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Ex-B.C. Conservative MLAs and party president say a private investigator was hired to look into them

'Absolutely shocking behaviour,' says former party president Aisha Estey

The former B.C. Conservative Party president says she was one of about a dozen people, including 4 MLAs, who were targeted by a private investigator allegedly hired by the party’s former executive director.

The B.C. Conservative Party president Mauro Francis has been reaching out to people on the list to let them know they were being looked into by a private investigator. They were told former executive director Elaine Allan, acting without authorization, hired an investigator using party funds to look into their activities. CBC News has seen a copy of the email being sent by Francis about the existence of the private investigator.

"I just find it to be absolutely shocking behaviour," said Aisha Estey, who was party president until Aug. 20. "I don't know if I was literally followed or if it was an internet-based investigation."Estey said the timeline of when the private investigator was operating would have been while she was still sitting as the party's president. The list includes MLAs Claire Rattée, Rosalyn Bird, Brennan Day, Áʼa꞉líya Warbus, Amelia Boultbee, former party executive director Angelo Isidorou, the party’s former managing director Philip Dippenaar, NDP staffer Matt Hannah, Mandeep Dhaliwal and Jonathan Ross.

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Bird told CBC News she was contacted by the party Wednesday.

"I was told that Elaine Allan had hired a private investigator and that she had investigated myself and 11 other people. And that the investigator had submitted a bill to the party for payment when he realized that Elaine wasn't working there anymore."

Bird, who left the caucus on Aug. 25, said it appears the investigator was looking into MLAs before they left to sit as Independents.

"I am disappointed on a level that I can't even explain," she said. "I don't even have words."

CBC News has not been able to reach Allan and ask her about the allegations.

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Rattée, the MLA for Skeena, said in a statement posted to social media that she had been contacted by the Conservatives.

"I can confirm that yesterday afternoon I was formally informed by the Conservative Party of British Columbia that a senior party official allegedly hired a private investigator, which may concern violation of my privacy and possibly other harms."

Day, the MLA for Courtenay-Comox, told CBC News he’s looking at his legal options.

At a news conference following her speech at the Union of B.C. Municipalities conference, Conservative Leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay said the party is looking into the allegations.

"I had no knowledge of it. I wasn’t aware of it. So I can’t really respond and they are just allegations at the moment," Findlay said in response to questions from CBC News.

A B.C. Conservative party source with direct knowledge of the matter told CBC News the private investigator was hired to look into who is behind a social media account on X called The Findlay Files.

The account has been publishing damaging allegations against Findlay and other senior B.C. Conservative staffers, some of whom were fired or resigned in light of the allegations.

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CBC News has not been able to independently verify why the private investigator was hired or that Allan was the only one with knowledge of the private investigator. The existence of the private investigator was revealed earlier this week when the person contacted the party looking for payment for their work.

Estey said Allan is a close political ally of Findlay’s, and was tapped to take over as executive director in early August after Angelo Isidorou stepped down. Allan was suspended from the role at the end of August.

"Pleading ignorance and not having any idea what's going on with the people in your closest circle who you've appointed to leadership positions, that's not an excuse," Estey said.

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Isidorou said on social media Thursday that he has been told "the investigation was initiated by the former executive director who succeeded me, without authorization of the board of directors of the party, and that the party has only now learned of this illicit action.""I spent years building this party. I am deeply disappointed by these inappropriate actions. The privacy and safety of my family is the most important thing in the world to me," he said.The hiring of the private investigator was raised at a tense caucus meeting in Vancouver Wednesday night. Two MLAs called on Findlay to resign.

On Wednesday, Rattée published an open letter, saying the caucus is "deeply divided" under Findlay who has skipped caucus meetings and did not try and mend fences with existing MLAs after nine MLAs left the party.

"I’m not going anywhere," Findlay said.

She said the party must be focused on the prospect that Premier David Eby will call a snap fall election.

Katie DeRosa is the provincial affairs reporter for CBC British Columbia. She is based in Victoria. You can contact her at katie.derosa@cbc.ca.