Thoughts on BC Politics and More

The head of a national team set up to support police departments investigating cases of extortion in cities across Canada said Surrey’s municipal police force is working well with the RCMP, but could not comment on why significant arrests have been made in Ontario and Alberta and not BC. RCMP Supt. Adam MacIntosh said there is a high level of “competence and cooperation” between SPS and RCMP officers investigating the series of extortions targeting South Asian businesses. His team was created in the fall of 2023 to increase coordination between police departments in Canadian cities, such as Brampton, Edmonton and Surrey, which were all seeing a rise in extortion cases at that time. Since then, police in Brampton and Edmonton have made arrests, while the attacks in Surrey appear to be ramping up again ... CLICK HERE for the full story

The BC government said Tuesday that the city had rejected an offer that included a deal that would have covered any potential differences in cost of municipal police officers over the RCMP up to $20 million annually during a five-year period starting in 2029. That was in addition to an initial offering of $150 million in aid. It was a package that could have provided as much as $250 million to the city. “Last week, the mayor wrote to me advising me that council agreed in principle to the financial commitment. It is clear that the mayor and council ultimately chose divisiveness and uncertainty,”  BC Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth said in a written statement Tuesday afternoon.... CLICK HERE for the full story

The BC government is looking to sweeten the deal to get the Surrey police transition done once and for all. According to Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth, the province is in discussions with the city and “there is an offer on the table" ... He tells reporters that new offer includes additional funding, though he would not confirm how much . . . . . . . . according to BC Conservative Leader John Rustad, the province is putting up an additional $110 million — on top of the already-promised $150 million . . . . “I think the thing that is most disturbing, from my perspective, and I’m sure from the people in Surrey, is that none of this is being done in public . . . . CLICK HERE for the full story