Police made four seizures of small amounts of marihuana this week as people were found smoking in public places such as Bowker Creek Park and beaches. While the legalization of marihuana is frequently mentioned in the media, citizens are reminded that possession of cannabis remains illegal. None of the four noted above were charged but their marihuana and associated paraphernalia was seized.

On June 30^th, police responded to the corner of Oak Bay Avenue and Yale Street after a Nissan Pathfinder backed into a parked car and a lamp post while being parallel parked. The 75-year-old female driver was uninjured. The vehicles were extensively damaged.

On July 1^st, at approximately 2:00pm, police and fire attended to a house fire in the 600 block of Beach Drive. The flames were coming through the roof of the house by the time the fire department arrived but were controlled relatively quickly. Beach Drive was shut down for a couple of hours while crews worked to save the home.

At 3:45pm on July 1^st, a large branch from a tree fell onto power lines in the 1400 block of St. Patrick street, bringing the lines to the ground and knocking out power to many homes. Police attended and kept people away from the lines while waiting for BC Hydro to attend. Police would like to remind residents that all downed or damaged power lines should be treated as though they are live even if they’re not sparking or making any noise. Stay back at least 10 meters, call 911 and try to keep others away. More safety tips can be found at bchydro.com.

Finally, over the course of the Canada Day long weekend, Oak Bay Police conducted a number of roadblocks looking for impaired drivers. While hundreds of vehicles were checked, especially on Beach Drive shortly after the fireworks were done downtown, the OBPD is very pleased to report that not a single impaired driver was located.