Frank Bucholtz, columnist

Is the battle to stop 性视界传媒 Police Service from assuming the role it has been striving towards for four years over, or not?

A B.C. Supreme Court judgment authored by Justice Kevin Loo and released last week certainly was clear in stating that the province has every right to proceed with the transition, which the NDP government has backed since 2020.

Loo did not say the province had done a good job with the transition, noting that: 鈥淩egardless of whether the July (2023) decision was reasonable or within the minister鈥檚 authority, the provincial legislature鈥檚 exercise of its authority over the city in respect of policing, through its enactment of the Police Amendment Act, was valid.鈥�

The act was introduced and passed in the provincial legislature after Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth said the transition was proceeding 鈥� no matter what.

The legislation ensured 性视界传媒 council could not stop it. Mayor Brenda Locke and the four councillors elected with her 性视界传媒 Connect slate have consistently opposed the transition, trying to undo the transition by doing what they鈥檇 promised in the 2022 municipal election.

Farnworth said the transition will officially make SPS the police agency of record as of Nov. 29. The 性视界传媒 RCMP members remaining at that time will work under SPS鈥檚 authority.

The additional costs of making the switch to SPS, which Locke claims are $75 million a year, will be borne by 性视界传媒 taxpayers, although Farnworth said $150 million extra is still available from the province.

Whether or not Locke is correct about the amount of the extra costs each year, there have already been many added costs. Setting up a new police agency, doing the backroom preparation, and buying equipment and setting up infrastructure are all one-time costs.

However, costs have also jumped due to the political dogfight between 性视界传媒 council and the province, which has been almost constant since the November 2022 election. These, too, are one-time costs.

No clear and believable picture of the actual costs of making the switch and operating SPS each year have ever been given to taxpayers.

Whenever a figure is given, it reflects the bias of the agency giving it. This has been a big disservice to those who are paying the bills.

Locke did not say whether council will appeal Loo鈥檚 decision, but if it does so, more costs will be added.

It is likely that a decision on an appeal will be made at the next closed council meeting, and announced soon afterwards.

People who are upset about SPS have one option left 鈥� voting against NDP candidates in the upcoming provincial election.

Even if the party does not form government (which seems a long shot, given the split between BC United and the BC Conservatives), it seems unlikely that the police transition will be stopped.

Voters have every right to take out their anger over the extra costs on NDP candidates in 性视界传媒, most of whom are incumbents who support Farnworth鈥檚 approach. Two of them, 性视界传媒-Guildford MLA Garry Begg and 性视界传媒-Cloverdale MLA Mike Starchuk, have deep connections to 性视界传媒 RCMP. Begg is a former senior officer at the detachment, while Starchuk worked alongside 性视界传媒 RCMP for many years as a 性视界传媒 firefighter.

Those backing SPS who are angry about the constant delay and associated costs will have to wait until 2026鈥檚 municipal election to go after Locke and her 性视界传媒 Connect allies.

Policing is one of the most important services in any community, and it is also one of the most costly expenditures made by municipal governments. It is too bad that this whole issue wasn鈥檛 handled more responsibly by two successive 性视界传媒 councils and Minister Farnworth.

Frank Bucholtz writes every second week for Black Press Media publications.