Man arrested after Kelowna mayor gets online threats

KELOWNA (NEWS 1130) —  A 52-year-old Kelowna man has been arrested after the city’s Mayor was apparently threatened over social media.

Mayor Colin Basran shared a screenshot of the threat, posted to Facebook by someone with the account name Bruce Edward Taylor.

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It said someone should “put a bullet in” the mayor.

Basran is coming out about the threats, posting on Instagram that ‘Threatening my safety is completely unacceptable! If this is the new norm for elected officials, I want no part of it.’

 

View this post on Instagram

 

When you put your name forward and are selected to serve the people of your community, you expect some criticism. But the post above goes beyond anything I would have ever expected. This may not be a big deal to some, but this is incredibly hurtful to my family and I. So much so, I’ll admit it brought me to tears. I’m scared, angry, sad and everything in between. I put up with a lot of criticism at times, but threatening my safety is completely unacceptable! If this is the new norm for elected officials, I want no part of it. Not even sure what else to say… #kelowna #canada #politics #socialmedia

A post shared by Colin Basran (@colin_basran) on May 15, 2019 at 8:27am PDT

Mounties in Kelowna say a 52-year-old Kelowna man was arrested and could face criminal charges. He’s expected to appear in court in June 24.