Surrey council launches external investigation into 3 councillors' alleged misleading statements

Shaurya Kshatri · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 25, 2025 12:51 AM EDT | Last Updated: 9 minutes ago

Surrey assembly has voted astatine a closed-door gathering to motorboat an outer probe into 3 metropolis councillors, 2 of whom criticized unit aft being forced to record a state of accusation petition to entree metropolis files.

A connection from the city said the investigation was ordered over concerns the councillors whitethorn person violated metropolis policies by disclosing confidential assembly accusation to the nationalist and misrepresenting metropolis unit directives. 

It said the closed-door gathering was held connected Friday to code caller nationalist statements made by councillors Mike Bose and Linda Annis regarding the city's declaration with Hunden Strategic Partners Inc., a Chicago-based existent property consulting steadfast hired to counsel connected 2 caller amusement districts successful the city.

Bose and Annis released a connection to the media past week that Bose had requested details of the declaration from the city's concern department. The councillor said helium was reportedly told that he would request to record a ceremonial state of accusation (FOI) petition to entree the documents, thing Bose described arsenic a "slap successful the face."

"I thought that accusation I was asking for would person been disposable to me," helium told CBC News.

Both the councillors from the absorption enactment Surrey First are recommending the metropolis cancel its contract with the U.S.-based company over ongoing tensions betwixt Canada and the United States.

"We request to bargain Canadian; we request to enactment our Canadian businesses," Bose said. "We're asking our residents to bash that; we request to amusement enactment and beryllium doing that ourselves."

Mayor Brenda Locke says that Hunden was hired successful 2024, good earlier the existent U.S. tariff environment, and that "all contractual arrangements person been conducted lawfully."

"Any proposition by councillors Bose and Annis that our nonrecreational unit acted improperly by directing accusation requests done the FOI process is unfounded," she said successful the city's statement. 

Locke besides criticized councillors for involving metropolis unit successful governmental disputes.

"Any councillor who deliberately drags our dedicated unit into partisan agendas volition beryllium called to relationship for misrepresenting the facts," Locke said. 

The city's probe besides involves Coun. Doug Elford, who was besides directed to record an FOI request when helium inquired astir the wage details of 2 metropolis employees.

"This includes misleading accusation provided to the media by Councillor Elford that unit should person simply handed him accusation regarding the salaries of staff members, implying that unit were obstructing him owed to his position," the politician said.

Councillors accidental they aren't successful the wrong

Annis says successful the six years she has served arsenic a councillor she has ne'er been asked to record an FOI to entree information.

"Councillors should beryllium entitled to look astatine immoderate information," she told CBC News. "They can't needfully stock it with the public, but they should beryllium capable to look astatine anything. That's the mode they tin marque the champion and astir informed decision."

The councillor besides maintains that she hasn't breached immoderate privateness laws in talking publically astir the city's engagement with Hunden.

"I'm wholly astonished that [the mayor] thinks we person breached immoderate codification of behaviour contented astir leaking accusation from closed council," she added. "It's wide known that [the company] is doing concern with the city."

LISTEN | Surrey councillors transportation waterfront amusement district: 

University of B.C. governmental subject lecturer Stewart Prest says requiring a councillor to record an FOI petition raises accountability concerns. 

"I honestly don't recognize however the Surrey metropolis unit tin … expect councillors to beryllium capable to correspond their constituents efficaciously without entree to the accusation they request to measure … the actions of the city," helium said. 

Prest says the concern besides points to deeper issues wrong council, peculiarly successful however antithetic governmental groups communicate.

"There is simply a consciousness of an inability to person an effectual moving narration betwixt Brenda Locke, her governing majority, and absorption members of council," helium said.

City discloses declaration details

The metropolis has disclosed a summary of the Hunden contract, revealing that astir 55 per cent of the consulting enactment remains to beryllium completed. 

The Chicago consulting steadfast has been conducting feasibility studies for a caller 12,000-seat stadium and 2 caller amusement districts — 1 successful the metropolis centre and different successful Cloverdale.

Bose said helium was gladsome the declaration was present nationalist but maintained that metropolis councillors should not person to record FOI requests to entree metropolis concern information.

The metropolis besides released a ineligible sentiment from a section authorities firm, outlining the limits of assembly members' entree to municipal records nether the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA), the Community Charter, and metropolis bylaws.

According to the ineligible opinion, idiosyncratic assembly members bash not person unrestricted entree to metropolis records, particularly those that are confidential oregon privileged. If they question records extracurricular of a ceremonial assembly request, they indispensable spell done the aforesaid FOI process arsenic the public.