Police, military search and rescue crews looking for missing man, boat off Vancouver Island
The Joint Rescue Coordination Centre Victoria (JRCC) and the Comox Valley RCMP are searching for a missing 37-year-old man and the rowboat he was reported to have taken.
Mounties said in a statement Friday that they were notified around 7:30 a.m. of an unmanned rowboat floating in the ocean near Royston.
The JRCC was notified and launched crews to check the area, but did not find the boat, police said.
"Later in the morning, a 37-year old man was reported missing from his residence after allegedly taking a rowboat from his property out into the ocean overnight," RCMP said in their statement.
"The JRCC was notified, launched additional crews to the area and a more exhaustive search took place with the Coast Guard Auxiliary and Ground Search and Rescue."
The JRCC told CTV News it was contacted by the RCMP around 11:30 a.m. Friday to help search for a "boat adrift in Baynes Sound, British Columbia."
Baynes Sound is a narrow body of water that separates Vancouver Island from Denman Island, south of Comox.
The JRCC deployed several crews to help with the search, including a CH-149 Cormorant Rescue Helicopter from 19 Wing Comox, an auxiliary Royal Canadian Marine Search & Rescue crew from Station 60 in Comox, and the Canadian Coast Guard ship, the Cape Cockburn.
All of the crews arrived in the area by noon to assist with the search.
"Unfortunately, the man and his boat have not been located," police said in their statement Friday afternoon.
“The efforts to locate the missing man could be narrowed down by locating the rowboat,” said Const. Monika Terragni, in the statement.
"The rowboat is blue, between 14 and 16 feet long, made of fibreglass, and has a square back."
Anyone who has seen a boat matching that description or knows the whereabouts of missing man Christopher Mitchell is asked to contact Comox Valley RCMP immediately and cite file number 2023-3957, police said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Federal government grants B.C.'s request to recriminalize hard drugs in public spaces
The federal government is granting British Columbia's request to recriminalize hard drugs in public spaces, nearly two weeks after the province asked to end its pilot project early over concerns of public drug use.
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
Stormy Daniels took the witness stand Tuesday at Donald Trump's hush money trial, describing for jurors a sexual encounter the porn actor says she had with him in 2006 that resulted in her being paid off to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
MPs agree Canadian gov't should improve new disability benefit
The federal government needs to safeguard the incoming Canada Disability Benefit from clawbacks and do more to ensure it actually meets the stated aim of lifting people living with disabilities out of poverty, MPs from all parties agree.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
CFL suspends Argos QB Chad Kelly at least nine games following investigation
The CFL has suspended Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly for at least nine regular-season games following its investigation into a lawsuit filed by a former strength-and-conditioning coach against both the player and club.
Boy Scouts of America changing name for first time in 114 years, aiming for inclusivity
The Boy Scouts of America is changing its name for the first time in its 114-year history and will become Scouting America. It's a significant shift as the organization emerges from bankruptcy following a flood of sexual abuse claims and seeks to focus on inclusion.
opinion Tom Mulcair: Trudeau's handling of Poilievre's 'wacko' House turfing a clear sign of Liberal desperation
When Speaker Greg Fergus tossed out Pierre Poilievre from the House last week, "those of us who have experience as parliamentarians simply couldn't believe our eyes," writes former NDP leader Tom Mulcair in his column for CTVNews.ca
New charges for Ont. woman who previously admitted to defrauding doulas
The Brantford, Ont. woman who was previously sentenced to house arrest after admitting to deceiving doulas has been charged again in connection to a new victim.