Port Coquitlam mayor and family receive death threat

With B.C’s municipal elections less than a month away, tensions are rising between residents and politicians, and one Greater Vancouver mayor is speaking out.

Port Coquitlam Mayor Brad West says a man threatened to kill him and his family while he was in office, over an issue with the city’s bylaw department.

West says the possible reason people lash out at elected officials is because the public is losing its ability to be “civil.”

“And we seem to be losing our ability to disagree with each other, maybe even be frustrated with each other,” he told CityNews.

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West says that while he is usually able to deal with incidents such as this, a line was crossed when his family was threatened.

“There’s nothing in this world that is more important to me than my wife and two young sons,” he said.

There have been renewed concerns over politician safety in Canada this past year, as officials like federal Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland have been verbally harassed before entering an elevator, and being called a “traitor.”

West says he is refusing to turn a blind eye to violent incidents.

“Too often, people aren’t held accountable for their actions and they act with impunity,” he said. “What that does is invite further escalation.”

Last week, the man who threatened West was found guilty of uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm in a Port Coquitlam court.

He was given a conditional discharge and placed on probation for one year.

West says while the situation shook his family they are now doing okay. He says that at the end of the day, people are responsible for their actions and words against politicians.

West was one of 37 B.C. mayors who won this year’s municipal election by acclimation after running unopposed.

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