RCMP had to be called on March 23 to remove a couple of anti-maskers from a Courtenay store after the women forced their way into the store.
According to an incident report obtained from My Tech Guys employees by Black Press Media, a customer called about a computer part. When notified of the company’s mask guidelines, she stated that she couldn’t follow the rules, and employees agreed to serve her outside according to company guidelines.
When she got to the store, a member of staff met her outside and informed her that he had put her replacement part aside and would be returning with it shortly.
“When we came back with the new product to exchange, a second woman in camouflage pants approached and both pushed closer to me when the door opened,” said the employee in his report.
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The two women stormed into the showroom and loudly played anti-COVID and anti-vaccine videos and recordings.
The police were called and the women refused to leave the shop until the police arrived.
Shop owner Bob Wells took pride in the way his staff handled the volatile situation, and while the situation was unique, staff were well prepared for such a scenario through training from the company.
“I think they did really well,” he said. “We have so-called“ fire brigade exercises ”and set up situations in which something like this can happen and then discuss how we should deal with it. So that surprised us because it seemed like everything was going to be scripted and working with them outside until that second person came along and they made their way. As soon as this happened, the employees called the manager and the RCMP was called. There are no monkeys. “
According to the report, neither of the two women stated at any time that they had medical reasons for the mask release, despite being asked about a possible medical exemption by the staff member.
“This is not about being biased or refusing to serve people,” Wells said. “For those people who for various reasons cannot wear a mask and have no one act on their behalf, our (policy) is to wait them outside. We put these procedures in place to ensure not only the safety of our employees but also the safety of our customers. “
Wells said no cash transaction was required as the part the woman was trying to replace is under warranty.
“It was a very easy interaction for us,” Wells said. “It’s one thing to say I don’t want to wear a mask, I’ll meet you outside, and reluctantly moan about it, but it’s quite another thing to crowd into the store and do some basic anti-masking scold.” We didn’t ask for that. We’re only there to provide service. “
Wells said the fact that it was warranty work suggests the woman was a regular customer but he expects her to be locked out of the deal.
“We certainly have a policy that we ask customers not to come back if employees feel threatened or disrespected.”
The company is also owned by the Mayor of Courtenay, which led to much speculation online that the incident was targeted specifically for this reason. However, Wells very much doubted it was, considering the woman was returning an item that was under warranty.
RCMP spokesman Const. Monika Terragni said an officer responded, spoke to the two women and escorted them from the premises, but not fined.
“The frontline officer present took the time to discuss the situation and brief the women on the possible consequences of not complying with the Public Health Order (PHO) restrictions,” said Terragni. “When it comes to enforcing PHO restrictions, the Comox Valley RCMP will work with companies, groups and individuals to ensure compliance. In most cases, issuing tickets for violations is the last option. “
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terry.farrell@blackpress.ca
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