Surrey mayor charged with public mischief after incident involving his foot

Dec 10 2021, 7:44 pm

After a highly publicized incident involving Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum, the BC Prosecution Service has officially approved a charge of mischief against the mayor.

An altercation allegedly transpired on or about September 4, 2021, in or near Surrey, confirmed the BCPS.

At the time, Surrey RCMP appealed to the public for witnesses, and in a statement to the media, McCallum alleged that he was “verbally assaulted” and struck by a car.

According to RCMP, the incident took place in the parking lot of a Save on Foods in Surrey located at 3033 152nd Street at approximately 12:30 pm at a “Keep the RCMP in Surrey” rally.

In a media statement on Friday, December 10, the BCPS announced that Special Prosecutor Richard Fowler QC approved a charge of public mischief against the mayor.

The information charging Mayor McCallum was sworn in on December 10 and the first court appearance is scheduled in the new year for January 25, 2022, in Surrey Provincial Court.

“The appointment of a Special Prosecutor is intended to avoid any potential for real or perceived improper influence in the administration of justice,” said the BCPS.

“The BC RCMP Major Crime Section – Special Projects Unit took conduct of the Surrey RCMP investigation to ensure there was no potential for real or perceived conflict of interest or improper influence.”

Mr. Fowler’s appointment as a Special Prosecutor to give legal help and advice to the RCMP during the investigation of the complaint was announced on September 20, 2021.

“Prosecutor Mr. Fowler was given a mandate to provide legal advice to the RCMP investigators as may be necessary, conduct any related charge assessment, and assume conduct of the prosecution if charges were approved,” said BCPS.

Now, BCPS says the matter is before the courts.

If you’re curious to learn more about the prosecution service and how the criminal justice system works in BC, you can follow @bcprosecution on Twitter.

Daily Hive reached the office of Mayor McCallum who provided a brief statement:

“We are in the middle of changing from RCMP to the Surrey Police Service and as this matter is before the courts, I will not be making any comment.”

According to a release from Tuesday, November 30, Surrey RCMP is still in command in Surrey. Surrey Police Service officers have begun supporting and shadowing them in a phased and integrated policing transition.

With files from Amir Ali

Sarah AndersonSarah Anderson

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