February 6,2026
RED FM News Desk
Recent shifts in police governance in Surrey, along with similar calls from Vancouver, highlight the shortcomings of Premier David Eby’s approach to public safety, according to Macklin McCall, Conservative Critic for Public Safety and Solicitor General.
After promising to protect British Columbians, McCall says the Premier is now reacting to crises of his own creation, leaving municipalities to fill gaps caused by a lack of provincial leadership, planning, and capacity.
“In Surrey, the police board appointed entirely by Premier Eby was failing,” McCall said. “It was a broken model where the mayor could not communicate with the board or chief, and public safety suffered. The recent structural changes are positive but reactive, with no provincial accountability.”
He added that the mid-crisis overhaul in Surrey sets a precedent: while provincial oversight is necessary, police governance and operations must reflect local community needs rather than centralized control from Victoria.
Mayor Ken Sim’s request for similar authority in Vancouver underscores what McCall calls a broader provincial failure. “When cities must demand basic control over police governance, it shows the province has not delivered stability, capacity, or results,” he said.
McCall pointed to training capacity as a key issue. Outside the RCMP, police training is limited to the Justice Institute of British Columbia (JIBC), which lacks sufficient seats to meet vacancies and retirements. Allowing Vancouver to establish its own police academy could speed up officer deployment and free up JIBC seats for agencies like the Surrey Police Service.
“What both Surrey and Vancouver are proposing is responsible local leadership where the province has failed,” McCall said. “Police boards must reflect community needs and should never be monopolized by the Premier’s Office, especially during a policing shortage across B.C.”
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