The last year hasn’t been a fun one for Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum.
Ongoing controversy dates back to September of last year when the Surrey mayor appeared at a Keep the RCMP in Surrey rally.
At the event, McCallum alleged that he was “verbally assaulted” before he got struck by a grey Ford Mustang. The altercation occurred on September 4, 2021 at a Save on Foods parking lot in Surrey.
Surrey RCMP investigated the incident, and the results of the investigation weren’t favourable for the Surrey mayor.
Now, residents and some members of Surrey City Council are calling on the mayor to step down.
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Three months after the incident, BC Prosecution Service Special Prosecutor Richard Fowler QC approved a charge of public mischief against the mayor. He is expected in court on Halloween of this year.
One of the councillors who is calling on the mayor to step aside is Linda Annis, who has been critical of McCallum since well before these latest incidents.
In a statement, Annis said that councillors need to put the people of Surrey ahead of McCallum, suggesting that there are four people who are keeping him in power, her fellow councillors.
She addressed them all by name; Doug Elford, Laurie Guerra, Mandeep Nagra and Allison Patton.
Annis said the four of them “need to take a good look in the mirror and ask themselves why they continue to give Doug McCallum a free pass while they ignore what’s best for our city. Their personal loyalty should be to the city, not the mayor.”
Daily Hive reached out to some of these councillors, and only Guerra responded.
“I’m not asking the mayor to resign, I support the best interests of the City of Surrey and as always from the beginning support the transition from RCMP to Surrey Police,” she said.
On the other side, Daily Hive reached out to another councillor, Jack Hundial.
“I have been asking him to step down ever since charges were first filed.”
We also reached out to the Surrey Board of Trade, who responded with a statement saying that the situation is embarrassing for Surrey’s brand and reputation.
There have also been calls for McCallum to step down as chair of the Surrey Police Board in light of the allegations against him.
The @SPSBoard has been made aware, but the lack of action underminds everything they do@marcomendicino @mikefarnworthbc @BCPoliceChiefs @JIBCnews @BCRCMP @laurenpcollins1 https://t.co/96LkAN1qya
— Jack Hundial (@JackHundial) May 22, 2022
In a completely separate controversy, the Surrey mayor faced heat over a proposed amendment to an ethics bylaw.
With the next Surrey civic election set to take place on October 15, when McCallum’s Halloween court date rolls around, he may no longer even be the mayor of Surrey. Till then, there will likely be more political fuel poured into this proverbial fire.
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