Victoria party host calls $2,300 fine for breaching COVID-19 rules ‘a bunch of BS’

‘He’s welcome to his opinion but he will be paying that fine,’ police say

A Victoria man says he will fight the $2,300 fine he received this weekend for hosting a party in his one-bedroom apartment that police say was so packed the windows fogged up. Nate Christian, 20, said he did nothing wrong and doesn’t understand why he was fined for violating the province’s public health orders during the COVID-19 pandemic. “I had a party, man. Not even a party, it was like a hangout. And everyone’s mad at me for it,” Christian told CHEK News. “I don’t know what the big hassle is about this. I just think it’s a bunch of BS.” Victoria police say Christian got a warning when they first visited his apartment in the 1000-block of Fort Street on Friday night. They say they returned twice that night, ultimately finding the apartment crammed with 30 people who were not practising physical distancing.“He’s welcome to his opinion but he will be paying that fine,” said police spokesperson Bowen Osoko. “We are happy to provide evidence as needed.” Victoria party host fined $2,300 for COV

ID-19 safety violations.

Police say they believe as many as 60 people attended the party and say Christian failed to document them and their contact information, which is required for tracing purposes should anyone contract COVID-19. He was fined for violating the COVID-19 Related Measures Act and received an additional $300 victim surcharge.

‘Cops really don’t like me’

Christian has a different version of events. He said there were just 15 people in the apartment when police returned, and that he was keeping tabs on his guests.

“I was following the rules, I gave everybody hand sanitizers, I took everyone’s name down and I showed the cops that and everything and they did not care,” he said.

“Cops really don’t like me … They’re always at my crib.” Police were back at the apartment Sunday after receiving a noise complaint. A person was arrested and fined $230 for obstructing police and violating public health orders. “That person also got themselves arrested for obstruction. Not a weekend of good decision making there,” said Osoko. Source: cbc.ca/news