VANCOUVER -- Mounties in Coquitlam say a local man had "a 54th birthday to remember" earlier this month, when police officers broke up his party inside a local restaurant for violating B.C.'s COVID-19 restrictions.
Officers were called to a restaurant in Port Coquitlam on April 16 for a report that there were "30 to 40 people" inside, Coquitlam RCMP told CTV News Vancouver.
When police arrived, they found a total of 16 people inside. All but two of them left when officers asked them to, police said.
The two who stayed were "non-compliant," and were given tickets worth a total of $3,105, according to RCMP.
One of the tickets issued was for $2,300 for hosting a gathering in violation of public health orders. The others were $575 for attending a non-compliant event and $230 for abusive or belligerent behaviour.
Coquitlam RCMP posted a photo of the tickets on their Facebook page, describing the restaurant as the recipient of the fine for hosting and the "birthday boy" as the person ticketed for abusive and belligerent behaviour.
Police declined to share the name of the restaurant where the fines were issued.
Indoor gatherings, including at restaurants, are prohibited in B.C. under public health orders implemented to reduce the spread of the coronavirus. The order banning indoor dining is scheduled to expire on May 25.
Since fines for violating public health orders were first introduced on Aug. 21 last year, a total of 1,857 tickets have been issued in the province.
As of February, only a small fraction of tickets issued had been paid, and more than half had been contested in court.
