Close X
Sunday, November 10, 2024
ADVT 
National

Notorious clubhouse owned by Nanaimo, B.C., Hells Angels being demolished: Farnworth

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 15 Nov, 2023 02:34 PM
  • Notorious clubhouse owned by Nanaimo, B.C., Hells Angels being demolished: Farnworth

A clubhouse that once belonged to a Vancouver Island chapter of the Hells Angels is being demolished, just weeks after a court ruling confirmed the B.C. government has the right to seize the property.

Mike Farnworth, minister of public safety and solicitor general, says in a statement that the clubhouse in Nanaimo is coming down immediately.

He says the demolition is "only the beginning," and "puts organized crime on notice" that criminals cannot profit from their activities.

A Supreme Court of Canada ruling issued last month upheld a B.C. court's decision finding an "inescapable" inference that the Nanaimo clubhouse and other Hells Angels properties in Kelowna and east Vancouver were used for criminal activity.

The ruling ended a legal battle that stretched more than a decade and confirmed B.C.'s Civil Forfeiture Office could seize the clubhouses as proceeds of crime.

The east Vancouver club house is valued at $1.52 million, the Kelowna property is assessed at close to $1.3 million, while the Nanaimo property is valued at $300,000. 

Farnworth says the office is now in legal possession of all three properties.

"Government will continue to protect British Columbians and take action against organized crime by seizing illegally obtained assets, brick-by-brick, we will demolish organized crime and those that profit from it," Farnworth said in the statement.

He did not say why the Civil Forfeiture Office had decided to level the Nanaimo club. 

 

MORE National ARTICLES

Fiscal and monetary policy rowing in opposite directions, Macklem says

Fiscal and monetary policy rowing in opposite directions, Macklem says
Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem says fiscal and monetary policy are rowing in opposite directions, making it harder to bring inflation down. Macklem is appearing before MPs on the House of Commons finance committee after the Bank of Canada's recent rate decision and quarterly economic projections. 

Fiscal and monetary policy rowing in opposite directions, Macklem says

Ottawa push for temporary pause in Israel-Hamas fight doesn't meet mark for advocates

Ottawa push for temporary pause in Israel-Hamas fight doesn't meet mark for advocates
Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said in a Monday speech to the Economic Club of Canada in Toronto that a humanitarian agreement is urgently needed to help people in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, which is home to more than two million Palestinians. Israel declared war against Hamas after the Oct. 7 attacks, in which more than 1,400 Israelis were killed and 222 taken hostage, according to the Israeli government.

Ottawa push for temporary pause in Israel-Hamas fight doesn't meet mark for advocates

BC Hydro asks for 2.3% rate increase to start spring 2024

BC Hydro asks for 2.3% rate increase to start spring 2024
The British Columbia government says the province's Crown power utility is applying for a 2.3-per-cent rate increase starting in April, adding about $2 a month to the average residential bill.  A statement from the Energy Ministry says it's the sixth year in a row that BC Hydro has applied for an increase below the rate of inflation.

BC Hydro asks for 2.3% rate increase to start spring 2024

Climate change: Droughts, heavy rain turn Canada's pumpkin harvest spooky

Climate change: Droughts, heavy rain turn Canada's pumpkin harvest spooky
Severe weather across Canada caused by climate change has wreaked havoc with the pumpkin harvest this year. Nova Scotia pumpkin farmer Danny Dill says the spring planting season was arid because of wildfires, then heavy rains in the summer flooded his fields.

Climate change: Droughts, heavy rain turn Canada's pumpkin harvest spooky

Canada expands drug strategy to prevent more overdoses, provide additional services

Canada expands drug strategy to prevent more overdoses, provide additional services
The federal government is expanding its drug and substance use strategy to try to save more lives and provide more services to people disproportionately affected by Canada's overdose crisis. Health Canada says the drug landscape has changed with an increasingly toxic supply since the strategy was first developed in 2016. 

Canada expands drug strategy to prevent more overdoses, provide additional services

B.C. coalition seeks 'critical' crackdown on violent retail crime

B.C. coalition seeks 'critical' crackdown on violent retail crime
A group of more than 30 British Columbia retailers, trade associations and other organizations is calling for a co-ordinated government response for repeat offenders they say are behind a wave of theft, vandalism and violent crime. The Save Our Streets coalition says the need for immediate action is "critical" to meet threats to staff safety, rising security costs and the community impact.

B.C. coalition seeks 'critical' crackdown on violent retail crime