The Hells Angels clubhouse on Ellis Street is finally turned over to the province for the last time.
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June 24, 2023 - 6:00 AM
In a years-long dispute over Hells Angels clubhouses in BC, the biker gang won't see the buildings returned in Kelowna, Nanaimo and East Vancouver.
The BC Court of Appeal tossed an application from the clubhouse owners to take their dispute to the Supreme Court of Canada, putting an end to the Hells Angels' efforts to keep the Kelowna clubhouse on Ellis Street.
The BC Civil Forfeiture office has been trying to seize the clubhouse at 871 Ellis St. since 2012. A June 9 decision from the province's highest court put that dispute to an end, ruling the director of civil forfeiture can finally take possession of the Kelowna clubhouse, along with the other two in Nanaimo and East Vancouver.
Justice Ronald Skolrood ruled the clubhouse owners couldn't establish they would suffer "irreparable harm" if the properties were sold.
The owners argued they each held the properties for "decades" and the clubhouses are "unique." It's not clear exactly what made them unique other than using bulletproof glass in the East Vancouver clubhouse. The doors in all three are also made of metal and open outwards to make police access difficult, according to the decision.
The owners applied to the Supreme Court of Canada to appeal BC court decisions in April.
Eleven years later, the province is set to take control of and eventually sell the Kelowna clubhouse.
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