(ROB MUNRO / iNFOnews.ca)

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KELOWNA - A 52-year-old Kelowna man was picked up by Kelowna RCMP and later released on strict condions after a death threat was made to Kelowna Mayor Colin Basran online. An RCMP news release says the man faces potential criminal charges and is expected to appear in court on June 24.

Mayor Colin Basran responded earlier this morning to the comment on a Facebook post.

Basran said on Instagram the comment brought him to tears. 

“When you put your name forward and are selected to serve the people of your community, you expect some criticism. But the post above goes beyond anything I would have ever expected," he said. 

The comment was made on a Facebook post created by iNFOnews Kelowna last night saying "Put a bullet in this fucktard". It was soon deleted. 

Basran shared a screenshot of the comment and his response. 

“This may not be a big deal to some, but this is incredibly hurtful to my family and I. So much so, I’ll admit it brought me to tears. I’m scared, angry, sad and everything in between. I put up with a lot of criticism at times, but threatening my safety is completely unacceptable. If this is the new norm for elected officials, I want no part of it.

“Not even sure what else to say.”

The Facebook post the comment was made on concerned a story about a revived housing decision. 

Calls to Basran this morning were not returned. 

At least two Kelowna councillors have been informed that a press conference will be held at City Hall at 3 p.m. today

 - This story was updated May 15, 2019 at 10:38 to add informaiton about a man in custody and at 1:10 p.m. to add informaiton about the press conference.

 

 

 

 

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When you put your name forward and are selected to serve the people of your community, you expect some criticism. But the post above goes beyond anything I would have ever expected. This may not be a big deal to some, but this is incredibly hurtful to my family and I. So much so, I’ll admit it brought me to tears. I’m scared, angry, sad and everything in between. I put up with a lot of criticism at times, but threatening my safety is completely unacceptable! If this is the new norm for elected officials, I want no part of it. Not even sure what else to say... #kelowna #canada #politics #socialmedia

A post shared by Colin Basran (@colin_basran) on May 15, 2019 at 8:27am PDT

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