‘I wish him well’: Mayor of Surrey, B.C., distances herself from police chief’s dismissal

Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke says she had nothing to do with Norm Lipinski’s departure as chief of the Surrey Police Service.

Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke insists Norm Lipinski’s departure as chief of the Surrey Police Service after five years in the role has nothing to do with her.

“We do not make those decisions at city hall,” Locke said Tuesday evening. “It’s all made by the Surrey Police Board.”

Locke went on to say she wished Lipinski well.

“I would just like to thank Chief Lipinski,” Locke said. “He took that process (of transitioning away from the RCMP and to the SPS) a very long way. It was challenging, absolutely. I wish him well, but I have no further comment.”

Locke went on to express confidence in interim SPS Chief Todd Matsumoto.

Lipinski’s dismissal prompted elected Semiahmoo First Nation Chief Harley Chappell to quit his role as chair of the Surrey Police Board.

He said the board made the decision to fire Lipinski at a meeting he wasn’t present for.

“I felt quite disrespected—by my position, by the role I played at the board,” Chappell told CTV News outside city hall Tuesday evening. “I just felt it wasn’t ethically or morally right for me to stay. I don’t agree with this.”

The question of why Lipinski was dismissed still lingers. Chappel said the board appeared frustrated with the pace of the SPS taking control over policing from the RCMP.

“The community policing model that he was bringing to the city, that was different from RCMP,” Chappell said. “It was different. And he was bringing this model and the vision and the view—this is going to take a little bit of time.”

Political rival Linda Annis called Lipinski ‘s firing politically motivated, pointing the finger at Locke.

“The mayor has not been supportive of this police transition,” Annis said. “She ran on keeping the RCMP when she got into office. She asked that they quit hiring officers.”

Others have questioned the communication surrounding the decision—with official confirmation of Lipinski’s ousting coming well after media reports.

“These are HR issues and they’re always challenging,” Locke said. “But it is really up to the Surrey Police Board to manage that. So I don’t have any comment.”

Lipinski’s ousting comes just months ahead of October’s municipal election, with discussions over policing and public safety set to feature prominently in the buildup to the vote.