Skip to content

Suspicious device spotted on Saanich beach turns out to be marine marker

56992saanichWebIMG00211-3
A marine locater marker spotted on a Saanich beach Sunday morning (Feb. 20)

The military sent a bomb squad out to investigate a suspicious object spotted on a Saanich beach Sunday morning.

The device turned out to be a marine locater marker, commonly used by ships or planes as a positional marker on the water. The devices usually sink but sometimes wash up on shore.

Police were called to Hollydene Park, off Arbutus Road, around 9:30 a.m., Feb. 20.

The beach was shut down until a Department of Defence’s Explosive Disposal Unit safely disposed of the marker.

Though the device was not designed to cause damage, phosphorous residue inside the canister could potentially redingote, said Cst. Mark Poppe, in a media release sent out Sunday afternoon. “In this case, the people who first discovered it took the best course of action by not touvhing the MLM and by contacting police.”