RCMP seek witnesses to incident at Cowichan Aquatic Centre

Police are seeking witnesses to a disturbance at the Cowichan Aquatic Centre in North Cowichan on Saturday evening that sparked calls for a protest surrounding safety and privacy of single-sex spaces.

North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP responded to “a reported disturbance/fight” at the centre on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. A 33-second video showing a portion of the incident — which appears to have been first published on Facebook on Sunday — alleges that a man had entered the women’s changing room.

“I could identify as a lady with a beard. There’s nothing you could do about that,” the person could heard saying shortly before the camera was obscured by someone else.

The video showed the beginnings of a physical altercation before it abruptly cut off.

Sgt. Kris Clark of B.C. RCMP confirmed to the Times Colonist that the video, which is being widely shared on social media, is the same incident that’s under investigation by police.

All parties involved have been located and officers are working to gather and review all available evidence, he said in a statement.

Witnesses to the incident are encouraged to call North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP detachment at 250-748-5522 to speak with investigators.

The incident sparked a call for a protest Tuesday afternoon in front of the aquatics centre from a group calling themselves Concerned Canadian Citizens Against Drug Abuse (Duncan/ Cowichan).

The call has been amplified by a local federal Conservative candidate applicant as well as gender-ideology activists on social media.