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Officer chases down suspect in bank fraud Dan Ebenal News Staff
Christine van Reeuwyk/News Staff
Chris Hyde-Lay, left, manager of parks for Oak Bay, and contractor Wylie Thomas discuss the upcoming restoration season in Uplands Park.
Park areas closed for preservation Restoration work an ongoing project in Uplands Park Christine van Reeuwyk News Staff
Closed areas support the ongoing effort to restore and maintain native species and a critical ecosystem in Uplands Park. It’s a special Garry Oak ecosystem with deep soil as opposed to the rocky remaining Garry Oak ecosystems dotting Victoria, said Wylie Thomas, the contractor with Oak Bay who oversees
the work. “It’s also home to 21 red and blue-listed plants,” said Thomas. “There used to be 26 here, so five are gone. It’s a pretty special place.” It’s the best left on the Island, he believes. That may be in part due to the ongoing work by Oak Bay, through the municipality and volunteers such as Friends of Uplands Park. Oak Bay received $3,500 in funding this year through the federal Habitat Stewardship Program for Species at Risk, said Chris Hyde-Lay, manager of parks services. It’s primarily targeted to the preservation of rare and endangered plants.
It helps that there are 16 federally listed plants in the park, Thomas said. “We’ve got a lot of invasive plants here and broom is a big one because it loves the same habitat as the rare plants,” Thomas said. Regular ongoing work includes pulling in-bloom broom each year. “A big part is going back and reclearing areas because of the seed bank,” said Hyde-Lay. One of the cordoned-off areas was the focus of tree appreciation day last November when volunteers and other community members came out and planted Garry Oaks and camas bulbs. PLEASE SEE: Trails expected to reopen in spring, Page A4
The police response to a suspected fraud at an Oak Bay bank couldn’t have been any quicker. Sgt. Ian Craib with the Oak Bay Police happened to be using the ATM machine at the Oak Bay Avenue Scotiabank Thursday morning when he heard someone call for help. “I turned around and saw one of the bank employees struggling with a woman who was trying to get out the door. She said ‘Stop her, stop her’,” said Craib. The woman bolted out of the bank and across Oak Bay Avenue, almost getting hit by a passing truck. Dave Bignell was just grabbing a coffee when he heard the screech of brakes and looked up to see the woman running across the street. “Man, she could run,” said Bignell. “I thought she should try out for the Olympics.” Craib said the woman initially started to pull away from him but eventually began to tire. “I’ve learned over the years, you just sort of pace yourself and you’ll get there,” he said. “She pulled away from me pretty quick but I caught up to her.” Craib followed the suspect down Hampshire to Granite, where she turned right and headed through a gate into a back yard. “She was like a trapped animal in the back. She was trying to scale the fence, she was literally pacing, looking up and trying to grab something.” He said the woman had discarded a piece of clothing and a wig she had been wearing when he caught up to her. “I cornered her there and got her to co-operate and brought her in.” The 25-year-old Victoria area woman was arrested and released to a future court appearance on charges of uttering forged documents, false pretenses and fraud over $5,000. “It turns out she was trying to get an extensive line of credit but was producing false ID and all sorts of false documentation but the employee caught on to it.” editor@oakbaynews.com
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2015-03-05 3:04 PM