North Vancouver RCMP is investigating after two separate reports of loud bangs or explosions in the early hours of Friday morning (June 27), with one explosive device hitting Infrastructure Minister Bowinn Ma's North Vancouver constituency office.
Mounties were first called to the 100-block of West 1st Street around 2:45 a.m. for a report of a "loud bang," Cpl. Mansoor Sahak told reporters during a media briefing at the North Vancouver RCMP detachment Friday afternoon. He said officers went to the scene and searched, but no evidence was found.
Then, around 4:15, he said, police were called again, this time for a report of a "loud explosion" near the intersection of West Esplanade and Chesterfield avenues. When officers arrived, they found the front door of an office building damaged.
The RCMP's explosives disposal unit was called in, along with police dog services. No injuries were reported.
Sahak said it's not clear yet if the two incidents are connected, adding "there's nothing to indicate that." He added there is no evidence "at this point" that an explosive device caused the first loud bang at 2:45 a.m.
Sahak said investigators are looking into the explosive device that was used, but declined to comment on what exactly it was.
Police are now looking for anyone who was in the area of West Esplanade Avenue that may have captured dash-cam or CCTV footage between 2:30 and 4:30 a.m. Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the North Vancouver RCMP at 604-985-1311 and quote file #25-13204.
Sahak said the investigation is in its early stages, but the office has been cleared and deemed safe. Other businesses in the multi-storey office building remained open during the investigation.
“This was a jarring incident that undoubtedly startled sleeping residents in the area," Sahak said.
Sahak said that while Ma's office was hit, it's not yet clear if it was a targeted incident. Police are in touch with Ma's office.
"That is something we're going to be looking at – see if this was specifically targeted at her office," he said.
Sahak added that police don't yet know if it was a politically motivated act, and the RCMP is not referring to it as such at this point.
NDP MLA and Infrastructure Minister Bowinn Ma's office issued a statement just before 11 a.m., calling it a "security incident" and saying that because of the ongoing police investigation, she could not provide any details about the incident at this time.
"All meetings and appointments at my constituency office are cancelled for the day due to a security incident that occurred in the early hours of this morning," Ma said. "Thankfully, nobody was injured, but incidents like this can be quite frightening. I appreciate the concern expressed by community members."
Contrary to some reports, other constituency offices throughout the province remain open, but staff and MLAs are being advised to exercise caution and told they can do what they feel comfortable with.
In a statement to Black Press Media, the Legislative Assembly of B.C. said it was made aware of the incident, noting the "news is deeply concerning, and our thoughts are with Minister Ma, her staff and her family." The statement added that while the investigation is underway, there won't be further comment.
Political violence becoming increasingly common
Premier David Eby called the incident "profoundly concerning and troubling."
"It is something that does strike at the heart of the job that Minister Ma and every elected official in this province are asked to do, which is to be available to the public, to have an office that's open and welcoming for people," he said.
He said a review of MLA safety is underway.
While he wouldn't speculate on the motive in this case, Eby compared it to a long list of recent incidents of political violence in Canada and the United States.
He mentioned the recent shooting in Minnesota of State Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, as an example of what he said "feels like an increasing level of hate and vitriol directed at particularly women politicians in our system."
He referenced the constant threats made against provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry during the pandemic, which meant she needed a full-time security detail.
"I am deeply concerned about trend lines, which basically means an increasing separation of elected officials from the people they're meant to serve, which doesn't benefit anybody at all," he said.
Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim spoke alongside Eby, describing the many threats he has experienced.
"Seems like every other week there's a death threat," he said. "I've been physically accosted three times. I've had 30 protesters show up at my house on a Sunday, throwing fake blood-soaked animals."
David Black, a political communications professor at Royal Roads University, said there is nothing more corrosive to democracy than political violence.
"It's just fundamentally anti democratic," he told Black Press Media. "It's the antithesis, the very foil, the other face of slow-moving, patient, ordinary democratic process — and it has an immense chilling effect."
He warns that the response can evolve to a point where politicians become walled off from constituents, resulting in a "negative spiral" for democratic processes.
The solution is patience and ensuring people understand their government and can engage with it.
"The best antidote to political violence is more civil democratic discourse," he said.
