RCMP nab 23 impaired drivers in Lake Cowichan area over long weekend
Mounties say nearly two dozen impaired drivers were taken off the road over the B.C. Day long weekend in the Lake Cowichan area, and a half-dozen more drivers were ticketed for excessive speeding.
Lake Cowichan RCMP worked with the B.C. Highway Patrol to position officers in the region after seeing "heavier than normal" traffic volumes.
During the long weekend, 23 impaired drivers were stopped, leading to immediate roadside driving bans ranging from 24 hours to 90 days, according to RCMP. The roadside driving bans also include fees for towing and impounding vehicles.
Meanwhile, six drivers were stopped for excessive speeding. The minimum fine for excessive speeding is $368, three demerit points, plus fees for towing and impounding vehicles, Mounties say.
In total, RCMP say 111 traffic tickets were handed out in the Lake Cowichan area over the long weekend.
"While I am concerned about the number of people found driving impaired over the weekend, I was also very impressed by the large number of people who came through our road checks using designated drivers or shuttle services to ensure they got home safely," said Staff-Sgt. Adam Tallboy, acting commander of the BC Highway Patrol on Vancouver Island in a statement Monday.
Lake Cowichan has recently been a hotspot for visitors and tourists, with many flocking to the community's river to tube, and thousands coming to the island town for music festivals, like the recently held Sunfest.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Pilot reported fire onboard plane carrying fuel, attempted to return to Fairbanks just before crash
One of the two pilots aboard an airplane carrying fuel reported there was a fire on the airplane shortly before it crashed and burned outside Fairbanks, killing both people on board, a federal aviation official said Wednesday.
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
7 surveillance videos linked to extortions of South Asian home builders in Edmonton released
The Edmonton Police Service has released a number of surveillance videos related to a series of extortion cases in the city now dubbed 'Project Gaslight.'