B.C. law enforcement favours education over fines when it comes to COVID-19 violations

Many police departments in B.C. are choosing to educate the public about COVID-19 restrictions rather than handing out fines, unless they deem enforcement absolutely necessary. 

British Columbians have made hundreds of calls to police over the past four months, with reports of neighbours hosting parties, people not wearing masks in businesses, and other concerns relating to the COVID-19 pandemic.

As of March 29, public health restrictions in B.C. limit indoor gatherings to those who live in the same household or, for those who live alone, to their core bubble. That means no parties, no celebrations, religious gatherings, or cultural events. The restrictions will remain in place until at least May 24, after the Victoria Day long weekend.

Additionally, public health officials continue to require wearing masks in indoor settings, like businesses, community centres and other public, indoor places. 

But some people continue to flout the rules, prompting neighbours, business owners and other members of the public to call in law enforcement to take action. 

Kamloops resident Ken White called police when he noticed a neighbour having a house party. It wasn't the first time he'd witnessed a large gathering at the house.

"Obviously, these people are not adhering to the directions that the health authorities are giving us, but yet it's hard to make that decision to call because they are your neighbours," he told CBC's Jenifer Norwell. 

"I just felt it was time to do something."

He said when police finally arrived, after two calls to the station, they had a brief conversation with the residents and left. 

Though each police department seems to record calls about COVID-19 violations differently, there is a clear similarity between municipalities when it comes to the low numbers of fines being issued relative to the number of calls to police.

Prince George

In Prince George, RCMP received 101 calls related to COVID-19 between January and May 2021. Const. Jennifer Cooper said most of those complaints were in regards to others not following the public health guidelines. 

Two of the 101 calls resulted in violation fines: one for having too many people in a residence, and the second for not quarantining after arriving from outside the country. 

Vancouver

The Vancouver Police Department said it received 1,099 COVID-19 related calls between January 1 and May 5. More than 200 tickets were issued, totalling $110,000 in fines for COVID violations during that period. 

"Our priority continues to be responding to 911 calls, Criminal Code complaints, and other emergencies before responding to COVID complaints, however we do make every effort to respond to complaints when we can," a spokesperson for the VPD said.  

Kelowna

In Kelowna, which has been home to several large anti-mask rallies over the past few months, 412 reports of COVID-19 violations have been recorded by RCMP since mid-March 2020.

 A total of 33 fines have been issued. 

Neighbouring West Kelowna has received 109 reports, resulting in 10 fines.

Kamloops

RCMP in Kamloops received 231 calls about COVID-19 violations from January 1 to mid-April, and issued one fine: $1,000 to a person who refused to follow quarantine rules

"An education approach was attempted and failed," Const. Crystal Evelyn said. 

"Enforcement is one of the options that we have. It's generally a last resort and it's only one that we've had to resort to so far. Most of the calls you'll see ended with the education portion."

In some cases, police arrive at a residence or business to attend to a call, and don't find any violations happening at that time. 

Additionally, Evelyn said that just because a violation isn't handed out right away, doesn't mean police can't return and issue a fine later on. 

Although police are largely taking an educational approach to COVID violations, Evelyn encourages anyone who is concerned about their safety to call police.

"It's the same as anything, COVID or another public safety concern," she said. 

"If you have a concern for safety and it's not just the safety of yourself, but the safety of others, just like, you know, if you saw somebody on the roadway that needed assistance and that sort of thing or you were afraid for their safety [you] would call in."