One of our most-read stories from the past week involved the NOW’s revelation that the City of Burnaby owes the federal government $1.2 million for the cost of policing pipeline protests.
We don’t have a breakdown of those costs, unfortunately, but are working to get it.
I’d like to know what kind of control the city has had in the past for how many officers are sent to these protests.
I at the Trans Mountain tank farm. There were a lot of police officers at this thing and I can only imagine the bill for that one events multiplied by all of the other events.
And this is the point – that $1.2-million bill is only part of the cost that will likely be paid by Burnaby taxpayers.
The figure only covers up until March 31, 2018. There were a lot more protests that took place all spring and summer and even into the early fall. There were also the policing costs for the raid on Camp Cloud.
These all add up.
Ex-Mayor Derek Corrigan liked to puff up his chest and say that Burnaby would not pay these costs, but the feds see things differently.
Public Safety Canada spokesperson Zarah Malik told the NOW that Burnaby must pay 90 per cent of “costs associated with maintaining law and order in the City of Burnaby resulting from incidents, including demonstrations.” The Municipal Policing Service Agreement only requires the federal government to pay the remaining 10 per cent, Malik said.Ěý
Now, Mayor Mayor Mike Hurley is trying to see if he can use a different approach to getting help from the feds.
He and Minister of Public Safety Ralph Goodale are set to talk on the phone soon about it. Perhaps with a wrecking ball like Corrigan gone, the feds will take pity on the city.
That, however, would set a precedent that I doubt the feds would want to set, but I guess in an election year, anything is possible.
Follow Chris Campbell on Twitter @shinebox44
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