Surrey Police Support attorney threatens lawful action against seniors pursuing botched flexibility-of-information and facts ask for

The ongoing combat in between supporters of a Surrey city law enforcement section and people seeking to retain the RCMP took an uncommon flip last week.

On August 18, a law firm for the Surrey Law enforcement Assistance accused a citizen of unlawfully distributing information that the section had released in reaction to a freedom-of-facts ask for.

In a letter stamped “Non-public + Private” on Roper Greyell LLP letterhead, Keri L. Bennett stated that her business has been retained by the Surrey Police Support.

The letter was resolved to Hilary Thomas and Merle Scott, two females who assist the Preserve the RCMP in Surrey campaign.

Bennett maintained that Thomas, either on her personal or on behalf of a team identified as Preserve the RCMP in Surrey, unlawfully utilised and distributed the email deal with of SPS Main Constable Norm Lipinksi on social-media platforms.

In addition, the lawyer claimed that there were being “substance misrepresentations to the public relating to SPS and Chief Cst. Lipinski”.

That’s followed by various calls for from Bennett. She wishes, amongst other issues, a listing revealing to whom this individual details was dislosed to. Furthermore, Thomas and Scott must cease and desist from creating “unauthorized and unlawful disclosure of Main Cst. Lipinski’s or other SPS employees’ personal details”.

Failure to do so could lead to the commencement of a civil motion, Bennett warned.

Bennett also uncovered in the letter that the Surrey Police Support “is in the system of preparing an amended reaction to the applicable liberty of information ask for that will be delivered to Ms. Thomas in which the own info will be appropriately redacted”. 

Below segment 22 of the Liberty of Information and facts and Protection of Privateness Act, the head of a general public physique should refuse to disclose own info if this would be an unreasonable invasion of a third party’s personalized privacy.

Meanwhile, a member of the Preserve the RCMP in Surrey Marketing campaign has accused the Surrey Law enforcement Pressure of engaging in “intimidation” with the letter. As a end result, Ivan Michael Scott feels that the chair of the board, Mayor Doug McCallum, and Main Lipinski need to resign.

“It is asserted that the two females illegally revealed details acquired unquestionably legally by way of a Freedom Of Information and facts request answered by the self-identical SPS,” Scott mentioned in a letter to the media. “They have threatened to get started civil proceedings towards these two seniors although staying paid by Surrey taxpayer revenue. Incredulous!” 

Bennett’s letter also unveiled that the Preserve the RCMP in Surrey Twitter account was “briefly locked and the offending post eradicated” because it violated the social-media firm’s guidelines.

“Productive the time of this letter, the details nonetheless appears on the KTRIS account in modified sort,” Bennett mentioned in the letter.

She alleged that this was in violation of the Personal Data and Safety Act and the Privacy Act.

“More, be recommended that the Illegal Perform could be regarded as and, if essential, introduced to the attention to the Office of the Information and facts and Privacy Commissioner of British Columbia should any further flexibility of information requests be designed by Ms. Thomas and/or KTRIS in the upcoming,” Bennett extra.