BC Highway Patrol boss is unimpressed with record number of impaired drivers at Sunfest

August 7, 2026 - Lake Cowichan, British Columbia
From: BC Highway Patrol

Content

Everybody should aim to have a good time during the summer, but that’s no excuse for the record number of impaired drivers at this year’s Sunfest Country Music Festival in Lake Cowichan. 

From July 30 to August 2, 2026, BC Highway Patrol officers on Vancouver Island combined their efforts to keep the roads safe around Lake Cowichan for the annual music festival. Here’s what they found:

“To say that I’m concerned would be an understatement,” says Inspector Adam Tallboy, the Officer In Charge of BC Highway Patrol on Vancouver Island. “This increase shows outrageously poor decision-making. If you can’t have fun without doing the minimal planning required to avoid impaired driving, you don’t deserve to drive.”

This spike shows that some people still do not understand the importance of sober driving and the devastating consequences of impairment. BC Highway Patrol will continue assessing public events as part of its ongoing efforts to keep our highways safe through education and enforcement. 

“After seeing these high impairment numbers from Sunfest, motorists can expect to see even more check stops,” says Inspector Tallboy. “We will use whatever legal tools we have to improve this situation, and we expect better decisions from drivers.”

The public can also expect more Mandatory Alcohol Screening (MAS) from BC Highway Patrol. MAS requires all drivers to provide a breath sample at the demand of a police officer no matter whether there is any suspicion that the driver may be impaired.

Contacts