'Delighted': Former Surrey mayor claims victory after province's policing decision

Doug McCallum lost the battle for the Surrey mayor's office last fall, but on Wednesday, he seemed convinced he had won the war over policing in the city.

Doug McCallum lost the battle for the Surrey mayor's office last fall, but on Wednesday, he seemed convinced he had won the war over policing in the city.

The province's decision to direct the city to continue with the transition to the Surrey Police Service was enthusiastically embraced by McCallum – who booked a banquet hall and scheduled a news conference before the announcement was made.

McCallum was elected in 2018 on a promise to replace the RCMP as the police of jurisdiction in the city, something that was well underway when he was ousted by Brenda Locke – who campaigned on a promise to stop the transition – in 2022. Still, he characterized Wednesday's decision by the province as proof of his ability to come through for the citizens of Surrey.

"For the past five years, the citizens of Surrey have been eagerly anticipating the establishment of the Surrey Police Service. Today's decision by the province reaffirms that this is the best choice for public safety in our city, and it marks a momentous occasion," McCallum said in a media release.

"We are delighted to see our vision become a reality, and we are grateful for the support we have received from the province throughout this process."

McCallum was joined by two current councillors from his Safe Surrey Coalition, which had a majority when he was mayor but saw most of its candidates defeated in the last election.

Coun. Jag Nagra acknowledged the issue of the transition has been divisive, but described the division as beginning with Locke's election in October. However, the debate during McCallum's tenure as mayor was also contentious and included lawsuits, banning RCMP supporters from council meetings and a confrontation in a parking lot that led to a criminal trial.