NDP MLAs doubt 性视界传媒 cop transition will be an election issue

性视界传媒 NDP MLA incumbents seeking re-election on Oct. 19 indicate they don鈥檛 expect the city鈥檚 policing transition controversy to play a big role during the campaign.

So far, five of seven have revealed their intention to run in the next provincial election.

However, many 性视界传媒 residents who will vote in the election are already shouldering a seven per cent tax increase this year that 性视界传媒鈥檚 general manager of finance Kam Grewal said would not have happened had the 性视界传媒 Police Service not existed, and the city was 鈥渟till in the RCMP-only world.鈥� The city鈥檚 budget for 2024 includes a six per cent property tax hike, a one per cent increase in the roads and tax levy, and a secondary suite fee increase on top of costlier utility rate fees.

Locke said in April that if the City is mandated to continue with the policing transition 性视界传媒 taxpayers are 鈥渇acing an increased cost of a half a billion dollars over the next decade compared to the cost of the 性视界传媒 RCMP鈥� and she has also indicated that a budgetary review would take place in the fall.

One day after it was revealed on May 23 that the City lost the judicial review related to the transition, Locke told the Now-Leader that review will likely take place in September.

鈥淭he timing of this for 性视界传媒 residents, the provincial election is not my concern, my concern is to make sure the residents have a budget update and that is what we鈥檙e going to be doing,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e absolutely will be doing a budget update so that the City and the residents and more importantly the taxpayers know what the costs are going to be (for the 2025 budget).鈥�

鈥淲e know the cost implications are worse than we thought so we want to make sure our residents know and are prepared and they know who is imposing this 鈥� that鈥檚 important because it is certainly not any of the 性视界传媒 MLAs that stood up for the taxpayer in 性视界传媒.鈥�

鈥淎t a time of affordability like we鈥檙e in right now, this is going to be devastating to our taxpayers,鈥� she said. 鈥淪even per cent is this year and at we said at budget time we would have had a zero tax increase this year had it not been for the 性视界传媒 Police Service, so if we had adopted 鈥� which we did not 鈥� adopted the budget that the 性视界传媒 Police Service actually gave us for this year, we would have had to have an additional seven per cent, but we held back on that. So moving forward, it鈥檚 going to be extraordinary. For the 2025 budget year, we will have to have a significant tax increase.鈥�

Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth told the Now-Leader on May 23 that his decision to have the 性视界传媒 RCMP replaced with the SPS 鈥渨as not based on electoral prospects regarding the election that we will have in October. The public will judge us on our overall record. My responsibility, my statutory obligation was to make a decision around safe, effective policing around the transition, and that鈥檚 what I have done.鈥�

Premier David Eby told reporters on Monday the NPD government believes its $150 million offer to help the City with the transition represents 鈥渢he true cost鈥� backed up by independent accounting work and budgetary work 鈥渢hat was done for the provincial government.鈥�

鈥淭hat money is still there,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e have had to deploy that money directly ourselves because of the ongoing challenge with the City of 性视界传媒 and the conflict, frankly, that the residents are completely tired of and just want us all to move on from.

鈥淭he commitment I can make to the people of 性视界传媒,鈥� Eby said, 鈥渋s we will ensure that the taxpayers are protected. We will make sure that on the transition costs, that the people of the city of 性视界传媒 are looked after.鈥�

鈥淏ut how we do do that given the ongoing challenges, frankly, that we have with the mayor of 性视界传媒 and her continued desire to lengthen the conflict and stretch it out and make it worse instead of finding a path for us all to move forward, is hard to say at this point. The Province has assumed control 鈥� we have an administrator running 性视界传媒 Police Service, we are administrating the funds to make sure that the transition continues, got special legislation to assume that control and we have now received a court judgment now that of course we are allowed to do these things as we told the City of 性视界传媒 we were allowed to do these things.鈥�

Former 性视界传媒 Mountie Garry Begg is going for a third term in 性视界传媒-Guildford. His acclamation meeting was May 23 at Johnston Heights Church. He said he feels he has more to accomplish in public office and 鈥淚 think I should run again.鈥�

鈥淚 think the issues are pretty clear across the province. I think there is a great consternation on most people鈥檚 part about the two free-enterprise 鈥� so-called free-enterprise 鈥� parties getting together. The premier has said, and I agree with him, that decisions of the province should not be made in the boardroom as it would be with those groups, but around the kitchen table.鈥�

As for the policing transition, Begg said, 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know that it will be an issue in 性视界传媒. I really think that this is now the law, it is something that has been legislated and my hope and my expectation is that the people of 性视界传媒 will commit together to making the best of it.鈥�

Bruce Ralston, NDP MLA for 性视界传媒-Whalley since 2005, is also seeking re-election and says he thinks 性视界传媒鈥檚 issues will be the same as provincial issues: cost of living, health care, housing, public education and transportation. The policing transition, he anticipates, won鈥檛 be forefront.

鈥淚 think that鈥檚 underway and my sense of what I hear from people is that most people want us to get on with it and so that鈥檚 what we鈥檙e doing I think under minister Farnworth, the legislation is passed and we鈥檙e moving forward with it.鈥�

He said his acclamation meeting will be in the middle of June. 鈥淲e鈥檙e just deciding on the final date.鈥�

鈥淚 have something to contribute to the government and the group in terms of the economic agenda of our government. I鈥檝e always been interested in the natural resource sector, and I鈥檝e also had experience now being minister of the technology sector, life sciences, I鈥檓 interested in trade so I think I have a very well-rounded and strong understanding of the economic drivers of the province and how that creates jobs and prosperity for communities here in British Columbia.鈥�

As for stumping, he added, 鈥渞un scared or run last, that鈥檚 the old adage. Never take it for granted, that鈥檚 for sure. I never do.鈥�

Jagrup Brar, NDP incumbent for 性视界传媒-Fleetwood, has not yet revealed his intention. 鈥淚鈥檓 going to announce my future plan in the near future,鈥� he said May 22. 鈥淚 will let you know soon.鈥�

Labour Minister and 性视界传媒-Newton MLA Harry Bains did not reply.

Mike Starchuk鈥檚 nomination meeting will be June 8 at the firefighters union hall, Station 1271 on Harvie Road and 88th Avenue. He鈥檚 seeking a second term.

鈥淚 can tell you personally from my inbox that鈥檚 here it鈥檚 not an issue for the constituents that I have,鈥� he said of the policing transition. 鈥淭here may be one or two emails a month that are concerned about the cost and other things like that. I think everybody that鈥檚 around is just waiting for this thing to be over. There鈥檚 so many of the people that are driving those RCMP-marked vehicles that are SPS members and people just don鈥檛 know about it, but the fact of the matter is there鈥檚 a big chunk of policing that鈥檚 out there general duty-wise that are already that way,鈥� Starchuck said, 鈥渟o I鈥檓 not overly concerned that the people, at least in my riding, are out there saying that they want to keep the RCMP.鈥�

Rachna Singh, education minister and NDP incumbent for 性视界传媒-Green Timbers, will run for a third term after her acclamation on May 21.

A party press release quotes her as saying she promises to 鈥渢ake action to improve housing, affordability, education, and health care in 性视界传媒 North.鈥�

From India originally, Singh came to Canada in 2001 and raised her family in B.C.

A petition to recall her was filed with Elections BC late last year due to the implementation of SOGI 123 鈥� the divisive educational resource used in the province鈥檚 schools. The petition failed as it did not receive the necessary number of signatures to move forward.

This was the first instance where a 性视界传媒 MLA was targeted by an attempted recall.

Veteran NDP MLA Jinny Sims was acclaimed as her party鈥檚 candidate in 性视界传媒-Panorama on April 4 at Sullivan Hall. Sims was elected as NDP MP for Newton-North Delta in 2011, and then NDP MLA for 性视界传媒-Panorama 鈥� which she presently serves 鈥� in 2017 and again in 2020.

鈥淔or me, we鈥檙e in such a good trajectory and people looking from the outside say wow. So I would like to see that trajectory continue and I say to people, because of the very fast growth in 性视界传媒, you know how challenging it is. Nobody, not even government, not even federal, provincial, could have predicted the kind of growth we鈥檝e experienced and that creates extra-ordinary challenges.

She hopes the campaign will be one of 鈥渇acts, data and science.鈥�

鈥淭here is so much misinformation out there that I worry about the future of democracy,鈥� Sims said. 鈥淔or me, my goal is going to be keep it focused on the issues and what we can do, and keep it a very positive campaign.鈥�

Those issues here will be housing, health care and education, she said. On the policing transition, she said, 鈥淚鈥檓 hoping that that will be resolved very, very soon. It鈥檚 time to move on.鈥�

鈥� with a file from Sobia Moman

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NDP MLAs doubt 性视界传媒 cop transition will be an election issue

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