Trek Bicycles Canada and Mayor Armand Hurford have purportedly resolved the legal matter between them through negotiation.
A payment hearing was scheduled for Jan. 17 between Trek and Hurford, which was related to the unpaid invoices between Trek and Hurford’s now-closed business, Republic Bicycles. However, court documents dated Jan. 16 show that the hearing was cancelled.
Hurford told The Squamish Chief in an email on Jan. 19 that the payment hearing was cancelled because the matter was resolved.
“This matter has [been] resolved, through a negotiated resolution making the Jan. 17 hearing unnecessary,” he wrote.
Numerous phone calls and an email to legal representation for Trek to confirm the resolution were not answered. As such, no further details of the resolution were given.
A number of legal proceedings took place in the last six months related to the matter.
In July 2023, Judge Joseph Galati granted a default order that required Hurford and Republic Bicycles to pay about $26,700 for 10 unpaid invoices dated between September 2021 and July 2022 to Trek Bicycle Canada. The original notice of claim from Trek said the invoices were for “various bicycles and bicycle components.”
Neither Hurford nor legal representation for him or the business attended the default order hearing in July.
Later, Hurford did not attend a scheduled payment hearing on Nov. 14, and subsequently a warrant of arrest was issued for him. The Small Claims Rules stipulated that Hurford could voluntarily contact the registrar and attend court at a later date which would cancel the warrant. Court documents show he appeared in court on Nov. 20, cancelling the warrant and scheduling the Jan. 17 payment hearing.
The Chief has inquired with Hurford about the legal proceedings numerous times since they developed. Most recently, in a December 2023 interview, Hurford said he was committed to his work as mayor.
“I’ve been doing my best to stay focused on the tasks that I’ve been elected to do by the people in the community. That’s where my focus has been and I’ll continue to do that,” he said.
Hurford closed Republic Bicycles, which is located on Government Road in Brackendale, in December 2022 just a couple of months after he was elected mayor. No new business has since moved into the location. Hurford told The Squamish Chief he ran the business for about 16 years.
