Vancouver police say they arrested a 24-year-old man on Christmas Day for repeatedly hosting parties in violation of public health orders.
“Our officers issued multiple warnings and issued tickets to this man over several weeks, asking him to stop hosting parties during the pandemic,” Sgt. Steve Addison said in a statement.
“He made clear that he has no plans to stop, so our officers obtained an arrest warrant and he spent Christmas in jail.”
The man is now bound by bail conditions requiring him to answer the door if officers knock.
The Vancouver Police Department said it has received 12 complaints about noise and parties at the man’s downtown apartment since September and police issued two $2,300 tickets earlier this month.
Officers obtained a warrant after a neighbour complained about another loud party on Dec. 18.
“This should serve as a reminder to anyone who thinks it’s still OK to ignore the public health order and put other people at risk,” Addison says.
Earlier this month, the B.C. government announced plans to increase efforts to levy and collect fines for those who violate orders aimed at curbing COVID-19.
“There are those who are not prepared to bend a little bit in their personal lives for the benefit of all of us,” Premier John Horgan said. “So consequently, we are going to be beefing up public health orders in the next couple of weeks.”
— With files from Richard Zussman and The Canadian Press