Stay out of defence sites, Pokémon Go players told

The Canadian Armed Forces is warning Pokémon Go players — both in and out of uniform — to be aware when tracking the creatures near National Defence facilities.

Navy Lt. Nicole Murillo, spokeswoman for Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt, said military police and service members will challenge anybody who looks out of place or is doing something suspicious near a military base.

“If you are driving slowly down a road near a defence establishment, the military police will take notice,” Murillo said.

“But it’s not just military police. We [Canadian Forces members] are all expected to challenge people who don’t look like they belong and ask why they are there and what they are doing.”

Anyone found on a defence installation who is not authorized to be there could face sanctions including a warning, a citation and fine, or arrest and prosecution.

The highly popular Pokémon Go game sends players into the real world to search for the mythical digital pocket monsters known as Pokémon with their smartphones. Players are encouraged to roam their city to visit so-called Pokéstops to collect supplies and visit gyms to battle other players.

Pokémon characters have also been spotted in police stations and hospitals, prompting requests that players stay safe, alert and respectful of their surroundings. Corrections Canada warned players to refrain from hunting at Stony Mountain Institution, a federal prison in Manitoba where players were apparently seen on the grounds.

Players have already caused concern by wandering close to bases in Winnipeg and Borden, Ont., Murillo said. Incidents have also been reported at 22 Wing North Bay in Ontario, and 14 Wing Greenwood in Nova Scotia.

Canadian Forces officials are especially concerned at the thought of a citizen wandering onto a firing range, she said. “So please, just be aware of your surroundings.”

There is one place Pokémon hunters can go, Murillos said: the base’s Naval and Military Museum, open to the public weekdays 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m. “People are more than welcome to come to the museum and see if they can find a Pokémon outside that.”