Firefighters rushed to a popular Vancouver trail this week after piles of white powder were discovered sprinkled on the ground.
Laurie MacKenzie was walking around Lost Lagoon in Stanley Park on Monday around 3 p.m. when she discovered the white powder in little piles.
“I saw at least eight to 10 cups of it just along the north side of the lagoon,” she says. “There was just pile after pile. I called the City of Vancouver [at] 311.”
At first, she wasn’t sure what she was looking at.
“I had no idea,” she tells Glacier Media. “It was too frequent to be something marking a path for runners."
She also posted to a local Facebook group, asking if anyone knew what the material was.
“Wouldn’t want doggies to get sick,” she wrote.
Vancouver Fire Rescue Services responded with a "full hazardous materials response," which included seven apparatus on site, according to spokesperson Matthew Trudeau.
Park rangers and Vancouver police officers also headed to the scene to investigate the mysterious substance.
Turns out the powder is not hazardous, according to Trudeau.
"The material was found to be marking chalk potentially used for line painting/markings,” he says.
Many people on social media saw the material too and wondered if it was dangerous.
“I saw a small bird pecking at it so I assumed it was some kind of food for birds?” wrote one person.
Another person noted the piles were marked by hazmat crews with a cone as they were inspecting the substance.
“I tried some with my tongue and it seemed OK,” says one brave individual.
MacKenzie gives kudos to how fast Vancouver Fire Rescue Services responded and is thankful the 311 number was working on a holiday.
After Glacier Media published the story, a man named Graeme Beaton reached out by email to clear up the mystery.
"Just to put your readers at rest, the mysterious white markings were ordinary flour used for our running club, the VanH3," says Beaton.
He explains how they've been using the flour "every week for over 30 years" to mark trails in and around the Lower Mainland.
"Hope that helps," says Beaton.
Editor's note: This story was updated at 7 p.m. on Jan. 3 to include a statement from Graeme Beaton.
