Saskatoon police remove photos posted to identify unmasked attendees at People's Party election event
Police say the majority of people photographed allegedly breaking public health orders have been identified
Photographs of 15 people who allegedly broke public health orders at the People's Party of Canada election night event have been removed from the Saskatoon Police Service's website.
Police have been investigating the party's Sept. 20 election night event, during which PPC Leader Maxime Bernier, who ran unsuccessfully in the Quebec riding of Beauce, spoke to supporters at the Saskatoon Inn.
Saskatoon police Deputy Chief Randy Huisman told CBC in late September that a "vast majority" of attendees at Bernier's Saskatoon event contravened the public health orders requiring masks indoors.
Numerous pictures of attendees were posted on the police service's website, gathered by plainclothes police who attended the event. The police service asked for the public's help in identifying 15 people determined to be flagrantly breaking health orders.
As people were identified, their pictures were removed from their website. All have now been removed.
"With the majority being identified and investigators still looking through the many tips we received, we made the decision to shut down the identify page," police spokesperson Brad Jennings told CBC in an email.
As of Friday, 20 tickets had either been issued, or were in the process of being issued, to people accused of violating public health orders at the election night event.
More tickets could be issued to attendees as evidence and tips are reviewed by police and public health inspectors, police said.
Scofflaws can be fined $2,800 and organizations can be handed tickets of $14,000 for violating public health orders, according to the government of Saskatchewan's website.