Skip to content

Local police will not abide drunken parties down the river

Public alcohol consumption will not be tolerated, Lake Cowichan RCMP Sgt. Dave Voller said. “We have lots planned for the summer,” he said, of the annual crackdown.

Public alcohol consumption will not be tolerated, Lake Cowichan RCMP Sgt. Dave Voller said.

“We have lots planned for the summer,” he said, of the annual crackdown.

Although Lake Cowichan RCMP can’t patrol the Cowichan River 24/7, expect blitzes, similar in scope to last year’s.

“I think it works well,” Voller said, adding that crackdowns serve both an educational and enforcement component.

Last year, a BC Day long weekend crackdown along the Cowichan River resulted in over 700 bottles and cans of alcohol being seized from people setting out to tube down the river.

Another annual crackdown to take place this summer will occur along the Pacific Marine Circle Route, and will involve local RCMP, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, and local conservation officers.

During one day last summer, a total of 67 vehicles were inspected for fisheries violations, which resulted in 13 fines and warnings handed out.

The dates of both crackdowns will be kept a secret, to keep potential violators on their toes.

Should the date somehow leak, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans has additional checks planned, potentially snagging violators regardless.