“I want to address my earlier comments about the number of reports of sexual assault deemed to be unfounded at the Kelowna RCMP detachment.".
“I am sorry and offer my sincere apology to anyone offended or hurt by my initial reaction to this news. The number of local sex assault complaints deemed to be unfounded is deeply concerning and I know the local detachment is taking this matter seriously. In retrospect, I should have waited for the results of an investigation into the matter before expressing my opinion.
“While the RCMP operates independently of the City of Kelowna, it is the City’s responsibility to ensure matters of concern to our citizens are being addressed. I have directed staff to stay in close contact with RCMP on this issue until a review is concluded.
“I support what the Kelowna RCMP has done in response to this new information from Statistics Canada – starting with an internal review and a subsequent request to have the RCMP’s Sexual Assault Review Team at national headquarters review the 2018 and 2019 files. That review will determine RCMP next steps.
“It’s my understanding that the RCMP will report out once the investigation is complete and I’ll wait until that happens before commenting further.”