According to the chamber, recent actions by certain Campbell River & District Chamber of Commerce board directors led to the election debate in Campbell River being postponed and then called off on April 22.
"(The decisions) were not decisions of the remaining board directors or officially known to the board," says the chamber in a media release after a special board meeting on Wednesday.
The statement follows the cancellation of the all-candidates debate for the federal election in Campbell River. It was called off about an hour and a half before it was supposed to begin on Tuesday (April 22) due "safety concerns."
A statement sent to the candidates from the chamber before the event said there were concerns about the "safety and well-being of all attendees, candidates, staff and volunteers."
"Recent community tensions, including a planned rally and counter-rally near the venue, have raised concerns about our ability to ensure a secure environment for everyone involved," reads the statement from then-chair Philip Kountouris.
On April 22, the Mirror did contact the Campbell River RCMP to find out if there were safety concerns around the event. Const. Maury Tyre said he was "not privy to the (chamber's) reasons for the cancellation."
READ MORE: Campbell River federal election debate cancelled due to 'safety concerns'
However, in a statement to the Mirror on Thursday (April 24), Kountouris, who resigned from his position on April 22, said he decided to cancel the event on Monday. But the decision was ignored.
"It was a difficult decision, but the right one," Kountouris said. "With confirmed protests and an inadequate safety plan for the debate, there was genuine concern about how the situation could unfold inside the venue. I took action. I gave clear direction, and I stood ready to take full responsibility.
"This, unfortunately, resulted in a last-minute cancellation, confusion for attendees, and damage to public trust," he said. "This could have been avoided had the decision been respected when it was made."
The chamber's public statement "failed to acknowledge its role and the consequences of its delay," he said.
When asked to address concerns the decision was politically motivated, Kountouris said, "nothing could be further from the truth."
READ ALSO: On the ground of Campbell River's cancelled All-Candidates Forum
"My decision was about protecting people, not playing politics," he said. "As a risk management professional, I assessed the risk and made the appropriate decision in the best interests of attendees, the candidates and the community as a whole."
Kountouris also confirmed that Conservative party candidate Aaron Gunn had planned to attend the Campbell River event, adding he had emails from Gunn's campaign confirming his attendance before it was cancelled.
The Mirror contacted Coun. Ben Lanyon, who sits on the board, but did not receive a response before publication.
