The province has set the date for when the Surrey Police Service will take over from the Surrey RCMP.
Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General Mike Farnworth announced the SPS will become the police of jurisdiction on Nov. 29, 2024.
Farnworth said the full transition is expected to take between two- and two-and-a-half years, and that the Surrey RCMP will continue to provide support until it is complete.
The fight between the province and the City of Surrey over the transition has been long and fierce.
Less than two weeks ago, an internal memo obtained by Global News revealed a lack of an agreement for Mounties to work under a municipal police service.
Farnworth has said the province is working with the federal Public Safety Ministry and has an agreement in principle that does not require legislative changes.
Earlier this month, the city rejected a $250-million deal with the province to help offset the costs of the transition and spare property owners from tax hikes associated with the switch.
Farnworth said the transition would continue regardless, with $150 million going to cover transition costs.
However, the legal battle is just heating up. Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke’s legal challenge to the transition is headed to court at the end of April.
Locke, who was elected in 2022 on a platform to scrap the transition, took aim at the province in a statement following the approval of the city’s 2024 budget Monday evening.
“The fact is, Surrey Police Service is putting a financial strain on our ability to deliver new projects,” Locke said.
The mayor claims that if the city is mandated to move ahead with the transition, it will cost an additional half a billion dollars over the next decade compared to keeping the RCMP.
– More to come.
– With files from Simon Little and Janet Brown
More on Politics
© 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.