After a years of deaths and injuries in Lynn Canyon, North Vancouver first responders are again calling on the public to make smarter choices when visiting the popular park.
North Vancouver RCMP and the District of North Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services issued a release and launched a public education video Wednesday, pleading for safety from Lynn Canyon’s visitors.
The park is extremely popular, drawing in more than half a million visitors and locals per year, especially in the summer months. But every year, crews respond to “countless” rescues in the canyon, and in the last 50 years, there have been more than 40 deaths. According to the BC Coroners’ Service, five of those have come in the last 10 years, including 21-year-old Harman Singh Sandhu who jumped in at Twin Falls on July 3 but hit his head on a rock and drowned.
In 2016, it took a multi-agency effort using boats, helicopters and underwater cameras more than three weeks to recover the body of a 17-year-old after the creek’s rapids captured him and held him under the water.
“It is extremely dangerous to cliff jump in Lynn Canyon,” said Fire Chief Mike Danks. “Not only are there underwater rock hazards not visible from above the surface, but there are also extremely strong currents. Even in the summer, the water is very cold and hypothermia can set in quickly.”
In order to get to the most popular cliff jumping areas, people have to climb over or go around fences that are plastered with signs warning about the dangers of the canyon and how many people have died there. Most of the people who have died, the video notes, are young people.
The video specifically draws attention to the role that peer pressure plays in instigating people to jump where it isn’t safe.
Authorities are also issuing a warning about the consumption of alcohol in the park, which is not legal, but is also frequently associated with deaths and injuries in the canyon.
“The public can expect to see extra patrols around Lynn Canyon Park and other parks in the District of North Vancouver,” said Const. Mansoor Sahak, North Vancouver RCMP spokesperson. “Officers will also be enforcing the Liquor Control Act and Licensing Act and if you’re observed consuming liquor in a public place, you could be issued a fine under the LCLA.”
