Ezra Wellness will not be opening on Tranquille Road after the property owner said they were not consulted for a sub-lease agreement.

(LEVI LANDRY / iNFOnews.ca)

The owner and manager of a Kamloops property will not be leasing the commercial storefront to a group of unvaccinated healthcare workers trying to open a health centre so Ezra Wellness will have to find another space if it hopes to continue.

Realtor Brendan Shaw said his company was not consulted about the use for the building and the sub-lease that was meant to be arranged is actually not allowed under the their current lease agreement, according to a media release.

SRSN Ventures Ltd., Shaw's holding company, owns and manages the property on the 500-block of Tranquille Road, where Ezra Wellness was briefly operated by unvaccinated nurses looking to carry on their practice.

"We thought we had an understanding," Glenn Aalderink, founder of Ezra Wellness formerly at 552 Tranquille Road told iNFOnews.ca.

Aalderink, a licensed practical nurse, is known for standing firm against vaccine policies and pandemic-related public health measures. He is also a key architect behind the nationwide hospital protests on Sept. 1.

While he told iNFOnews.ca on Oct. 30 that the space was donated, that deal appears to have been between him and Shaw's tenant, leaving the property owner out of the conversation.

“With each of our commercial tenants, we have a process we follow to vet and approve all tenants. Part of that due diligence process is to ensure all tenants are able to meet the legal, financial and insurance covenants on the commercial space. Without having gone through this process and because we have a no sub-lease clause in place, we cannot reasonably give approval on a lease," Shaw said in the release.

Aalderink plans to find a new space for Ezra Wellness in Kamloops, adding that he has been in conversation with their "sister clinic" in Grand Forks.

"Why would I stop something I see is necessary and desired?" he said. "I expect us to have little hiccups and bumpy roads."

He expected to have his business licence approved today until issues with the property owner arose.

Once a space is secured, it will likely continue to run on a donation basis, but he hopes to have Ezra Wellness registered as a charity or not-for-profit which would require registering under the B.C. Societies Act.

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