Outgoing Surrey mayor Doug McCallum to spend Halloween defending himself against public mischief charge
On a day dedicated to widespread tomfoolery, Surrey’s mayor will be in a provincial court this Halloween trying to distance himself from one specific act of alleged public mischief.
As he defends himself against an accusation of lying about being struck by a car driven by a political opponent, Doug McCallum will don a costume unfamiliar to citizens who voted him out of office earlier this month: criminal defendant.
But will a trick or treat await┬аthe 78-year-old?
That depends on the outcome of a seven-day trial set to begin this morning.
A disputed parking-lot encounter
McCallum was charged with one count of public mischief last December┬атАФ three months after the┬аencounter in a Save-on-Foods parking lot that sparked the criminal case.
At the time, McCallum claimed┬аa member of the group opposing the city’s police transition had run over his foot.
The group, Keep the RCMP in Surrey, had been┬аcollecting signatures for a policing referendum campaign.
The woman McCallum claimed ran him over said┬аshe was┬аfalsely accused of vehicular assault.
The conflicting accounts will be put to the test during a trial likely to depend heavily on surveillance video of the incident taken from various angles.
Charges of public mischief involve┬аmaking false statements with the intention of misleading police officers.
The B.C. RCMP Major Crime Section headed the investigation after taking it over┬аfrom the Surrey RCMP “to ensure there was no potential for real or perceived conflict of interest or improper influence.”
McCallum will be represented by Richard Peck, the man who led the legal “dream team” responsible for mounting Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou’s defence as she fought against extradition to the United States.
McCallum┬аfirst served as Surrey’s mayor from 1996 to 2005 тАФ returning for a fourth term in 2018.
He lost his most recent┬аcampaign for re-election three weeks ago to Brenda Locke, who will take the helm when a new council is sworn in on Nov. 7.
New mayor cuts off legal-fee compensation
McCallum’s legal fees have been covered by the city up to this point.┬а
But on Sunday, Locke told CBC News that┬аshe has instructed city staff to stop┬аthe compensation.
“I heard loud and clear from residents that they do not want to pay his legal fees, so I have told staff we are ceasing any further payment, effectively immediately,” she said.
Locke also said the city will consult an outside lawyer about recovering legal fees it has already paid to McCallum related to the case.
According to a city bylaw, all municipal officials, including members of council, can be compensated for costs relating to an┬аincident that occurred while acting on behalf of the city.┬аMcCallum has faced criticism for claiming legal fees for an incident┬аthat┬аhappened while he was not on city business.
CBC News has contacted the City of Surrey for more information about┬аMcCallum’s legal fees.
