Ticketing police referendum canvasser in public park is petty politics and undemocratic

Surrey, B.C. (September 13, 2021): Surrey First Councillor Linda Annis says she wants assurance from Surrey’s city manager that “petty politics” are not behind the ticketing of a police referendum canvasser at Dogwood Park in south Surrey.

“Frankly, this whole thing looks much like the ticketing of Uber drivers when the service first started in Surrey and the confiscation of ‘Keep the RCMP in Surrey’ signs by city staff,” said Annis, the only councillor who ran on a policing referendum platform in the 2018 municipal election.

“You get the impression that if Doug McCallum doesn’t like something politically then he turns city hall against its own citizens. The citizen campaign to gather signatures demanding a policing referendum is about as grassroots and democratic as it gets. It shouldn’t make Doug McCallum and his four remaining councillors nervous.”

Annis said the signature campaign is sanctioned by Elections BC and the people involved are ordinary citizens who just want a say in who should police Surrey.

“Darlene Bennett and the referendum team are to be applauded for taking the initiative, instead they are being ticketed and harassed,” explained Annis who has signed the petition.

“Surrey city by-law officers have more important things to do than ticket ordinary citizens who are part of this grass roots democratic process. Someone has made ticketing and harassing them a priority, and I want to know who gave the harassment order.”

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Media contact
Councillor Linda Annis
604.345.0211