Department of National Defence explosives experts are coming back to North Vancouver’s Blair Rifle Range lands to hunt for more bombs that may have been lost and forgotten from the area’s time as a military site.
Today, the land off Mount Seymour Parkway is mainly used by hikers, mountain bikers and dog walkers, but from the 1930s to the 1960s it was a training range for the Canadian Armed Forces.
DND has a dedicated team of experts who scour “legacy” sites for unexploded ordnance, or UXO.
After surveying the Blair Rifle Range lands with metal detectors in 2018, the UXO team found about 200 kilograms of military remnants buried under the soil. This included three-inch mortar shells, two-inch shells, which were used to produce smoke and flashes of light to simulate battlefield conditions, “six-pounder” dummy rounds made of solid metal, and components of exploded M36 grenades.
All of the potentially dangerous duds were destroyed in controlled detonations by experts from Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt.
When they wrapped the operation, which focused on the area’s trails and a half-metre buffer on either side, officials said the trails themselves were safe but it was likely there were other UXO left behind in the wooded areas.
The team will be back again on Feb. 22 to focus on the areas around trails and clearings that weren’t surveyed before.
“UXO clearance work will be performed between trees, with only hazardous trees being removed if absolutely required. Some low-lying brush will also be removed in areas with dense vegetation. Access to some trails may be temporarily limited while work is taking place. Trails continue to be safe for the community to use for walking, jogging, or biking,” reads a statement from DND, issued Friday.
The chance of a UXO detonating on its own is very low but it is possible if they are disturbed. A three-inch mortar has a “lethality radius” of 10 metres and a danger radius of 450 metres, officials said in 2018.
“We encourage the public to continue to use good judgment and caution when on this former military site. Site users should stay on designated trails and refrain from digging or making campfires in the area,” the statement from DND cautioned.
The new survey work is expected to last for six weeks with the option to return in the fall if more surveying is necessary, according to DND.
DND officials will be holding a community information session on the work on Feb. 21 at noon, which can be attended virtually via zoom by emailing [email protected] for registration.
The Blair Rifle Range lands are co-owned by CMHC and the province, with trail maintenance delegated to the North Shore Mountain Bike Association.
If you see something that looks like it may be UXO, follow these steps:
• Don’t touch it.
• Turn around and leave the area the same way you came in.
• Call 911 or local police.
