PNE accuses Vancouver Park Board chair of insisting on back-stage access to Stars of Drag performance
![PNE show A Summer Nights at the PNE performance is seen in this photo shared on Sept. 5, 2023. (PNE/Facebook)](/content/dam/ctvnews/en/images/2024/3/22/pne-show-1-6817988-1711113274185.jpg)
Vancouver's PNE is accusing the chair of the city's park board of using his status as an elected official to insist on back-stage access to a performance last year.
In a statement sent to CTV News Vancouver, PNE spokesperson Laura Ballance outlined an incident that unfolded at the fair's amphitheatre on Sept. 2. Ballance said that immediately after a Stars of Drag show, Brennan Bastyovanszky "approached security staff at the stage access gate identifying himself as an elected park board commissioner."
"He requested access backstage to meet the artists from the show in his role as commissioner," Ballance said, explaining it's against PNE protocol to let anyone backstage without accreditation from the artist's management.
But Bastyovanszky insisted, Ballance claimed, so the matter was escalated to a PNE manager, then to a PNE director.
"Upon arrival it was clear to the director that the commissioner was adamant about going backstage, and so the director, who had accreditation authority, reluctantly allowed the commissioner backstage to avoid further incident," Ballance said. "Once he was provided escorted access, the commissioner then waved in a number of his friends."
An event poster for the Stars of Drag performance on Sept. 2, 2023.
Ballance explained there were no issues with Bastyovanszky or his friends while they were backstage and they left the PNE grounds after meeting the performers.
CTV News Vancouver sent multiple requests to Bastyovanszky for his version of the events and has not heard back. This article will be updated if a response is received.
Ballance said the PNE – as an apolitical organization – doesn't usually comment on the actions of elected officials, but said this particular incident "was upsetting" to the team members involved.
"We cannot speak to commissioner Bastyovavszky’s version of the evening, but the PNE stands behind our staffs’ account of the incident," Ballance said. "We must protect the integrity of our organization and our team members."
The PNE said it has "discussed possible options for dealing with the issue" through the integrity commissioner's office, which is responsible for investigating policy complaints and assisting with informal resolution of complaints.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6863597.1714161309!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.