NPA director, Nanaimo Clippers owner defends Super Bowl travel tweet

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – A Vancouver political party board member and owner of the Nanaimo Clippers hockey team is brushing off concerns about a social media post saying he plans to take part in Super Bowl festivities.

NPA board member Wes Mussio, who says he’s been living in Florida since late October, took to Twitter on Sunday to say he was “heading to Tampa Bay” for the start of Super Bowl party week to back Buccaneers’ quarterback Tom Brady’s push for another title.

https://twitter.com/WesMussio/status/1356088522416025610

He calls himself a “part-time resident of the United States.”

“I’m allowed to be down here six months a year. I come down regularly in my life. I’ve been down in the United States — other than for a brief time — since October,” Mussio said.

He says he can “look out his window” and see Tampa Bay, “so it’s like being in Burnaby, going to Vancouver.”

He says not concerned his tweet will give people the impression a NPA board member is travelling from Canada to the United States.

“I’ve made it clear to everyone I’m living in Florida right now,” he said.

“There’s no restriction on travelling in the United States. It’s not like Canada, where you’ve got the politicians telling everyone to stop travelling or recommending it,” he added.

However many responses on Twitter suggest people thought he was traveling between countries, just as Canada imposes new travel restrictions.

https://twitter.com/VioletWyle/status/1356375599275642881

Mussio is no stranger to controversy. He has previously been critical of B.C.’s and Canada’s pandemic restrictions, and has praised some American jurisdictions, like Florida, where the rules have been more lax.

-With files from Lasia Kretzel