On Monday night, many students on the North Shore will mark their last year of high school by camping, often hiding out in a park or forested area to celebrate the milestone.
However West Vancouver Const. Jeff Palmer is reminding parents and students that these are unsanctioned events.
“These gatherings are in a place where (students have) intended to gather somewhere where it’s hard to be found or detected, and that provides a real challenge if there is an emergency,” said Palmer.
In previous years, Palmer says students have left garbage behind on public and private property. He also warned that alcohol, drugs and other intoxicants could be present at these gatherings and that unsupervised fires could pose a danger.
“You’ll have unattended campfires burning when kids clear the area,” he said.
A campfire ban remains in place in the province.
North Vancouver RCMP sent out a similar warning last week.