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Maskless B.C. Canadian Tire customer in caught-on-camera confrontation pleads guilty, given conditional discharge

A man without a mask is seen in a still image from video showing an incident in a Canadian Tire. A man without a mask is seen in a still image from video showing an incident in a Canadian Tire.
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VANCOUVER -

A man who faced charges following a confrontation at a Burnaby, B.C., Canadian Tire location has been sentenced to conditional discharge.

Christopher Ivany pleaded guilty to uttering threats and failure to wear a face covering during an incident that was caught on video earlier this year.

Ivany was also charged with two counts of assault, which have since been stayed.

The threat charges fall under the Criminal Code of Canada, but the third count, failing to wear a mask, was at the time contrary to B.C.'s Emergency Protection Act.

This mandate is no longer in effect in B.C., but was at the time Ivany was charged.

Following Ivany's plea, the BCPS said, he was granted a conditional discharge with nine months' probation on the threats charges.

For not wearing a mask, he was fined $500.

The prosecution has confirmed the charges stem from an incident at a Canadian Tire, part of which was captured on video.

Police said at the time that evidence suggested the man in the video punched some of the staff at the store on Market Crossing as they attempted to escort him out.

Cellphone video taken by a bystander showed a man surrounded by staff, who can be heard yelling, "Don't touch me. My human rights are trumping your (expletive) mask mandates."

Another video posted on Facebook by Ivany himself appeared to show what may have led to the heated confrontation. Store employees can be heard asking the man to leave, as another is about to call police.

Ivany wrote in a caption, "I just got home from spending a couple hours in a Burnby RCMP jail cell…"

An online fundraiser that appears to have been set up by Ivany outlines his side of the story.

In a campaign titled, "Canadian Tirenny Case and Lawsuit," its organizer claims he plans to use any money raised through the site to cover the costs of a lawsuit.

As of Tuesday, the campaign had raised $10,229 of its $20,000 goal, with help from 191 donors.

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