Abandoned Vehicle Mystery

Missing driver or free parking ploy?

Photo by Ian Grant.

A vehicle has remained parked in the school lot for more than a month, and a local resident is concerned.

Long-time resident Ian Grant, whose home is across from Lions Bay School's lower parking lot, said that he has made a report to the Squamish RCMP.

"I've reported it twice to the police, and they told me that someone else had reported it as well. I'm just a little bit worried that the person has gone up the mountain and not come down."

The gravel parking lot by the school field is on property that belongs to West Vancouver School District. Parking regulations there cite that vehicles are not to be left overnight. It is a popular parking spot for hikers, and on sunny weekend mornings is often completely full before 8 a.m., but it is rarity for vehicles to remain parked overnight.

School district representative Tricia Buckley said that District protocol for a vehicle left on school property depends on the situation.

"If the vehicle is blocking a driveway or blocking traffic, for example, we would call the police. But for a vehicle just left on school property, we generally get in touch with the municipality and let them handle it."

A call to staff at the Village of Lions Bay also produced a conditional response.

"If the vehicle is on Village property, we generally handle it in a graduated process, first by ticketing the vehicle, and ultimately by towing," said Chief Administrative Officer Ross Blackwell. "However when it is on private property, including School District property, it is out of our jurisdiction."

Lions Bay Search and Rescue manager Ed Langford said that proper protocol had been followed by reporting the vehicle in question to the RCMP.

"Normally the police jurisdiction would review and see if it matches up with any current missing persons case," Langford said. "Depending on the information available Search and Rescue may be informed."

To date, the license plate on the Jeep does not cross-reference with any reported missing persons or stolen vehicles. As of publication time, the abandoned Jeep remains parked by the school field.

Does it belong to someone angling for free storage for their vehicle, or to a hiker who headed into the woods weeks ago? The mystery continues.

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