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Former Surrey police chief Norm Lipinski is going to court to challenge his dismissal.
Lipinski was hired as the Surrey Police Service’s (SPS) first-ever chief in 2020, and had his contract extended for three years in October 2025.
He was abruptly terminated on June 1 — less than 10 weeks after the province, in consultation with the City of Surrey, replaced five members of the Surrey Police Board.
In a B.C. Supreme Court petition filed on Monday, Lipinksi is seeking to have his dismissal reversed, arguing the termination was unlawful and that the contractual terms he was fired under are “void and of no effect.”
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He further argues that he was denied procedural fairness, and that the Surrey Police Board failed to follow its own legally-defined processes and governance framework.
Lipinski’s termination was “motivated by extraneous political considerations, disconnected from Chief Lipinski’s conduct or competence,” the document alleges.
“The purported action of the board or members of the board are unlawful and fundamentally undermine the independence of the Chief Constable and the nature of the important public office held by the Chief Constable,” it adds.
In the wake of Lipinski’s termination two Surrey Police Board members, including then-chair Harley Chappell, resigned.
Former Surrey Police Board chair Harley Chappell resigned in the wake of Lipinski’s termination. (CBC)
Chappell wasn’t at the special board meeting at which Lipinski’s termination was decided.
In an affidavit filed with the petition, Chappell alleges he was told directly that “there would be no substantive business or decision-making” at the meeting.
The petition also claims that Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke, who was elected in 2022 on campaign pledges to reverse the contentious Surrey police transition, “continually undermined [Lipinski] and sought to have him removed from office.”
The document alleges that, in 2023, Locke met with former Abbotsford police chief Mike Serr — who was then serving as administrator of the Surrey Police Board — and “expressed that she did not like that Chief Lipinski was the Chief Constable of the SPS, and was unhappy with Chief Lipinski’s [spouse].”
It alleges Locke told an SPS member in August 2024 that “we need to get rid of Chief Lipinski” as “he is the real problem.”
Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke is currently seeking re-election. (Ben Nelms/CBC)
It further claims that Lipinski underwent more than half a dozen performance reviews, including an external “360 review” in May 2025 that included feedback from 17 internal and external participants, all of which “were exceptional.”
At no point in the lead-up to his termination was Lipinksi approached with any concerns about his performance, it alleges.
‘No statutory provision’
The petition argues that under both common law and B.C.’s Police Act, police chiefs hold a legally independent office, and cannot be dismissed without cause or procedural protections.
“Despite the board’s supervisory authority over the [chief constable] … there is no statutory provision that gives the board the authority to terminate the chief constable without cause,” it states.
“The Police Act contains a detailed scheme for the discipline and possible dismissal of the Chief Constable, with significant procedural protections.”
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It argues that even though Lipinski’s contract does have provisions for termination without cause, those clauses are subordinate to provincial law.
The suit goes on to argue that even if the board did have authority to terminate him, Lipinski was denied procedural fairness. It claims he was not given any notice or offered an opportunity to address the board.
It also argues that the board didn’t adhere to its own statutory procedures, including holding a special meeting convened by the board chair.
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CBC News requested comment from Locke, and was referred to the Surrey Police Board.
In a statement, the board said it was aware of the petition, and that its top priorities remain public safety and recruiting a new chief.
“The Board is reviewing and considering the matter and will respond in the normal course,” the statement reads.
“Because this matter involves a former employee and is before the Court, the Board will not be commenting publicly.”
None of the claims in Lipinski’s petition have been proven in court.