Vandals hit Kelowna city hall overnight with pandemic conspiracy messages

UPDATE: 1:10 P.M.

Kelowna RCMP say they have taken up investigation into the vandalism at city hall.

Sometime overnight, someone spray painted anti-COVID-19 messages across the side, and front of city hall.

“This investigation is in it’s infancy,” says Cpl. Jocelyn Noseworthy of the Kelowna RCMP.

“This behaviour is criminal and we will be following all leads to determine who did this graffiti.”

Anyone with information is asked to call the Kelowna RCMP at 250-250-762-3300. Or remain completely anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or by leaving a tip online at www.crimestoppers.net

UPDATE: 11:09 a.m.

City Hall staff believe the graffiti happened sometime overnight and RCMP have been notified.

"First job is to get it cleaned up, then we'll start investigating and if we can determine who it is, we'll be pursuing the appropriate legal actions," says City of Kelowna communications manager Tom Wilson.

"Its a democracy and people are free to express themselves and their opinions but in this case, graffiti is really not the preferred way to do it and we'd rather that people find more open ways to express their opinion."

Staff are now focused on getting the graffiti cleaned up.

"We're going to try different methods without having to repaint the whole building so we'll see how it goes," says Wilson.

ORIGINAL: 9:49 p.m.

This is not your typical tagging.

Kelowna city hall is awash in messages Tuesday morning, condemning the pandemic as bogus.

Messages in large letters around the side and front of the building said, "no new normal, COVID is a plandemic," and "I want breathe fresh air and live free. COVID has a 99% survival rate, economic collapse does not."

"No new normal' was spray painted at the front entrance.

A security guard at city hall says this is the worst instance of graffiti that he's ever seen.