Some local politicians say they’re fed up with drunken partiers at Thetis Lake Regional Park and that a no-tolerance policy on alcohol and drugs has to be enforced.
“The alcohol issues are just out of hand,” View Royal Mayor David Screech told the Capital Regional District parks and environment committee on Wednesday.
“View Royal deals with a myriad of other spinoff issues from the park, with parking bylaw enforcement and all sorts of costs that we have to try to deal with, but inside the park we really do need the support and the help and the recognition that there is a problem and we need to do something differently to solve the problem.”
Over the weekend, the View Royal Fire Department responded to several incidents at the lake. First responders had to assist a 15-year-old who was found unconscious on a trail — apparently too intoxicated to move — and a male was injured while drinking and cliff jumping into the lake.
Responding to the calls was made more difficult because emergency vehicles couldn’t get through the parking lot. Vehicles were waiting for parking spots or illegally parked in fire lanes and no-parking zones.
Screech said the secondary road within the park that goes from the main beach to another beach was basically impassible.
“The emergency vehicles couldn’t get through because of parked vehicles.”
Juan de Fuca director Mike Hicks, a former chairman of the parks committee, said the problems are the same every year. “I think we should react and send a message out to the public: No tolerance. It’s done.”
Hicks said the CRD should immediately hire someone to explain in no uncertain terms to people visiting the park that drugs and alcohol are not allowed, and to warn people that RCMP or bylaw officers will be called if they are using drugs or drinking alcohol.
Screech said View Royal Fire Chief Paul Hurst wants to see a permanent presence in the park from June 1 through the September long weekend.
An estimated 2,000 visitors were at Thetis on Sunday, Screech said.
“You wouldn’t run an event probably in any park with that many people without having some sort of official presence there, and I think that’s the point. That lake has just got so hugely popular and so many people [are] using it that we need to rethink how we’re doing it,” Screech said. “And we certainly need to start a campaign of zero tolerance on open alcohol consumption in the park.”
Bylaw officers put in about 19 hours of enforcement during the weekend. There were 18 liquor violations, 35 warnings for a variety of offences, from parking to liquor use and failure to obey signs, and one eviction, CRD staff say.
“If there’s a way within our staff complement and resources that we can reapply resources to Thetis for the remainder of the summer, we will certainly do that if it is warranted,” said Larisa Hutcheson, general manager of CRD Regional Parks.
View Royal staff will meet with CRD staff on Friday to discuss options.
The parks and environment committee has asked staff for a report to the next board meeting outlining current enforcement activities.
Screech said in addition to bylaw officers, the RCMP should make semi-regular patrols through the park, especially on weekends.
Two years ago, CRD directors approved a $100,000 boost in parks funding to hire bylaw officers dedicated to increased enforcement of dog-related matters in regional parks, as well as addressing issues such as people jumping off cliffs into Thetis Lake.
