The Surrey Police Service has begun training the first class of new recruits. The 14 recruit officers will graduate as Certified Municipal Constables in March next year. The training process involves a two-week onboarding training course with the SPS before 23 weeks at The Justice Institute of BC (JIBC) Police Academy, and finally 21 weeks of field training with the service. According to the SRS, the first class of recruits is compromised of 11 men and three women. Nine of them identity as coming from a diverse community, and six speak a second language.
The Safe Surrey Coalition majority on council has given final approval to contentious amendments to the Council Code of Conduct Bylaw Council voted last night on the final adoption of the amendment that will put a moratorium on the city ethics commissioner processing any new complaints lodged against council members until after the Oct. 15 civic election.
Surrey council awarded a $2.3 million contract to improve traffic signals at six locations in Surrey last night. This is for three pedestrian signal crossings near 128th and 96th Avenue, 111 Avenue and 128 Street, and King George Blvd. and 97A Avenue. Also included in the work is the rebuilding of a traffic signal at 24 Avenue and 152 Street. The contract work is expected to begin in May and be completed by September.
When women from across the country compete for the title of Miss Universe Canada in just a few weeks, South Surrey will be represented. Contestant Gloren Guelos is a nurse for seniors in the Lower Mainland community. She also works as an instructor for healthcare assistants at two different colleges. If she wins on May 14th, she will go on to represent Canada internationally at the Miss Universe competition, which has been a goal of hers since she was little.
Premier John Horgan says he is sorry for using the F-word during a debate with the Opposition Liberals over B-C’s shortage of family doctors. The question period ended with the speaker calling on members to behave like adults and refrain from making debates personal. Liberal House Leader Todd Stone rose in the legislature shortly afterwards requesting a point of privilege to discuss the matter further at another time. The premier later returned to the legislature to apologize, saying his passion for health care got the better of him.
Police in Ottawa are bracing for another convoy protest in the nation’s capital this weekend — this time on motorcycles. Ottawa Interim Police Chief Steve Bell says after the three-week protest that shut down city streets earlier this year, no vehicles will be allowed near Parliament Hill or the National War Memorial as part of a protest. One of the organizers of a planned “Rolling Thunder Ottawa” motorcycle convoy is warning if police don’t allow hundreds of protesters to bring their bikes onto the streets in their planned route on Friday, it will be a “free for all” and a safety issue.