SURREY — The police board in Surrey, B.C., says it has chosen its next chair, days after the last chair resigned over a controversial dismissal of the city’s police chief.

The Surrey Police Board says in a statement that it will be electing board member Perm Jawanda as its next chair.

Former chair and Semiahmoo First Nation Chief Harley Chappell stepped down last week, citing his opposition to the decision to fire Chief Const. Norm Lipinski.

Chappell said that the “political tentacles and pressures have reached too deeply” into the board and the board made the decision at a special meeting that he did not attend.

Lipinski’s dismissal marks the latest skirmish in a tumultuous relationship between Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke and the city’s fledgling municipal police force.

Locke had tried to stop the change away from the RCMP to a local force after her election in 2022, challenging the switch in court before reaching a deal with the provincial government to complete the shift.

The board says in its statement that Surrey’s police operations remain uninterrupted by the leadership change, and efforts are underway to recruit a new chief constable.

“Through this leadership transition at SPS, we will remain focused on providing the governance and oversight necessary to build a trusted, modern, and responsive police service,” the statement says.

Lipinski has been replaced on an interim basis by Deputy Chief Const. Todd Matsumoto.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 12, 2026.

The Canadian Press