VICTORIA — It cost almost $5 million to process hundreds of people through the justice system after the Stanley Cup riot in Vancouver five years ago.
The cost is contained in a report released by the B.C. government that looks at how police and prosecutors tackled the mammoth task of prosecuting those involved in the riots after the Vancouver Canuck's lost the Stanley Cup final in June 2011.
The government's criminal justice branch set up a riot prosecution team that resulted in 284 guilty pleas and nine convictions at trial.
The report says the task was made easier by the vast amount of digital photo and video evidence gathered on the night of the riot.
It says additional funding was needed because of the extraordinary costs associated with the prosecution.
The report estimates the total monetary loss caused by the riot was $3.78 million, including $2.7 million to downtown businesses, $540,000 to civilians and $525,000 to the City of Vancouver, B.C. Ambulance Service and St. Paul's Hospital.
