Another day, another broken window at a downtown Kelowna, B.C., business.
“It’s frustrating, it interrupts business,” said Jasmine Dhillon, manager at Eyestyle Eyecare.
The optometry clinic had one if its windows smashed early Friday morning.
“We did have gates, and we do have security film on the actual glass, so they weren’t able to actually come in,” said Dhillon.
Police say they responded to a call of mischief in progress at the Bernard Avenue business and made one arrest.
While business operators fork out thousands for repairs and security measures, they’re learning a city-organized forum to hear their concerns is also going to cost them.
“You’re charging us money to go to our own forum?” asked Todd Daniels, owner of Gallery Streetwear. “Ridiculous.”
The Jan. 27 event at the Kelowna Community Theatre requires business operators to pre-register and pay.
While admission is only $5, it’s sparking a lot of criticism.
“It’s just the principle of it,” Daniels said.
At Mosaic Books, where broken windows and thefts are a regular occurrence, the fee came as a big surprise.
“That caught everybody’s attention,” said Michael Neill, the store’s owner. “”It doesn’t make any sense and we’re trying to figure it out and hopefully the city has a good reason for this.”
No one from the city was available to answer questions on Friday but in an email to Global News, a spokesperson said the $5 admission isn’t about revenue but more about deterring people from registering, taking up a seat and then not showing up — as is often the case with free events.
“For free events, we often see 40–70 per cent attrition, which means seats get taken by people who don’t show up and others who really want to participate aren’t able to,” the email stated.
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“We didn’t want that to happen here.”
It’s a reason, however, not everyone accepts.
“It’s a pack of chewing gum. It’s not going to, like, ‘Oh my God, I ‘m going to lose my five dollars if I don’t go,’” Daniels said. “That is the most insane thinking I’ve ever heard.”
Conservative MLA for Kelowna Centre Kristina Loewen is also holding a similar forum in early February, one she says is free.
“I’m hearing that people are surprised the city is charging and I think there’s some confusion. People are wondering if this is my event and I want to be very clear, this is not my event,” Loewen told Global News.
That event is being held at the Revelry on Ellis Street on Feb. 6 starting at 5 p.m.
While Loewen said the city has its reasons for the admission fee, she added that charging people to attend is not her approach.
“For the business owners, there’s no support and they’re talking about smashed windows and the cost that that’s having and that that’s causing their business and then here’s another five dollars, it does seem like a little bit of a slap in the face,” Loewen said.
The city said proceeds from the admission fee will support a Kelowna-based charity.
While it’s not known which charity, Daniels still hopes the city reconsiders.
“It just seems tack,” Daniels said. “I think you should give everyone their money back.”
Neill echoed the sentiment.
“They should make it a free event,” Neill said. “I’d also just love to know what was the thinking in the first place.”
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