The details of the alleged behavior are still unclear, but Tofino Resort and Marina says it has canceled the remainder of the Race for the Blue tournament, which was scheduled to run from Sept. 9 to Sept. 17. It is not yet clear if the behavior involved Mitchell or other resort leadership. In a brief statement posted on the tournament’s website, the resort says it continues to “take steps to ensure the ultimate safety and well-being of our team.” “We were extremely upset to hear of grossly inappropriate behavior associated with one of our annual events,” the resort said. “Our first concern is our staff and we are responding to the needs of those affected.” 1909 Kitchen and Bar, which is attached to the resort, announced on its Instagram page that it will be closed until Sunday morning. Ollie Happyness, a member of the band Downtown Mischief, was playing at 1909 on Sunday night when, he says, the band was asked to end the show due to a personnel issue. He says the band was scheduled to play until midnight, but did a few extra encores for the audience. “At about 12:30 [a.m.] after our third encore the promoter came over and said, “I’d love for you to keep playing, and it’s usually great, but there’s a problem with some of the staff and we have to shut this place down right now, and everybody get out of here” , he recalls. Happyness told CTV News that some people left the bar, while others stayed outside for about an hour chatting. There didn’t seem to be much discussion of inappropriate behavior that night, Happyness says, but the next morning he says he heard something happened between management and staff — though he doesn’t know the details. Another musician, Sarah Osborne, was scheduled to play at the resort the next day, but Happyness says her show was cancelled. Osborne told Happyness that her show was canceled “because none of the staff came forward in protest because of the incidents that happened,” she says. Spokesmen for Tofino RCMP and Island District RCMP declined to comment on allegations of misconduct. Staff at the Tofino Resort and Marina also declined to discuss the allegations. The Race for the Blue Tuna derby is billed as “the most exciting blue water adventure experience in the Pacific Northwest,” with a focus on Pacific tuna. This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
