As he defends himself against a charge that he lied about being hit by a car driven by a political opponent, Doug McCallum will wear a costume unfamiliar to the citizens who voted him out earlier this month: a criminal defendant. But will a trick await the 78-year-old? That depends on the outcome of a seven-day trial that begins this morning.

A disputed meeting in a parking lot

McCallum was charged with one count of public disorder last December — three months after the encounter in a Save-on-Foods parking lot that sparked the criminal case. At the time, McCallum claimed that a member of the group opposing the city’s police transition had run over his leg. McCallum is pictured near a Surrey Police vehicle during his address to the city in 2019. The mayor claimed an opponent of city policing ran over his leg. (Ben Nelms/CBC) The group, Keep the RCMP in Surrey, was collecting signatures for a referendum policing campaign. The woman McCallum claimed ran him over said she was falsely accused of vehicular assault. The conflicting accounts will be put to the test during a trial that will likely depend heavily on surveillance video of the incident taken from various angles. Public nuisance charges include making false statements to mislead police officers. The BC RCMP Major Crime Unit led the investigation after taking over from the Surrey RCMP “to ensure there was no potential for an actual or perceived conflict of interest or undue influence.” McCallum will be represented by Richard Peck, the man who led the legal “dream team” responsible for defending Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou as she fought extradition to the United States. McCallum first served as mayor of Surrey from 1996 to 2005 — returning for a fourth term in 2018. He lost his most recent re-election campaign three weeks ago to Brenda Locke, who will take the helm when a new council is sworn in on November 7.

McCallum’s legal fees have been covered by the city up to that point.
But on Sunday, Locke told CBC News that she instructed city staff to stop the reimbursement. “I heard loud and clear from the residents that they do not want to pay his legal fees, so I have told staff that we are stopping any further payment, effectively immediately,” he said. Locke also said the city will consult with an outside attorney about recovering the legal fees it has already paid McCallum in the case. Under a city law, all city employees, including council members, can be reimbursed for expenses related to an incident that occurred while acting on behalf of the city. McCallum has faced criticism for claiming legal fees over an incident that occurred while he was not on city business. CBC News has contacted the City of Surrey for more information on McCallum’s legal fees.