Few fines being paid for COVID violations
Police agencies in B.C. have handed out nearly 100 tickets to people and businesses for violating provincial health orders or the federal Quarantine Act, but only a small number of those tickets have been paid.
On Aug. 21, Minister of Public Safety and solicitor general Mike Farnworth gave B.C. law enforcement the power to fine those hosting large gatherings $2,000, plus a $300 victim surcharge, and those who don't follow police direction or are “abusive” toward officers $200, plus a $30 surcharge. As of late last month, people can also be ticketed for disobeying the province's mask mandate.
According to the ministry, as of Nov. 27, 41 violation tickets were issued under the COVID-19 Related Measures Act for contravening provincial health orders. Nine tickets worth $2,300 were for contravening the food and liquor serving premises orders, while 32 tickets for $2,300 were given to owners or organizers who were disobeying the order on gatherings and events.
Another 45 tickets were issued for refusing to comply with direction from law enforcement, which are $230 each.
Police agencies in B.C. also enforce the federal Quarantine Act, and from the beginning of the pandemic until Nov. 27 they issued 65 tickets for contravening that act, which total just over $71,000. The ministry was unable to break down the tickets by region or municipality, but police in B.C.'s two largest cities were able to provide data.
Surrey RCMP have issued a total of 40 tickets since Aug. 18; 26 under the provincial act and 14 under the Quarantine Act. Twenty of the provincial tickets were for $2,300 and were issued to businesses or hosts of large gatherings, while six $230 tickets were issued to individuals.
Eleven of the federal tickets were for $1,150 and covered violations such as refusing to wear a mask in a customs screening area and violating quarantine. The rest were
$500 tickets for failing to comply with a screening officer's orders.
As of Dec. 4, Vancouver police have issued nine provincial violation tickets — five for $2,300 and four for $230.
Of the $104,650 in provincial tickets and $71,000 in federal tickets issued in B.C., the Insurance Corp. of B.C., which is tasked with collecting the fines, had received just $7,400 as of Dec. 2.
Farnworth said on Tuesday that he is considering increasing fines for repeat offenders. He said there is a “very small group” of religious organizations in the Fraser Valley that are not following guidelines or health orders. He said they have been ticketed and will continue to be ticketed each time they violate an order.
“It's unfortunate that we do have a small minority of people who, to put it bluntly, are ignorant when it comes to following these orders,” Farnworth said. “They like to say, `Well, we have rights.' We do have rights. We also have responsibilities, we have responsibilities to our loved ones and we have responsibilities to our community, and that is not to endanger the health of other people.”