In 2018 eight people ran for mayor. The Doug McCallum got 41.6% of the votes and was declared the winner. If you take the number of people eligible to vote in Surrey he got 13.2% of the vote. Turnout for our city election was very low.
One of Doug McCallum's many promises was to replace the RCMP with a city police force. He originally said the cost would be:
McCallum told reporters that a local force will cost an average of $13 million more per year than RCMP, but he says city will save $20 million on this administration costs.
The cost so far this year is $64 Million and that was before he found out the RCMP wouldn't allow him to use their computer system! Talk about a cost overrun! Councillor Brenda Locke on Monday asked for transparency so the taxpayers could see the true costs and it was defeated. Doug rules by: "My way or the highway".
A group in Surrey organized to ask the Provincial government for a referendum. Doug McCallum says because he was elected and it was on his platform he can do it. The BC Government ignored the hundreds of email requests and the petition of over 50,000 signatures that was delivered to Premier Horgan's office last October asking for a referendum.
Darlene Bennett whose husband was executed by mistake in a gangland war approached Elections BC for a referendum and it was approved! The signatures are now being acquired.
Doug McCallum has been interfering with the referendum. His by-law officers have given the organizers two by-law tickets. There was an unfortunate incident at a grocery store with Doug McCallum and the people collecting signatures that is now an RCMP investigation.
During Zoom council meetings, if Doug doesn't like what you say, he hangs up on you. On one Zoom council meeting this summer, 21 people got cut off! Last Monday, council meetings are back in council chambers at City Hall. On Monday he banned seven people from entering the City Hall. If they have a question they can submit it in writing. Can a mayor ban people from a public building? None have ever done anything unlawful or violent. They are all seniors and taxpayers and he doesn't like what they say.
The bullying and harassment contravenes the Elections BC rules for referendum. Watch for legal battles to follow.
Surrey Councillor Linda Annis probably said it best when she said “silencing people, particularly people opposed to you, is what politicians do when they’ve given up on democracy.”
