9.06°C Vancouver

Jan 7, 2023 1:08 AM - Connect News

Surrey taxpayers face big property tax hike if SPS transition continues

Share On
surrey-taxpayers-face-big-property-tax-hike-if-sps-transition-continues
A staff report presented to Surrey City Council last month sheds light on the immense cost of the police transition in Surrey. (Photo - brenda Locke/Twitter)

A staff report presented to Surrey City Council last month sheds light on the immense cost of the police transition in Surrey. According to that report, the costs for the Surrey Police Service are estimated to be $235M more than maintaining the RCMP as Surrey’s Police of Jurisdiction over the next 5 years. To recover this funding gap in the upcoming year a one-time tax increase of 55% would be required, in addition to the normal tax rate set by Council.

It is abundantly clear that a switch to the Surrey Police Service would create an untenable financial burden for Surrey taxpayers during these challenging economic times. It is also unreasonable to advance the City’s budget process any further without knowing which economic scenario the City will face.

Given the economic hardship facing Surrey taxpayers if the transition continues and the fact that the City needs to finalize its budget, it is vital that the Province move quickly to endorse Council’s decision to retain the RCMP.

Surrey voters need the facts, not multiple financial numbers from the SPS, RCMP and city hall: Councillor Linda Annis

Surrey First Councillor Linda Annis says a statement from Mayor Brenda Locke today claiming there would be a 55 per cent tax increase to continue with the Surrey police transition is a scare tactic that continues to muddy the waters and reinforces the need for real, independent financial numbers around the choice of police services.

"I have always wanted the real facts and frankly was shocked that the city identified more than 40 different assumptions that had to be made as it prepared its report on the cost of the transition," noted Annis. "That’s a ridiculous number of assumptions and begs the question, just how much of the financial report can we take seriously, and that applies to the mayor’s 55 per cent tax increase statement."

Annis said there should have been an "independent set of eyes" on the financial numbers around transition.

"Instead, we have numbers from the SPS, the RCMP, and the city, and these multiple versions continue to leave Surrey taxpayers on the sideline and in the dark about the real facts," added Annis. "As a result, this statement from the mayor about a 55 per cent tax increase adds even more confusion and doubt, and really feels like a last-ditch effort to scare Surrey voters, rather than inform them with the real financial facts and figures."

Latest news

BCOct 28, 2025

Man arrested in connection with Lynn Valley tire slashing spree, say North Vancouver RCMP

North Vancouver RCMP say a suspect has been arrested in connection with a string of tire slashings that damaged several vehicles in the Lynn Valley area last week. Police received at least 16 reports between October 25 and 26 of tires being punctured or slashed on vehicles parked along Kirkstone Road, Viewlynn Drive, Lynn Valley Road, and Mountain Highway. Investigators believe more victims may not yet have come forward. After reviewing neighbourhood security video, officers identified a suspect and made an arrest around 5 p.m. on Monday, October 27. The man remains in custody as the investiga
metro-vancouver-crime-stoppers-highlights-top-five-most-wanted-suspects-this-halloween
CanadaOct 28, 2025

Metro Vancouver Crime Stoppers highlights top five most wanted suspects this Halloween

Metro Vancouver Crime Stoppers has released its annual list of British Columbia’s five most wanted criminals, calling on the public to help locate them as Halloween approaches. The announcement was made Tuesday at Cougar Creek’s House of Horrors in Surrey, where officials urged residents to share any information that could lead to arrests. The list includes Omid Mashinchi, 43, and Gurkirat Singh, 26, who also appear on BOLO Canada’s national 25 Most Wanted list. Other fugitives include Amir Navarchi, 40, John Norman MacKenzie, 64, and Jean-Sébastien Philippe Eric Ferland, 43. Mashinchi
canada-post-and-postal-workers-union-to-resume-talks-amid-ongoing-rotating-strikes
CanadaOct 28, 2025

Canada Post and postal workers’ union to resume talks amid ongoing rotating strikes

Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) are preparing to return to the bargaining table later this week as rotating strikes continue to disrupt mail delivery across the country. Both sides have confirmed they will meet with a federal mediator, though no specific date has been set. The renewed discussions mark the latest attempt to resolve nearly two years of tense negotiations over a new collective agreement covering about 55,000 postal employees. Union members launched rotating strikes more than a month ago, shortly after the federal government announced a series of policy
avian-flu-resurges-in-fraser-valley-with-nine-new-poultry-outbreaks-this-month
BCOct 28, 2025

Avian flu resurges in Fraser Valley with nine new poultry outbreaks this month

Health officials have confirmed a new wave of avian influenza outbreaks across British Columbia’s Fraser Valley, marking the province’s first cases in nearly a year. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) says nine commercial poultry flocks in Abbotsford and Chilliwack have tested positive for the virus since mid-October. The latest surge began on October 14, when the first outbreak of the season was detected in Abbotsford. Eight additional cases were reported in the following days, six of them in Chilliwack-area farms. The return of infections coincides with the annual fall migration
BCOct 28, 2025

Two youth arrested after reported robbery at New Westminster’s Moody Park

New Westminster Police say two youth have been arrested following a reported robbery involving a child at Moody Park on Saturday evening. Officers were called around 5:30 p.m. on October 26 after a parent reported that their child, under the age of 16, had been grabbed from behind by two other youth who demanded money. Police determined that one of the suspects was known to the victim. Both suspects were located nearby, arrested for robbery, and later released to their guardians while the investigation continues. “This is a concerning incident for both the young victim and their family,” s

Related News