A martial arts gym in Kelowna that made headlines earlier this spring for refusing to serve anyone who received a COVID-19 vaccination has ceased operations.
The building near Sutherland Avenue and Burtch Road that once housed the Flow Academy is now vacant.
The sign for the old martial arts gym was replaced with the words “For rent”.
Flow Academy had a no-mask policy throughout the pandemic, but increased the stakes in April by posting a notice on its website stating that classes would only be available to unvaccinated people.
“This decision was made after much discussion with other health, wellness and fitness establishments across Canada (both public and private) and liability insurance companies,” the statement said.
“To put it simply, the unknown health effects of the mRNA vaccines, as well as reported side effects such as virus shedding, seizures, and death following the administration of these vaccines, are not covered by our liability.”
A week later, Interior Health’s gym was ordered to close its doors after owners denied access to RCMP and city council staff for a search warrant.
“We issued a closure notice at the time for continued non-compliance with public health orders and non-compliance with a court-issued warrant,” IH said.
In addition to its stance on the COVID-19 pandemic, the company also operated without a Kelowna City business license.
Lance Kayfish, the city’s risk manager, told NowMedia that the city fined the gym six times for operating it without a license.
NowMedia has already made repeated inquiries to the owners of the Flow Academy in April, all of which remained unanswered.
