Practicing UXO Safety at the Former Blair Rifle Range in North Vancouver, B.C.
Training at past military sites often involved the use of ammunition that contained explosives, some of which did not function as intended. These old military munitions are called unexploded explosive ordnance (UXO). UXO may still be present at the former Blair Rifle Range and can be dangerous if disturbed.
The former Blair Rifle Range, located in the Northlands area of North Vancouver, was used by the Canadian Armed Forces for military training from the 1930s to 1960s (figure 1).
As part of the Department of National Defence’s (DND) regular UXO program work, a site survey and UXO clearance were completed along trails and open areas in 2018, and UXO were removed from forested areas from winter 2023 to summer 2024. New caution signs were also installed throughout the property.
UXO clearance work: Fall 2024 to Spring 2025
To ensure continued safe community use of the site, DND will continue UXO clearance work from September 2024 to March 2025. This work will be performed between trees, with only trees that pose a hazard to workers being removed if absolutely required. Some low-lying brush will be removed in areas with dense vegetation.
- Work starts: September 3, 2024
- Work ends: 31 March 2025
- Follow-on work: TBD
- Location: See mapped area (figure 2)
Temporary trail closures
For safety reasons, select trails will be closed intermittently while this work is underway (figure 2):
- Pink trails closed: Sept 3 to 31 Oct 2024
- Blue trails closed: 15 Oct to 19 Dec 2024
- Grey trails closed: 3 Feb to 15 March 2025
- Yellow trails closed: 1 March to 31 March 2025
Open trails will continue to be safe for the community to use for walking, jogging or biking.
As with all former military sites, the community should continue to use good judgment and caution when using the property. Stay on designated trails and refrain from digging or making campfires in the area.
To learn more about UXO safety and DND’s UXO program, visit Canada.ca/UXO-Safety.
If you see something that looks like it may be UXO, please follow these steps:
- Don’t touch it.
- Turn around and leave the area the same way you came in.
- Call 911 or local police.
If you have any questions about DND’s UXO activities at the former Blair Rifle Range, please contact us by e-mail at UXOCanada@forces.gc.ca.
Figure 1 - Map of the former Blair Rifle Range area
Figure 1 – Long description
Map of the former Blair Rifle Range area with surrounding communities from left to right: Blueridge, McCarthy Woods, Windsor Park, Northlands Golf Course, Parkgate, Parkway, and Mount Seymour Provincial Park.
Figure 2
Blair Rifle Range – Work areas and intermittent trail closures
from September 3, 2024 to March 31, 2025
Figure 2 – Long description
For the safety of the public and UXO contractors, select trails will be closed intermittently temporarily between Sept 3, 2024, and March 31, 2025. Open trails remain safe for community use. The above map shows twelve trail segments that will be closed intermittently within the southern section of the former range between Larkhall Crescent and Mount Seymour Parkway and 2 trail segments that will be closed in the northern portion of the site near Hyannis Drive. The map also shows where trail closure signs will be located (at the opening or intersection of each trail segment). All other trails and trail segments will remain open. The red quadrilaterals (1 large in the south section and 2 small in the northern section of the site) indicate priority areas for clearance from sept 2024 to March 2025 and the central portion of the site shows in light green where UXO clearance has been undertaken to date. The scale of the map is 1:4000.
Figure 3 – UXO Safety Sign
Figure 3 – Long description
Caution!
Former military training area
If you see something that looks like it may be Unexploded Explosive Ordnance (UXO):
- Don’t touch it
- Turn around and leave the area
- Call 911 or local police
No dig area | Stay on trails | No camp fires
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