Amelia Boultbee's seat on Penticton city council is expected to up for grabs in a spring 2025 byelection.

Image Credit: City of Penticton

Amelia Boultbee will be replaced on Penticton council in a byelection, but the first person to announce their intention to run isn't getting her endorsement.

The newly-elected BC Conservative MLA took to social media this weekend to criticize the potential candidate for his role within a local group called Clean Streets.

"It appears that you endorse violence and vigilantism as a solution to a complex social problem like crime," she said in a statement to social media.

Speaking with iNFOnews.ca, Jason Reynen said the statement was "defamation" to his character and that he doesn't endorse violence.

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"In no way have I ever sat down or even had a conversation with someone saying let's go do something like that," he said.

Reynen helped the group Clean Streets gain traction a couple years ago, moving from online spaces to the physical world as some went through efforts to retrieve stolen goods. Speaking to iNFOnews.ca in 2022, he did describe the group as having vigilante ideals, but stipulated that their confrontations over stolen goods weren't meant to be done through violence.

With more than 5,000 people on the social media group, Reynen said it now largely serves as a virtual neighbourhood watch and it exists as a tool to share information with each other and law enforcement.

Boultbee criticized the group of having prompted shelters to erect fences to protect homeless people from Clean Streets members and of wrongly chasing innocent people with weapons or taking items because they "looked homeless." Reynen, however, said here accusations were "baseless."

Running for the BC Conservative Party in October, Boultbee won to become Penticton's MLA. She then resigned from her seat on city council prompting a byelection. It's expected to take place in the spring, but a date has yet to be decided.

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Reynen meanwhile revived his campaign Facebook page, launched for his failed 2022 mayoral run, and tentatively plans to put his name forward. With the byelection still months away, Reynen added that his plans could change, but he is so far expecting to make his second run at a seat on Penticton council.

He added that he would step away from any role he has within the Clean Streets group if campaigning for council.

No other candidates have declared their intentions to run in the byelection.

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