What to know
- Freedom Party of British Columbia leader Amrit Birring and 67-year-old Errol Povah have been charged with mischief over $5,000 after allegedly defacing a rainbow Pride crosswalk in Surrey.
- The 2SLGBTQIA+ rainbow crosswalk was allegedly spray-painted during a May 30 protest and vandalized again on June 27, resulting in an additional charge against Povah.
- Surrey Police’s investigation involved frontline officers, the Major Crime Section and the Hate Crime Coordinator, with investigators seeking additional information from the public.
- The alleged vandalism comes amid heightened political debates over 2SLGBTQIA+ rights and a sustained rise in police-reported hate crimes targeting sexual orientation across Canada, though advocates say many incidents still go unreported.
A politician in British Columbia has received criminal charges after he allegedly defaced a rainbow crosswalk in Surrey.
Two men, including Amrit Birring, the leader of the Freedom Party of British Columbia, have been arrested and criminally charged following an investigation by Surrey Police Service (SPS) into two incidents where a Queer crosswalk was vandalized.
On May 30, 2026, at approximately 3:48 p.m., Surrey police responded to reports of mischief involving a rainbow crosswalk dedicated to the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. The mischief allegedly occurred during a protest.
When officers arrived at the intersection of Old Yale Rd. and University Dr. in Surrey, they found a rainbow-coloured Pride crosswalk that had been spray-painted. The alleged vandalism was recorded and has since been shared across social media platforms, and police say that three men were identified as suspects.
SPS frontline investigators led the investigation, with assistance from the service’s Major Crime Section and Hate Crime Coordinator. The initial investigation into the May 30 incident led to Birring’s arrest. He was later released with numerous conditions.
Then on June 26, British Columbia’s Prosecution Service approved Criminal Code charges against both Birring and a 67-year-old man, Errol Povah. They were charged with one count of mischief over $5,000. Officials say Birring subsequently turned himself in at police headquarters before being arrested, and then released with conditions pending his upcoming court date. Meanwhile, Povah was arrested on July 3 before being released from custody with conditions.
While Birring has not been convicted, he did share a video of himself spray painting the crosswalk. The 58-year-old, who has unsuccessfully run for federal, provincial and municipal office, told the Canadian Press that he did not view the act as vandalism.
“It’s sending a message,” Birring said, adding that “This is part of activism.”
The same crosswalk was allegedly defaced once again on the morning of June 27, leading to Povah receiving another charge of mischief over $5,000.
Police in Surrey are calling for anyone with information about these incidents to contact their non-emergency line at 604-599-0502.
Rise in anti-2SLGBTQIA+ rhetoric and hate crimes
The incident comes amid growing political debate over 2SLGBTQIA+ rights in Canada and a rise in police-reported hate crimes targeting sexual orientation. Canada has long been viewed as a leader in 2SLGBTQIA+ rights, but in recent years Queer and especially Transgender rights have become the focus of increasingly contentious political debates.
Alberta has enacted legislation requiring parental consent for students under 16 to use a different name or pronouns at school, mandates parental notification in some cases, and restricts classroom instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation through an opt-in requirement. The province has also barred Transgender women and girls from participating in female amateur sports.
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Similar pronoun and parental notification policies have also been pursued in Saskatchewan and New Brunswick, while debates over gender-affirming care and Transgender participation in sports have spread across several provinces.
These policy changes have coincided with a sharp increase in police-reported hate crimes targeting sexual orientation in Canada. According to Statistics Canada, the country saw 186 reported hate crimes against the Queer community in 2018. That jumps to a record high of 889 in 2023, and while a lower number, 658, reports came in for 2024, that is still more than any year pre-pandemic.
Meanwhile, police and advocacy organizations in Canada say that hate crimes are substantially underreported, meaning official statistics likely underestimate the true number of incidents. Many victims choose not to report because of concerns about stigma, distrust of authorities, or fear of retaliation.
