The owners of the Kelowna Events Centre Inc. and Impact UPstream Ventures Inc. are doing their best to support those impacted by the recent eviction of their tenant, John Perks.

Al Hildebrandt and his son Cory Hildebrandt said John Perks and his businesses, Western Canada Food Tours and 1486327 B.C. Ltd., were evicted from 2041 Harvey Avenue after its alleged Perks fell months behind on rent.

Problems started in December 2025 when the first of the month came and went without a rental payment, according to the Hildebrandts. After weeks of communications, Perks is said to have paid December’s rent in early February, but still owed for the first two months of 2026.

Perks allegedly owes more than $60,000, Al told Black Press Media. In February, the Hildebrandts said they gave Perks seven days to pay his rent in full or face eviction, as per the lease agreement. Cory said the payments never came, and the tenant was evicted on Feb. 18.

The Hildebrandts stated Perks operated several businesses through the venue, including Western Canada Food Tours, Kelowna Events Centre (1486327 B.C. Ltd.), JQA Enterprises Inc., ShowOff Expos/Productions, The Foodie Hub, The Baker’s Corner, and Restoration Church Kelowna in which Perks is lead pastor. All businesses are no longer operating out of 2041 Harvey Avenue.

Since the eviction, Al said they’ve been trying to do damage control.

Letters were sent by Kelowna Events Centre Inc. (KECI) to inform clients with future events to be held at the venue of the change and that the planned events will still go ahead.

“Our immediate focus is safeguarding every previously booked future event and maintaining planning momentum,” the letter reads. KECI will be reviewing existing contracts and already paid deposits individually and says, “No client will be surprised by changes without discussion.”

In order to maintain scheduled events, the Hildebrandts said they have a lot of work to do.

“The lights were taken out of the building because they (Perks) didn’t pay the bill for the new lights they ordered,” Al stated about changes Perks had made on his own accord to the building.

An event host is also claiming Perks owes him $10,000.

Matt Perron hosted a Valentine’s Day rave at the venue. He said his payment system wasn’t working, and Perks agreed to let Perron use his Square account to take payments at the event. Perron said he hasn’t received the funds from Perks and has not heard from him since Feb. 25.

Perron has filed a police report with the Kelowna RCMP for theft. Black Press Media has contacted police for more information on the file.

The Hildebrandts said they’ve heard from dozens of people also alleging that Perks owes them money, prompting a letter to be sent out to past event hosts.

“Deposits paid to the former operating companies were processed through their business accounts and financial structures,” the letter states. “Those funds were not held by the building owner and are not transferred to the new Kelowna Events Centre Inc.”

The letter offers advice on pursuing the recovery of funds and a personal note from KECI. “Many of us working in this space were also directly impacted by the prior operators’ financial collapse… While the new Kelowna Events Centre Inc. cannot assume financial responsibility for obligations incurred by unrelated former entities, we are committed to operating with transparency, accountability, and ethical financial practices moving forward.”

KECI said it is pursuing legal action.

Perks’ business, The Foodie Hub, still lists an event to be hosted at 2041 Harvey Avenue on Mar. 20, but the Hildebrandts said Perks is not welcome to host any further events in the space. Despite this, tickets to the Okanagan Mac & Cheese and Craft Beer Festival are still available to purchase for $49 each. There are no details about the event.

John Perks’ history

This isn’t the first time Perks has made news headlines. In 2019, Perks was hired as the executive director of the Kamloops Chamber of Commerce. He was let go from the role just three days later over controversial posts found on social media.

Perks made his way to Ontario in the years following and took on the role of chief executive officer at the York-Durham Heritage Railway (YDHR) in Uxbridge. In 2023, Perks faced public scrutiny after people alleged that YDHR had not paid vendors.

Perks resigned from YDHR in December 2023. One month later, the railway filed for bankruptcy.

In 2024, Perks returned to the Okanagan with his wife, Quinn. The pair started a walking tour in downtown Kelowna, where Quinn would take clients to various restaurants to experience the local hospitality industry.

In a June 21, 2024, interview, Quinn told Black Press Media that her dad once owned the “Cats’ Cafe,” located at 210 Lawrence Ave. where Humo Izakaya is now and that she had previously worked for years in the Kelowna restaurant industry.

Despite speaking to other media on March 4, both Perks and Quinn appeared to have turned their personal cell phones off and both voicemails were full. Black Press Media also tried to reach the couple by email, however, an automatic response stated the email had been deactivated.

This story will be updated if Perks can be reached for comment.

Williams Lake Tribune

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