Chair of Surrey Police Board resigns over chief’s firing, citing ‘political tentacles’

Chief Harley Chappell of the Semiahmoo First Nation is seen in an image from the Surrey Police Board website.

The chair of the Surrey Police Board has resigned, effective immediately, citing the decision to fire Chief Norm Lipinski from the city’s police force.

Harley Chappell—also the elected chief of the Semiahmoo First Nation—announced his resignation in a letter Tuesday, in which he made clear he disagreed with Lipinski’s removal from the Surrey Police Service.

Chappell said the board’s decision was made “during a special meeting” that he did not attend.

“I believe I have gone above and beyond in leading an independent, non-politically-influenced board,” Chappell wrote.

“Unfortunately I feel the political tentacles and pressures have reached far too deeply into our newly formed SPS board, and I morally and ethically cannot be part of this moving forward.”

Earlier in the day, the board confirmed Lipinski had “left” the department, and that Deputy Chief Todd Matsumoto was appointed interim chief until a permanent successor can be found.

The board did not provide any reason for Lipinski’s departure.

Mayoral candidate Linda Annis has also slammed the firing as “politically motivated,” noting that it followed years of Mayor Brenda Locke’s open hostility to Surrey’s transition away from the RCMP to its municipal police department—a process that is still underway.

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“Chief Lipinski’s termination by the mayor’s recent handpicked police board is another tragic example of how her political interference and personal vendetta against our local police department is making our city unsafe,” Annis said in a statement Tuesday.

It’s unclear how much severance pay Lipinski might be entitled to at the taxpayers’ expense.

CTV News asked Locke for an interview on Lipinski’s departure, but was provided a statement attributed to the mayor thanking the chief for his service.

“I am confident that the Surrey Police Board has a plan in place that will continue to prioritize keeping our neighbourhoods safe, while supporting the SPS to become a Canadian leader in trusted, modern, and responsive policing,” Locke said.

Locke was the chair of the Surrey Police Board until 2023, when the B.C. government suspended its operations and appointed an administrator to help with the city’s policing transition.

Before her removal, the mayor had expressed a lack of confidence in Lipinski as police chief.

With files from CTV News Vancouver’s Ben Miljure and Kraig Krause