With the City of Surrey moving to a municipal police force, one Burnaby city councillor wants the RCMP to move its provincial headquarters to this city.
BC RCMP, or E Division, is the largest division in the RCMP, with about one-third of the entire federal force located in the province.
Division headquarters are currently located at 14200 Green Timbers Way in Surrey, and Coun. Mike Hillman wants the city to reach out to Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald and propose a move to Burnaby.
Hillman will put forward a motion Monday directing Mayor Mike Hurley to write to McDonald “regarding an opportunity to relocate the RCMP’s ‘E’ Division Headquarters to Burnaby.”
In his notice of motion, Hillman notes Burnaby will become the largest RCMP detachment in Canada once Surrey fully transitions to a municipal force – a phased transition already in progress but without a concrete time frame having yet been announced.
Hillman also notes Burnaby RCMP’s current facilities are in need of “substantial upgrades” or replacement.
Besides Hurley writing to McDonald, Hillman also proposes city staff start “a consultation process with the Burnaby RCMP, members of the public, and other relevant stakeholders regarding a long-term vision to replace and expand their current facilities and ideally to relocate the RCMP’s ‘E’ Division Headquarters in Burnaby.”
Hillman's motion is scheduled to go before council at a public meeting Monday at 5 p.m.
Follow Cornelia Naylor on Twitter @CorNaylor
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