Landlord turfs Kamloops North Shore wellness centre staffed by unvaccinated nurses

KAMLOOPS — A controversial wellness centre on the Kamloops North Shore opened by unvaccinated nurses will have to find a new location.

Ezra Wellness opened in a commercial space in the 500-block of Tranquille Road last week.

The building is owned by Kamloops realtor and property manager Brendan Shaw, who leases the space at 552 Tranquille Road to another tenant.

In a news release, SRSN Ventures, Shaw’s holding company, says the unnamed long-term tenant sub-leased the space to Ezra Wellness without Shaw’s permission.

“We were not consulted in advance by our tenant regarding the use of this space, so I immediately had a conversation with our tenant because we have a no sub-lease clause in place and this is not an allowable option,” said Shaw in the release.

“With each of our commercial tenants, we have a process we follow to vet and approve all tenants. Part of that due diligence process is to ensure all tenants are able to meet the legal, financial, and insurance covenants on the commercial space,” continued Shaw. “Without having gone through this process and because we have a no sub-lease clause in place, we cannot reasonably give approval on a lease.”

Ezra Wellness is staffed by nurses who are unable to work in B.C.’s public healthcare system because they are not immunized against COVID-19. The centre’s team lead is Glenn Aalderink, an organizer of a large protest against vaccine mandates that was held outside of Royal Inland Hospital in September.

Last week, B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix said nurses licensed through the B.C. College of Nurses and Midwives risk their licenses if they continue to offer medical services. Aalderink told CFJC Today that Ezra was “assessing patients and offering guidance.”