WATCH: From police cats in Surrey to a new cruise ship terminal in Port Moody, many organizations are getting in on the April Fool’s Day jokes. John Hua explains.
VANCOUVER – Beware of what you read on the Internet this morning, many organizations around B.C. are having some fun with April Fool’s jokes.
Simon Fraser University has launched ‘texting-free walking zones’ due to a rise in injuries from texting while walking.
READ MORE: The Internet’s best (and worst) pranks on April Fool’s Day 2015
“Much like driving a car, creating lanes keeps people within the proper pathway.”
In Port Alberni, The Heart of Vancouver Island Facebook page shared an image of the “annual return of the spawning orcas.”
“This shot of a mature orca attempting to take down a bear in one of our rivers captures the majesty (and danger) of this special time of year,” the post reads.
“Isn’t it time you got lucky?”
The City of Port Moody has announced a new cruise ship terminal at Rocky Point Park. “Rocky Point park is the ideal location,” said Avril Dupé, Port Moody’s Manager of Economic Development. “It’s close to the Evergreen line station and will take cruise tourism to a new level. We have several world class cruise lines interested in making calls to beautiful Port Moody.”
The Abbotsford Police Department has announced “a technological leap in policing.” In 2013, the department announced a ban on left turns to protect motorists. In 2014, they decided to toll drivers for left turns. So this year they are doing something different.
“We have partnered with NASA,” says Cst. Ian MacDonald with the Abbotsford Police.”The National Association of Silicone Accessories and we have come up with something that is going to be revolutionary. In one word, inflatable bumpers.”
Surrey RCMP has been selected to pilot a new program, which has been very successful in the U.K.
Cats will be used to search spaces otherwise inaccessible by officers or the Police Dog Services.
Sgt. Jon Arbuckle will oversee the selection and training of the cats before they go operational. He has over 19 years with the RCMP and is a self-proclaimed cat-lover. Still, he recognizes that it will be a new and foreign concept for many of his colleagues and the public.
“Never in my wildest dreams when I graduated Depot did I think I would be overseeing a unit involving cats,” he said. “But the main goal of this program is to use the innate abilities of cats to hunt animals like rats and access small nooks and crannies for crime-scene investigation. If cats can locate objects like weapons or other evidence to solve a crime – it can only be a good thing.”
The David Suzuki Foundation is asking people to help the monarch butterflies. Monarch numbers have slumped to historic lows for the past two years. This winter was especially rough. The butterflies need our help more than ever.
It’s time for you to get crafty.
Their campaign draws attention to the fact that people need to plant more milkweed for the butterflies.
Vancouver-based company Plenty of Fish premiered its #MarsForTwo campaign to send singles to Mars in 2025 and give them a chance to find love.
Port Coquitlam Mayor Greg Moore announced all government buildings must display a photo of him in a location near the entrance of the building. Given the fact that the schools are “flush with funding”, they have to fund the cost of this move themselves.
The BMO Vancouver Marathon has also announced a change to this year’s events – a tree trekking component.
“This year, as runners approach Vancouver’s famous Stanley Park they will be marshaled to complete a tree trekking course through some of the park’s tallest Douglas Firs,” says Charlene Krepiakevich, executive director of the Vancouver International Marathon Society.
The section will consist of tree ladders, cargo nets, bridges, tightropes, and platforms suspended in the trees. Runners will navigate from tree to tree for approximately one kilometer before descending back to ground level to complete the final kilometer of their race.
“Jim Pattison brings a level of experience and commitment to public service that makes him ideally suited to become the next Chief of the VPD,” said Mayor Gregor Robertson. “He has several decades of closely watching how money is spent – and he’ll be putting that close watch on criminals everywhere.”
Camera equipped officers will be deployed in the aerial bucket for mobile patrols, allowing unobstructed views of any driver using the ‘lap-stash’ technique to hide their distracted driving from police.
The program was later cancelled.
There were rumours on Tuesday that Disneyland Canada was going to be taking up residence in the Okanagan Valley.
Lululemon founder Chip Wilson got tongues wagging in his neighbourhood when he announced plans to build a 8,000 sq ft helicopter dock at his Point Grey property.
Environment Canada made a big change this morning – switching back to Fahrenheit. Meteorologist Mark Madryga explains:
The Vancouver Canucks announced they are bringing back former head coach Mike Keenan as a special adviser. He is expected to meet with the team in Chicago today.
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