North Shore Rescue sites hit by vandals but London Drugs helps cover losses

NORTH VANCOUVER, B.C. – A Vancouver-based business is stepping up to assist North Shore Rescue recover from the vandalism and looting of two caches of emergency gear.

London Drugs is donating $10,000 to cover the costs of replacing life-saving equipment such as stretchers, tents, stoves and ropes taken from backcountry caches in Hanes Valley and Norvan Falls, north of Vancouver.

Members of North Shore Rescue discovered the thefts on Wednesday and Thursday and estimate the total losses at about $22,000.

A helicopter pad beside the remote Hanes Valley cache was also broken apart, likely at the same time as thieves smashed the locks on the caches and made off with equipment.

The sites are important relay and supply points for rescue team members, allowing them to carry less gear as they trek quickly into the bush on potentially life-saving missions.

North Shore Rescue says its 40 members perform 90 operations annually.