BC passing the citizens initiative for a binding referendum in Surrey on the policing issue,香蕉视频直播� Bennett said Thursday. 香蕉视频直播淚 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.香蕉视频直播�

香蕉视频直播淚 think the residents of Surrey deserve this. This is their public safety, they香蕉视频直播檙e paying for it, they deserve to have a voice, and they deserve to be heard.香蕉视频直播�

Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum, who campaigned on replacing the Surrey RCMP with a city-made police force, said this latest development 香蕉视频直播渨ill not slow down the building of our independent Surrey Police.

香蕉视频直播淭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,香蕉视频直播� McCallum said. 香蕉视频直播淭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.

香蕉视频直播淭he idea of a provincial referendum on a municipal matter is extremely dangerous for every city香蕉视频直播檚 democratic process,香蕉视频直播� McCallum added. 香蕉视频直播淥ur residents are clearly in support of this transition, and we are pressing forward everyday, moving closer to fully operating the Surrey Police Service.香蕉视频直播�

According to an Elections BC statement issued Thursday, the purpose of the draft bill 香蕉视频直播渋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.香蕉视频直播�

香蕉视频直播淚f held,香蕉视频直播� Elections BC explained, 香蕉视频直播渢he referendum would be comprised of a single question regarding whether to retain the RCMP as Surrey香蕉视频直播檚 police service or create a new Surrey Police Service, as proposed. The referendum would be binding under Section 4 of the BC Referendum Act.香蕉视频直播�

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.

香蕉视频直播淚t will be binding,香蕉视频直播� Locke said of Bennett香蕉视频直播檚 referendum campaign. 香蕉视频直播淒on香蕉视频直播檛 get me wrong, it will be difficult, it will be hard. But I do think there is motivation outside of Surrey.香蕉视频直播�

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

香蕉视频直播淢y lawyer香蕉视频直播檚 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香蕉视频直播檛 know. So I definitely will be bringing it up at the next (council) meeting.香蕉视频直播�

Councillor Jack Hundial called Elections BC香蕉视频直播檚 decision a 香蕉视频直播済reat step forward in having the taxpayers getting a say.

香蕉视频直播淲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,香蕉视频直播� he said.

Councillor Doug Elford, of the Safe Surrey Coalition, said of Bennett香蕉视频直播檚 campaign and Election BC香蕉视频直播檚 decision, 香蕉视频直播渢his is just a part of a process that the government香蕉视频直播檚 going through.

香蕉视频直播淭o be honest I think it香蕉视频直播檚 going to be more symbolic than anything else,香蕉视频直播� he said, considering her timeline and the number of signatures she must collect. 香蕉视频直播淭o me, I香蕉视频直播檇 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香蕉视频直播檙e hiring constables now and I just don香蕉视频直播檛 see this turning around.香蕉视频直播�

In February Hundial and LockeSurrey香蕉视频直播檚 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.

香蕉视频直播淭here香蕉视频直播檚 a lot of local governments that are not happy with this,香蕉视频直播� Locke said.

Meantime, Bennett香蕉视频直播檚 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

香蕉视频直播淚香蕉视频直播檓 very excited to be involved in this campaign because I think it is what is democracy at its best 香蕉视频直播� it香蕉视频直播檚 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,香蕉视频直播� Tieleman said. 香蕉视频直播淭his is a very expensive decision, a very controversial decision, and it香蕉视频直播檚 only right that the voters of Surrey have the final say, not politicians, not bureaucrats.香蕉视频直播�

Tieleman said they will be focusing particularly on Surrey香蕉视频直播檚 nine provincial ridings because 香蕉视频直播渢his is a Surrey issue, it香蕉视频直播檚 not a provincial issue. And that香蕉视频直播檚 one of the flaws in the Initiative Act, it doesn香蕉视频直播檛 allow for a regional referendum in a regional initiative.香蕉视频直播�

However, he noted, the BC Referendum Act allows cabinet to designate a regional referendum and it could decide 香蕉视频直播渁t any point in time香蕉视频直播� that Surrey deserves to have a referendum.

香蕉视频直播淚 think what we香蕉视频直播檙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.香蕉视频直播�

tom.zytaruk@surreynowleader.com
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