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Trespass incident boosts public awareness
by PETER MITHAM SAANICH – Greater public
awareness of the cost of trespassing on farmland is one positive result of a December 28 joyride in a Saanich hayfield. Two trucks ran amok in the
10-acre field farmed by Longview Farms, said general manager Ryan Vantreight. The 17-year-old drivers were caught when the trucks became stuck in the mud. “The police were called, the individuals were caught and tow trucks had to come pull them out,” he wrote in a Facebook post the following day.
The post racked up more
than 41,000 shares and reached more than 5 million people. There have been close to 7,500 comments on the post, including people who expressed remorse for similar incidents in their own youth. “It went viral, which in my
world is fantastic,” Vantreight said. “The positive is that the broader community gets educated.”
Damages from the incident will easily total in the thousands of dollars. This includes the cost of lost sales as well as the expense of remediating the field, which is part of 150 acres the farm certifies for organic production. Longview farms 400 acres in total, of which
about 100 acres are in hay. The perpetrators have since met with Vantreight at the farm to apologize and offer assistance in reversing damage to the field. “They’re very remorseful,”
Vantreight said. “They’ve owned it. … They’ve offered to help in any way to make it right.”
Based on the evidence to
date, police have recommended a charge of criminal mischief over $5,000. Whether the farm pursues criminal charges, initiates a civil matter or accepts damages has yet to be determined. The final decision will be up the farm’s owner, Westerkirk Capital Corp.
COUNTRY LIFE IN BC • FEBRUARY 2020
Sheep killings raise concerns in
Lower Mainland Pitt Meadows killings the latest of several over the past year by BARBARA JOHNSTONE GRIMMER PITT MEADOWS – Sheep producers in the Fraser Valley
are on alert following two separate reports of sheep being shot and killed over the Christmas holidays on private land in Pitt Meadows. “Both incidents occurred between Christmas and mid-
January,” says BC Sheep Federation president Barbara Ydenberg. “Both times the sheep were close to the house in their paddocks. The gun used was a .22 calibre. Both farms are situated along the dike so there is easy public access.”
The first incident happened Christmas day when two pet sheep were shot and killed while the family was away for Christmas dinner. “We found them when we got home,” says Jessica
Marando. “There was almost no blood, and our sheep are Shetlands so their wounds were hard to see and we missed them at first.” The next day, the sheep were checked by a
2019 1989
veterinarian who confirmed that the sheep were shot with a small calibre rifle. “We called the police and started a police report,” says
Marando. “I also contacted the mayor and city council. People down the way on our dikes also lost three sheep last year in the summer over two nights for unexplained reasons. They now assume that they may have been shot. Another farm in Langley lost six lambs on Mother’s Day last year. As with us, they missed the wounds and called in a vet and it was confirmed to be a small calibre rifle as well.”
The information was shared on social media and
through Lower Mainland Sheep Producers Association networks. “If you see someone on the dikes with a weapon, please call the police,” says Marando. “If someone you know has a gun and was out on the dikes, please have a conversation with them.” Ridge Meadows RCMP confirmed that an investigation into the killings is ongoing.
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