Equestrian ranch refuses vaccinated visitors

Owner tells would-be retreat participant she considers vaccine to be a `bioweapon'

Equinisity Retreats offers eightday stays at an idyllic ranch setting outside of Kamloops for guests to have “a spiritual adventure with horses and nature,” but not if they have been vaccinated against COVID-19, one potential visitor from the United Kingdom discovered.

The woman detailed her situation to Guardian newspaper consumer columnist Anna Tims, explaining that before pandemic lockdowns brought global tourism to a halt, she had booked a retreat for May of 2020. After then accepting a deferral of the trip, she discovered this year that the owner wouldn't allow her to visit because she has been vaccinated against COVID-19. Instead of refunding the $2,800 she had paid in full and up front, however, owner Liz Mitten Ryan said the woman's recourse would be to sell her booking to someone who isn't vaccinated, according to Tims' column published May 26 on the Guardian's website.

In an email, Tims said she has heard many complaints about vacation companies refusing to refund clients during lockdowns, but this was the first where a company has “proactively banned customers, then sat on their money.”

And in this client's case, the woman would be subject to Canada's vaccination requirements in order to enter the country.

When reached by phone on Friday, Mitten Ryan said she considers COVID vaccines to be “bioweapons,” and will not allow vaccinated people onto the property.

“Two-and-a-half years ago, before COVID happened, I booked a lady from the U.K.,” Mitten Ryan said. “She got triple vaccinated, and I said to her this year, `I don't do vaccinated people. You're going to have to sell (the booking) to somebody else who is (not vaccinated).'”

Mitten Ryan didn't answer any questions before hanging up, but Equinisity's website does not mention anything about her vaccination rules on its booking page, although it does state retreats have to be paid in full in advance and cancellations will only be credited to a future retreat.

Equinisity's vaccination rules are not mentioned in the listing on Destination B.C.'S Super Natural British Columbia website either, and the organization is now reviewing its terms and conditions to determine if Equinisity has violated any of its requirements.

“If a business does not meet the terms and conditions, their business listing could be removed,” Destination B.C.'S Kristen Learned said in an emailed statement. Guests will likely have to make a complaint to Consumer Protection B.C. to resolve the issue.

As a Crown corporation, Destination B.C. is mandated to support tourism through marketing and visitor servicing, “but does not have jurisdiction over a company's refund policies or provincial regulations,” Learned wrote.

However, as the industry opens up to more visitors, Destination B.C. does encourage tourism operators to “implement all health orders and recommendations to maintain our reputation as a safe and responsible destination of choice.”

Consumer Protection B.C.'S Amanda Parry said the organization had not received a complaint related to Equinisity, but a formal grievance might be the best way to evaluate the customer's “nuanced situation.”

The agency will consider the length of time since the service was or wasn't delivered, when the consumer started pursuing a refund, and whether they consented to acceptance of a credit for future service.

“In these instances, we may not be able to pursue a complaint,” Parry said.