CAMPBELL RIVER, B.C. – The City of Campbell River is investigating after a boat was found abandoned along a local trail on Monday.
Jo-Ann Latta discovered the vessel while she was walking along Duncan Bay Main Line Road between Highway 19 and Highway 28 (the Gold River Highway).
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Latta said it looked like the boat had been dragged along the trail. She noted that this was the second boat she’s seen left behind in the area in about two years.
Campbell River’s director of planning, Peter Wipper, said the city is looking into the incident to determine how to deal with the abandoned vessel.
“We did write a report, and the bylaw department has opened up a file, and we’re investigating right now,” Wipper said.
“At the end of the day, we want to always have these things cleaned up. Part of the investigation, of course, is can we identify who the previous owner was? That really happens with any illegal dumping activity.”
Wipper said the main idea is to get the people or person that dumped the boat to clean it up, and that the responsibility not be left up to taxpayers.
“We know it happens, and again, there’s no real rhyme or reason when it happens, but we certainly try to stay on top of these things, and I know we have a bylaw in place with the (Strathcona) Regional District,” Wipper said.
“We’re trying to coordinate our activities, because a lot of these areas, people are often dumping in the ‘back-40’, outside of town. These are in rural areas, maybe outside of city limits, but we certainly try to consolidate the information we have, and work together to try to deal with these issues as they come up.”
Wipper said items are usually found along roads that have “low traffic volumes”.
“It’s out in the bush, where people don’t normally see things, that’s particularly where we see (illegal dumping).”
He said the city did not have a timeline on when the boat, found Monday, would be removed from Duncan Bay Main Line Road.
Wipper added that if anybody notices any illegal dumping, they should contact the city’s bylaw enforcement department immediately. The bylaw office can be contacted by phone at (250) 286-5776.
