B.C. tribunal orders Kelowna bar to compensate drag performer

This photo shows performer Freida Whales. (Image credit: Facebook/FreidaWhalesofficial)

An LGBTQ2S+ bar in Kelowna has been ordered to pay a local drag performer $1,100 after it failed to compensate them for entertainment that was provided last summer.

The drag dispute between Friends of Dorothy Lounge and Tyson Cook, who performs under the name Freida Whales, was settled by B.C.’s Civil Resolution Tribunal last week.

Tribunal member Sarah Orr found Cook was entitled to $800 for hosting eight Canada’s Drag Race Viewing parties at the bar between July 14 and Sept. 8 of 2022, plus another $300 for two karaoke nights they also hosted during that time.

The tribunal that the manager of the bar, who is referred to as "KL" in the ruling, verbally agreed to pay Cook $100 for each viewing party they hosted, on top of the $150 the performer earned for regularly running karaoke nights there.

Text messages from June 17, 2022 were provided to the tribunal as evidence, and show Cook asked if they’d be paid to host the viewing parties, to which KL responded “Of course I’d pay you extra.”

However, Cook told the tribunal that they only received a $100 cash payment for the first of nine viewing parties.

When Cook questioned KL about the payments over text, they were told the bar’s managing partner hadn’t approved the drag race viewing budget, according to the tribunal's decision.

KL told Cook the matter was “out of his hands” according to text messages provided to the tribunal.

However, Orr found the situation should have been something KL had control over, based on statements by the restaurant that KL had the authority to hire Cook and approve the artist’s invoices.

In other text messages, KL claimed Cook didn’t work enough hours or bring in enough revenue for the bar to receive compensation.

However, Orr said there wasn’t any evidence of how many hours Cook worked on the viewing party nights compared to karaoke nights.

“There is also no evidence that KL’s promise in their June 17, 2022 text to pay Mr. Cook “extra” was contingent on FoD receiving a certain amount of sales or revenue on the viewing party nights,” Orr wrote.

Based on Cook’s evidence, as well as invoices, bank records and emails provided to the tribunal, Orr ordered the bar to pay the performer $1,100 for the unpaid drag services, as well as $38.52 and $125 in additional fees.

CTV News reached out to Cook, who declined to provide comment for this story.