Doug McCallum must now pay his own legal bills, Surrey’s incoming mayor says

On the eve of Doug McCallum’s public mischief trial, Surrey mayor-elect Brenda Locke said her predecessor is now on the hook to pay the high-priced lawyer he’s hired to defend himself in court.

On the eve of Doug McCallum’s public mischief trial, Surrey mayor-elect Brenda Locke said her predecessor is now on the hook to pay the high-priced lawyer he’s hired to defend himself in court.

“I have instructed staff to cease paying any further legal bills for Mr. McCallum’s criminal charges, so that has already stopped,” said Locke, adding she’s also consulting with outside counsel to see if the city can recoup money previously paid to McCallum over the course of the past year.

“I do know the number, I can’t disclose it, but I can tell you it’s significant, and I am very concerned about it,” said Locke.

McCallum’s legal bills have been covered by the city since he was charged in connection with an incident at a Save-On Foods parking lot last September. The then-mayor told police and the media that a woman ran over his foot with her car. The subsequent investigation resulted in McCallum being charged with public mischief, an offence that involves misleading or lying to authorities.

McCallum pleaded not guilty, and because he claimed he was at the parking lot on official business, and had majority support on council, taxpayers were on the hook to defend him.

“He hired one of the most expensive lawyers in Canada I would venture to guess, and if he was paying for it out of his own pocket, would he have done that? I doubt it," said councillor-elect Linda Annis, who disputes McCallum’s claim he was there in his capacity as an elected official.

“The mayor by his own admission said he was out grocery shopping, minding his own business. If you’re on personal time, to me, that should not be at the expense of taxpayers,” Annis added.