Taxpayers on hook for Boonstock policing bill

PENTICTON — Boonstock organizers couldn’t pay a $250,000 policing bill, leaving taxpayers in B.C. to cover the majority of the costs.

“The Province was in contact with the promoter a number of times urging payment of their invoice – including accommodating a three year repayment schedule, but no payment was received,” says Perry Clark, the Executive Director of the Policing and Security Branch from the Ministry of Justice.

Organizer Colin Kobza brought the music festival to Pentiction during the August long-weekend in 2014, and in March of this year, said Boonstock would not be returning to the Okanagan city.

“As Boonstock is now insolvent, the Province has no further options to collect,” says Clark.

The province’s outstanding bill is for $176,901.10, which is part of the policing costs. The federal government is invoicing Boonstock organizers the remaining $75,000.

The police costs for the three-day weekend was initially anticipated to be about $200,000.

But Penticton’s RCMP commander Supt. Kevin Hewco explained that security gaps were identified during policing at the Boonstock event, prompting the need for extra resources.

One month prior to the event, International Crowd Management (ICM), the security company hired by Boonstock, terminated its agreement to provide security for the event. The security company claims Boonstock organizers made significant cuts to the safety plan, causing it to raise health and safety concerns.

Boonstock managed to hire another security company, 24/7 Security. But police ended up taking over much of the security responsibilities during the music festival.

“The Province invoices for a number of policing events. What was different in this case is that the Province usually has an agreement in place before the event – and despite significant effort by the Province to secure such an agreement, Boonstock Productions did not sign in advance of the event,” says Clark.

There were 150 police files created by the event with 38 people arrested, and one overdose death involving a young woman from Alberta.