Surrey Taxpayers On Hook For McCallum Legal Fees
The public mischief trial for outgoing mayor of Surrey, Doug McCallum, has begun this Halloween.
The charge stems from a confrontation between McCallum and a woman in a grocery store parking lot last month.
His version of events has invoked an investigation into whether a false statement was made.
What is at the centre of events is that the City of Surrey has announced they will be paying the legal fees for McCallum.
McCallum is being represented by Richard Peck, the high-profile lawyer who led the legal team responsible for Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou’s defence as she fought extradition to the United States.
Surrey mayor-elect Brenda Locke believes taxpayers should not be on the hook for McCallum’s litigation costs as the incident occurred during his personal time. She has hired an outside lawyer in hopes of recouping the fees already paid.
A petition calling for the City of Surrey to stop paying McCallum’s legal bills has received over 16,000 signatures to date.
“He hired one of the most expensive lawyers in Canada, I would venture to guess,” Surrey councillor-elect Linda Annis told CTV News Vancouver.“ And if he was paying for it out of his own pocket, would he have done that? I doubt it and I think that's just wrong. It’s a misuse of taxpayer’s money,”
City of Surrey by-law 15912 states that all municipal officials can be compensated for legal costs while acting on the performance of their duties.
