Editor:
The residents of Surrey are now about one year away from the proposed transition from the RCMP to Mayor McCallum’s pet project, the Surrey Police force. A year is a long time and things can change. Now is the time for those Surrey residents who oppose this move to stand up and be heard.
If one considers that for every person who takes the time to write a letter, or sign a petition, that means there are 10 others out there who have an opinion, but not the time or inclination to share it. That would seem to indicate that the 40,000-plus people who signed the petition against a Surrey Police force, which was presented to the B.C. government last year, represents a staggering ‘no’ vote for McCallum’s desire to dump the RCMP. In fact, that’s only about 5,000 fewer signatures than the total number of votes he received in the 2018 election.
Ideally, if Mayor McCallum were to present himself as a democratic leader that listens to Surrey residents’ wishes – and not like the dictator he appears to be – he would authorize a referendum for the citizens of Surrey on this matter.
His claim of having a mandate from the people is ludicrous simply by the fact that out of an estimated 337,289 eligible voters, only 109,791 votes were cast. Only 32.5 per cent of eligible residents bothered to vote and of those voters, approximately 13.5 per cent voted for Doug McCallum. That is not a mandate and Surreyites have no one but themselves to blame for this sorry result.
Before the realization of this huge mistake finally hits Surrey homeowners, when the tax bill for this pet project rolls into your mailbox, what can we do? One thing would be to flood City Hall with phone calls, letters and emails demanding a referendum. Don’t leave it to the “other guy” to do. Everyone who has a concern about the financial impact of this transition must let their wishes be known now.
Another thing you can do is get one of the lawn signs that are currently cropping up around Surrey, especially in Crescent Beach, where Mayor McCallum owns a home. The sign simply states, “Keep the RCMP in Surrey.”
I am not connected with the organizers of this, but they can be reached at 604-531-7028.
Let’s plaster Surrey with signs and send our mayor and his bare majority of councillor supporters a strong message. Get a sign and contact City Hall.
Forest McCready, Surrey