COVID-19 enforcement: Zero tickets handed out at road checks during B.C.'s travel ban
Police never ticketed anyone at the road checks set up to enforce B.C.'s temporary travel ban, which is being lifted on Tuesday.
B.C. first announced its travel ban, prohibiting locals from moving between three health regions, on April 23. The rules were meant to help curb the spread of COVID-19 and on June 15, that ban is being lifted.
Starting on May 6, the RCMP established regular road checks highway points between the health regions. Those included checks at Highway 1 near Boston Bar, Highway 3 near Manning Park, Highway 5 near Old Toll Booth and Highway 99 near Lillooet.
Between May 6 and June 12, Mounties say they checked 14,193 vehicles at those road blocks. Of those, 236 drivers voluntarily turned around. Another 26 were told by police they must turn around, but no tickets were issued, Mounties confirmed with CTV News Vancouver.
Drivers who refused to turn around could have been fined up to $575.
On Tuesday, B.C. is entering Step 2 of its restart plan, meaning recreational travel across the province will be permitted. With those restrictions lifting, Mounties in the province say it's not a "licence to disregard the rules of the road."
"We would like to remind all motorists to make smart decisions when it comes to driving," Supt. Holly Turton, officer in charge of BC Highway Patrol, in a news release Monday.
"Please obey the rules of the road for your safety and that of others. Our officers work hard to keep our highways safe, but we need people to drive with care so that we can make our highways safer together."
One ticket was issued for breaking the travel ban, but before May 6 and not at a road check. That ticket was given on May 1 on Vancouver Island after a driver was pulled over "for more than one driving offence."
A conversation with the driver, who was from North Vancouver, revealed that he was travelling for non-essential purposes, Cpl. Mike Halskov told CTV News Vancouver after the ticket was issued.
“The officer issued a ticket under the Emergency Program Act and directed the driver to return to the Lower Mainland immediately. The driver was also issued tickets for the driving offences,” Halskov said.
RCMP's E Division confirmed with CTV News Vancouver that no other tickets were issued outside of road checks.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.