Following the discovery of military ordnance on-site at the Keremeos Transfer Station, the facility was closed on July 19, 2023. With assistance from the Canadian Armed Forces, the Keremeos RCMP, and the Keremeos Volunteer Fire Department, the items were successfully disposed of, and the Keremeos Transfer Station resumed regular hours.

The Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS) is reminding residents and visitors of the following:

• It is not legal in Canada to possess or transport live military ordnance or explosives without appropriate permits or permissions.
• If you find military munitions, do not assume the ordnance is inert or safe. Leave it in place, do not move it, evacuate the premises, and call the RCMP. Munitions and explosives should not be assumed to be deactivated unless certified by the RCMP. 
• Do not bring munitions to waste management facilities or put them in the garbage. These munitions are a safety hazard to residents, the public, staff, and contractors. Further, any look-alike or deactivated munitions at a waste management facility must be treated by the Regional District as live ordnance. Contact the RCMP should you wish to dispose of these items.

The Regional District would like to thank staff, the RCMP, Canadian Armed Forces, and the Keremeos Fire Department for the safe evacuation of the landfill and safe disposal of the ordinance found.

For further information, please contact Andrew Reeder, RDOS Sr. Manager of Solid Waste.

-30-

Mark Pendergraft, Chair
Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen

Contact:

Andrew Reeder
RDOS Sr. Manager of Solid Waste
250-490-4131

Erick Thompson
RDOS Communications
250-490-4211

RDOS Communications
Toll-Free 1-877-610-3737

Mortars discovered at the Keremeos Transfer Station on July 19, 2023