What a mess.

性视界传媒 council on a 5-4 vote Monday decided to maintain the 性视界传媒 RCMP, Canada鈥檚 largest RCMP detachment, as the city鈥檚 police of jurisdiction and instructed City of 性视界传媒 staff, on behalf of council, to inform the 性视界传媒 Police Board to stop hiring and spending.

But will they? Melissa Granum, executive director of the SPB, notes that under the Police Act the provincial government has authority over the board and no city council can direct the police 鈥渨ith respect to their budget and their hiring.鈥�

Granum says the board has 鈥渆very intention鈥� of 鈥渓ooking to the province for guidance on next steps and advice.鈥�

READ ALSO: 性视界传媒 council votes 5-4 to maintain 性视界传媒 RCMP as city鈥檚 police department

The hiring occurring 鈥渞ight now鈥� is completed, she said, and that 鈥渢akes us鈥� into January and any stoppage in hiring would have a 鈥渞ipple effect鈥� into the spring. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really, really important to understand is that the province has given us direction to continue deploying police officers and continue hiring. That鈥檚 direction from the province itself.鈥�

Granum says what this does, in effect, is override council鈥檚 instruction on Monday within the 2022 approved budget.

So here we have a scenario where the 性视界传媒 Connect majority on council continues to be at loggerheads with the SPS, with both entities carrying on in parallel universes.

Ironically, the intention behind the city deciding in 2018 to set up its own city police force to replace the 性视界传媒 RCMP was to wrest control of the city鈥檚 police of jurisdiction from Ottawa in favour of local control.

And yet, city council and the SPB could never be further apart. So much for local control.

鈥� Now-Leader

edit@surreynowleader.com
Like us on and follow us on