OneBC switched Kamloops locations to avoid security costs but police showed up anyway

A controversial MLA’s event in Kamloops moved from a city facility to a car lot due to thousands in security costs, but police were still there to watch over the rally.

Dallas Brodie and other OneBC party officials initially planned to hold the event at a lounge at the Sandman Centre, which is a city-owned facility. That changed when the city quoted OneBC more than $7,700 for police and bylaw officers to monitor the event.

Despite hosting the event elsewhere, the city won’t say how much it cost to send police to the OneBC rally.

Brodie accused the city of deploying tactics to stop her from holding the event, and found a new location on a private car lot. RCMP and bylaw officers still showed up to watch over the event and control traffic, while protesters staged across the street.

The city was forthcoming about the event beforehand, issuing a statement in opposition of Brodie’s message and saying it legally could not cancel the event, then publicly releasing the OneBC contract and security cost quote.

After the event, the city would not say how much it cost to station police and bylaw officers at the event, nor whether the bill would be sent to OneBC.

CAO Byron McCorkell did not answer the question when iNFOnews.ca reached out.

It isn’t the first time Brodie has visited Kamloops as an MLA, nor the first time she was met with protests. She was kicked out of the BC Conservative Party for mocking Indian residential school survivors and has spent much of her messaging since on questioning the suspected graves at the Kamloops Indian Residential School, calling it a hoax.

Constituents in Brodie’s Vancouver riding are currently petitioning to have her removed from office.

She’s taking her town hall tour to Kelowna next. It’s booked at the Parkinson Recreation Centre, a city-owned facility where Kelowna requires OneBC to pay for its own private security.

According to the city of Kelowna, OneBC has so far met “the terms of the contract.”

iNFOnews.ca has reached out to OneBC for comment on whether the city of Kamloops or Kamloops RCMP sent the party a bill for the security at the Kamloops rally.