A battle over splitting policing in 91原创 City and Township became a dispute over a confidential RCMP report on de-integration this week, with the two municipalities at odds over its findings.
While the RCMP report doesn鈥檛 take sides, the City released an assessment on Monday, June 3, that said the review, by the RCMP B.C. headquarters at 鈥淓鈥� Division, supports their position against a split because it shows the move would increase inefficiency and hike costs for taxpayers in both municipalities.
In response, the Township released the full report to the 91原创 Advance Times, which said on the second page that it was 鈥渇or internal use only by the Township of 91原创 and the City of 91原创 and was not intended as a public document in its entirety.鈥�
READ ALSO: Splitting 91原创 RCMP would increase taxpayer costs, inefficiency: City report
About the same time, the Township revealed it had threatened to sue the City for failing to pay its share of policing costs, and the City then hand-delivered a cheque, blaming the the Township for the delay in payment because it was refusing to renew an expired joint policing agreement.
In separate interviews with the 91原创 Advance Times, Township Mayor Eric Woodward and City Mayor Nathan Pachal were far apart on the question of de-integration, with Woodward saying it would go forward with or without the City鈥檚 co-operation, while Pachal said the final decision was up to the provincial government, not the Township.
Woodward said the City doesn鈥檛 have a say in the matter.
鈥淭he decision has been made, this is not up for debate,鈥� Woodward declared.
鈥淭his is not up for the City of 91原创 to say which option they want. It鈥檚 not up to them.鈥�
Pachal called that 鈥渃ompletely erroneous.鈥�
鈥淚t is a joint agreement. The city has a voice and the Township has a voice,鈥� said Pachal, who pointed to the battle over policing in Surrey, where the province overruled a council attempt to cancel a switch from the RCMP to a municipal force.
鈥淵ou can鈥檛 force the Surrey RCMP to stay [and] you can鈥檛 force the 91原创 RCMP to de-integrate,鈥� Pachal said.
鈥淲e know they [the province] had the final say in Surrey.鈥�
Woodward said his 鈥渦nderstanding is the minister is not able to deny us that [de-integration], the way the law currently says. They鈥檙e not [going to be] imposing anything on us like they are on the City of Surrey. We鈥檙e looking to have our own RCMP detachment for residents and taxpayers of the Township, and we鈥檙e entitled to that.鈥�
READ ALSO: 91原创 Township threatens to sue City over RCMP costs
As for the dispute over the cheque, a City payment was drawn up on May 9, but wasn鈥檛 delivered right away because, Pachal said, the deal with the Township had expired in 2022, and the the City was pressing for at least a temporary renewal.
Pachal said the Township has refused multiple requests to sit down and discuss the matter, commenting, 鈥淚 believe we were essentially ghosted.鈥�
Woodward said the city was being 鈥渄isingenuous.鈥�
鈥淭hey literally sent us a letter saying they would not pay us unless we renewed the agreement under the old terms.鈥�
Concerning the internal E Division report, Woodward said he took the 鈥渄rastic step鈥� of releasing the full RCMP documment because the City statement about the review was 鈥渁ttempting to create a narrative that the RCMP don鈥檛 support the transition, when in fact the RCMP are neutral in this process.鈥�
鈥淭he way it was presented in the City of 91原创 press release was deeply offensive and frustrating to me,which led me to the conclusion that I had to provide you with the facts,鈥� Woodward said.
According to Woodward, the report shows the split will have the biggest financial impact on the City.
鈥淚t鈥檚 going to cost the City of 91原创 a significant amount of money,and it鈥檚 of no concern to me that they鈥檙e not a viable municipality financially,鈥� Woodward said.
Pachal called the report 鈥漵omewhat confidential鈥� and expressed surprise the Township had released the entire document.
鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛,鈥� Pachal said.
Pachal expressed hope the two municipalities can still work things out.
鈥淲e鈥檙e neighbours and I hope we will be friends in the future,鈥� Pachal said.
READ ALSO: By the numbers: How do 91原创 City, Township stack up on shared policing?
