Burnaby RCMP and Fire to conduct emergency exercise this weekend

Burnaby RCMP sent out a press release saying that residents and visitors in Metrotown should not be alarmed by a large police presence on Sunday, Oct. 6 and Monday, Oct. 7. 

According to the statement, the large presence of emergency vehicles will be due to a training exercise Burnaby RCMP and Fire Department will conduct this weekend. Other emergency services may be involved, such as E-Comm. The exercise will take place from 5pm Sunday to 2am Monday. 

“The public can expect to see multiple emergency vehicles and first responders inside and outside the mall during those times. The training scenarios will take place in a contained area after the mall is closed, however police will be noticeable in the area while the mall is still open,” the statement said. 

The statement did not include detailed information about the exercise, and the RCMP replied to the Beacon’s request for an interview by saying that no one was available to speak about it. 

“Sorry, we don’t have anyone available for this right now. If you have specific questions please send them over we can try to get you some answers on Monday by email,” said the email response from Sheila Scott, RCMP communications strategist.  

At the time of writing, it is not clear whether the emergency training exercise will affect emergency services in Burnaby in any way or if there is anything else Burnaby residents can expect. The Beacon is still waiting for a response from the RCMP about this.  

“The large-scale Rescue Task Force training will allow police, firefighters, and partners to train together for multiple situations, including active threat scenarios. Volunteer actors will also be taking part,” the statement said. 

Last month, the City of Burnaby announced that it will conduct a large-scale emergency response exercise in 2027 to prepare for several emergency scenarios, including any possible fires or accidents at Trans Mountain fossil fuel facilities in the city. Burnaby has several Trans Mountain facilities, including the Trans Mountain Tank Farm on Burnaby Mountain and the Westridge Marine Terminal. 

On Sept. 27, the city signed an agreement with Trans Mountain to cooperate on emergency preparedness and public communications. Trans Mountain will pay Burnaby $20.1 million over 20 years and requires that the city remove all negative information about Trans Mountain from its communications channels and provide Trans Mountain with any press releases or communications well in advance of sharing them with the media.

This piece was made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative.

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