Vancouver mayor says he and his wife were harassed while shopping in Yaletown
The mayor of Vancouver says police are investigating harassment against him and his wife after the pair was reportedly approached in a store over the weekend.
Mayor Kennedy Stewart released a statement about the incident on Monday, saying they were shopping in Yaletown on Saturday.
"A white male in his late 40s or early 50s who was shopping in the store approached us and began to verbally harass me," Stewart said in his statement.
"He then moved to target Jeanette with his verbal abuse and to disparage people living without homes. His attitude became increasingly aggressive and he initiated physical contact with me."
Stewart said he asked the man to leave them alone "repeatedly."
"I told him three times that if he did not leave us alone and respect our personal space, I would call the police," the mayor's statement said.
"When he continued and challenged me to step outside, I called the police and described the incident."
Officers arrived and took statements. Stewart said police told him the man would be given a warning and "possible charges would be considered."
It's the second time this month a Metro Vancouver mayor has claimed they've experienced aggressive behaviour from the public. About two weeks ago, Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum said he was grocery shopping one weekend when he was reportedly "verbally assaulted" and hit by a car.
Stewart said there has been an "increase in this kind of aggressive behaviour directed at public officials."
"Where I fully respect people’s right to express different viewpoints, resorting to harassment or violence is unacceptable," he said.
With files from The Canadian Press
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter banned from NBA
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter has been handed a lifetime ban from The National Basketball Association (NBA) following an investigation which found he disclosed confidential information to sports bettors, the league says.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Attempt to have murder charge quashed against alleged serial killer dismissed by judge
A motion filed by the man accused of killing four Indigenous women in Winnipeg to have one of those murder charges quashed has been dismissed by the judge – weeks before the start of his trial.
Government proposes new policy for federally regulated employees to disconnect from work
In their 2024 budget, the federal government wants to amend the Canada Labour Code, so employers in federally regulated sectors will eliminate work-related communication with employees outside of scheduled hours. If implemented, this would affect roughly 500,000 employees across the country.
Earthquake jolts southern Japan
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.4 hit southern Japan late on Wednesday, said the Japan Meteorological Agency, without issuing a tsunami warning.