911 dispatch apologizes to Victoria business after ignoring calls for help during COVID-19 protest
Greater Victoria’s 911 dispatch service is apologizing to the staff of a downtown Starbucks after calls for help were ignored.
During a large anti-vaccine mandate protest on Saturday, management of a Starbucks across from B.C.’s legislature say unruly protesters entered the business unmasked and refused to leave.
Manager Rich Becker said his staff were being threatened and he believed they were in danger.
“They were directly in harm’s way,” said Becker.
Unwilling to physically remove the protesters himself, Becker called police twice. He says his calls for help were ignored and he was told to call the non-emergency line.
E-Comm, which manages 911 dispatch in Greater Victoria, admits that was a mistake.
After CTV News pressed Victoria police for answers about the 911 calls, E-Comm conducted an investigation of the incident.
“After reviewing both 911 calls, we can confirm that based on the situation the caller was describing, a police file should have been created,” said E-Comm spokesperson Jasmine Bradley.
“Unfortunately, this was not the case and the caller was incorrectly referred to the non-emergency line," Bradley added.
E-Comm and the Victoria police both apologized to Becker and his staff for the mistake. E-Comm says a 911 call was warranted and staff did the right thing by calling.
Becker says he will be back at the Starbucks all day on Saturday as another, possibly larger, anti-vaccine mandate rally is planned for the legislature.
Following a challenging day for Hotel Grand Pacific staff last Saturday, the manager there says the hotel will add extra security this Saturday.
“The hotel will be accessible for registered hotel guests only,” said general manager Reid James. “Our washrooms and parking lot will be closed to the public. Additional security will be in place.”
B.C. Premier John Horgan addressed the abuse that several Victoria businesses faced last week in an interview with CFAX 1070 radio Friday.
"My message to the protesters is, 'I hear you, but don’t take away other peoples' liberties to declare that yours are being abused,'" said Horgan.
Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps issued a statement Friday, asking protesters to be respectful and avoid harassing local businesses.
"As the capital city, we expect protests to take place and people to exercise their democratic right to gather and express their views," Helps said.
“However, emails from residents and businesses in the wake of last weekend’s protests show that some of the people involved in the protests went beyond the right to peacefully gather and infringed on the well-being and safety of others."
The mayor said the city received reports last weekend of people throwing eggs at homes that had signs up supporting health-care workers, as well as complaints of racist language among protesters.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
NEW Iconic Canadian song turns 50
Andy Kim's 'Rock Me Gently' is marking a major milestone, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.
Oprah Winfrey: I set an unrealistic standard for dieting
Oprah Winfrey said on Thursday evening that she has long played a role in promoting unhealthy and unrealistic diets.
Prince Harry, Meghan arrive in Nigeria to champion the Invictus Games and meet with wounded soldiers
Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, arrived in Nigeria on Friday to champion the Invictus Games, which he founded to aid the rehabilitation of wounded and sick servicemembers and veterans, among them Nigerian soldiers fighting a 14-year war against Islamic extremists.
Countries struggle to draft 'pandemic treaty' to avoid mistakes made during COVID
After the coronavirus pandemic triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended economies and killed millions, leaders at the World Health Organization and worldwide vowed to do better in the future. Years later, countries are still struggling to come up with an agreed-upon plan for how the world might respond to the next global outbreak.
Toronto police called to Drake's Bridle Path mansion for another alleged intruder on Thursday
Toronto police say a man who allegedly attempted to access Drake’s Bridle Path property was taken to hospital on Thursday after an altercation with security guards.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Flat tire on a highway? Here's why you shouldn't try to fix it
If you're cruising down a highway and realize you have a flat tire, you may want to think twice before stopping to fix it on the side of the road.
Broadcaster and commentator Rex Murphy dead at 77: National Post
The National Post is reporting that Rex Murphy, the pundit and columnist who hosted a national call-in radio show for decades, has died.