Seven alcohol- or drug-related incidents that led B.C. Ferries officials to call police over the Canada Day weekend happened both on land and at sea.

One involved a passenger smoking marijuana on the outside deck of Queen of Capilano as it sailed between Horseshoe Bay and Bowen Island, another a suspected impaired driver at Nanaimo Harbour. Also attracting police attention was alcohol consumption in a vehicle at the Swartz Bay terminal, along with intoxicated individuals at Departure Bay and on Queen of Surrey plying the Horseshoe Bay-Langdale run.

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Local police detachments responded to each of the incidents. The Swartz Bay case was dealt with by the Sidney/North Saanich RCMP.

While such problems don’t happen often, the cluster of issues that arose was enough to spur a reminder to the public this week about the ferry system’s zero-tolerance policy for alcohol and drugs.

“We generally see [alcohol] in the summertime when the sunshine comes out,” said B.C. Ferries spokeswoman Deborah Marshall. “People are going camping or they have some fun weekend planned.

“You don’t really see it in the wintertime.”

Marshall said alcohol and drugs are not a huge problem on ships or at terminals, just something that comes up from time to time. The vast majority of customers do not cause the slightest concern, she said.

Bad behaviour or other issues that come up from alcohol or drug consumption are noted by staff or reported by passengers.

“Sometimes customers will call the police directly,” Marshall said.