Department of National Defence contractors are back at North Vancouver’s Blair Rifle Range Lands continuing their sweep for unexploded bombs near the recreational area’s trails.
It’s the fourth time the unexploded ordnance or UXO team has come to help rid the area of potentially dangerous materials.
Between now and March 2025, the team will be focusing their search on the areas south of Larkhall Crescent and east of Dresden Way. That will require rotating trail closures to keep the public back and allow them to safely do their work.
Since DND began searching the former military training site between Blueridge and the Northlands Golf Course in 2018, contractors with metal detectors have picked up more than 400 kilograms of munition remnants, including mortar shells, grenade components, practice rounds and paraflares.
On four occasions, they’ve called in explosive experts from Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt to come and safely detonate mortar shells deemed too dangerous to be moved.
The Blair Rifle Range Lands, which are crisscrossed with hiking and mountain bike trails, is considered to be a “medium risk” legacy site, according to the Department of National Defence, which warns visitors to the area that they must stay on the trails and never dig holes or set fires in the area.
Undetonated explosives are unlikely to go off on their own, but they could if disturbed and the mortar shells that have been found on the range would be lethal to anyone within 10 metres, according to the government.
So far, the UXO team has covered about 8.5 hectares of land at the former Blair Rifle Range.
“It is important to note however, that we can never declare former military training sites, such as the former Blair Rifle Range, as UXO free – they will always be considered as having a residual UXO risk. Once the UXO work is finished, an updated residual UXO risk map will be prepared and distributed,” a statement from National Defence read.
Although the current work plan will see crews around the trails until next spring, the search may go on beyond that, depending on what turns up in the soil.
“As DND’s UXO contractor continues to find and clear munition items and UXO from the site, DND continually re-assesses the risk, and determines where additional work is required. UXO removal activities will continue until the risk has been reduced,” the statement read.
Anyone who spots a potential UXO is advised to not touch it, immediately leave the area the way they came in and call 911.
