Surrey police board faces calls for investigation into chief's termination
Severance details remain secret; board chair and director resign after Norm Lipinski ouster.
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Nearly two weeks after the termination of Surrey Police Chief Norm Lipinski, questions linger about the process, the cost to taxpayers, and whether proper procedures were followed.
The Surrey police board voted May 29 to terminate Lipinski without cause in a closed meeting. He was out by June 4. But the city and police board have refused to disclose his severance package, saying details will be released later when the board publishes its financial statement. This lack of transparency has drawn criticism from budget watchdogs and former officials.
"From the beginning, the Surrey police transition has been a big boondoggle for taxpayers," said Carson Binda, B.C. director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation. "It's gone significantly over-budget, and there's been political interference from all levels of government."
The ouster has also triggered resignations within the police board itself. Chair Harley Chappell quit in protest, saying he wasn't present at the closed meeting and wasn't informed about the motion to terminate Lipinski. Days later, director James Carwana also resigned. A source told Postmedia that Carwana was the sole vote against termination.
Chappell has claimed the board's decision violated government policies and was politically influenced. Former Surrey mayor Doug McCallum is now calling for an independent police investigation into the firing and the board resignations — but not by the RCMP. McCallum notes that interim board chair Rob Stutt is a former Mountie, which creates a conflict of interest. "The people at the centre of this have spent four years fighting to keep the RCMP in Surrey. You cannot ask the same force to investigate the very people who championed it," McCallum said.
The province says no investigation is currently underway, but notes that a process exists for reviewing decisions if individuals have concerns. "To date, no complaint or evidence to suggest that the Surrey police board or any member of the board contravened the Police Act has been received by the province," the Public Safety Ministry stated.
Meanwhile, residents are left wondering what triggered the sudden termination and what severance obligations the city has incurred.