Police seek driver of pickup that damaged farm’s fields

Central Saanich police are seeking the public’s help in identifying the driver of a white Ford F-150 pickup who deliberately damaged crops and irrigation equipment by performing “360s” at Longview Farms on Canada Day.

The driver accessed the field via a farm access road that Longview’s owners have allowed the public to take as a shortcut between Central Saanich Road and Wallace Drive, and that usage is now up for discussion, said farm manager Ryan Vantreight.

“We may be looking at gating or maybe shutting it off for the future,” he said. “Joyriders” have previously driven through one of the farm’s hayfields, but the driver who did “doughnuts” on Saturday evening marked the first time cropped fields had been vandalized, he said. The field was planted with organic chard, onions and leeks, he said. “Doing a few doughnuts, it did a lot of damage but it could have been worse.”

The four-door vehicle entered the field, formerly run by the Vantreight family, at 8277 Central Saanich Rd. around 8:30 p.m., spinning in circles in the field of produce, and flattening water piping, said Sgt. Greg Johnson. The driver then repeated the vandalism twice. “For sure, somebody will be talking about it,” Johnson told the Times Colonist on Monday. “We are interested in protecting our food supply and preventing desecration of farmers’ fields,” he said. Such vandalism is an “absolutely dreadful” occurrence for Canada Day, he said .

Damage to the irrigation system is $1,000, but the long-term effect on the crops is not yet known, Vantreight said. “It’s going to impact the farm, but it’s not going to cripple us,” said the fifth-generation farmer.