Two people in are facing fines in Port Coquitlam after they were spotted allegedly selling medical masks Friday at McLean Park.
Mayor Brad West said residents brought the matter to his attention and he was able to have bylaw enforcement dispatched to quickly deal with the matter. The incident came as health care professionals are scrambling to secure supplies in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I just think this is the most irresponsible, selfish, callous thing that I have heard of,” he told The Tri-City News Sunday. “It is the lowest of the low.”
The two are facing the maximum $500 fine for operating an unauthorized business in a park and operating a business without a licence.
West added that the RCMP have been notified of the incident and he noted B.C.'s minister of health recently said there would be consequences for people caught reselling medical supplies.
“From my point of view, there is not a fine that is big enough that would be proportionate to how egregious the [alleged] act was," he said.
West said he was disheartened to see people possibly profiting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We are out there telling our entire community… that we all have to come together to stop the spread of this virus,” he said. “To have some people try and profit off a global pandemic, to try and profit off the most significant health crisis we have ever faced, is just wrong. I can’t even really get my head around it.”
