Brenda Locke

The B.C. Supreme Court has quashed a bid by the City of Surrey to halt a transition to a municipal police force, with the judge ruling the province has a right to exert authority over municipalities.

It was, in British Columbia Solicitor General Mike Farnworth's own estimation, an "extraordinary" use of his powers.

A battle over police services in one of British Columbia's largest cities is looming with the election in Surrey of a new mayor promising to bring back the RCMP, who are currently being replaced with a municipal force.

Voters in British Columbia ushered in a wave of sweeping political change throughout the province in municipal elections on Saturday, October 15, 2022, that saw new mayors elected in Vancouver and Surrey and other major communities.