From police cats to a UBC Hawaiian campus, you've been punk'd, B.C.
Happy April Fool's Day!
On this day of tomfoolery, schools, businesses and police departments in B.C. made sure we were duped, tricked and punk'd.
Here are some of the highlights — or lowlights, depending on who you ask.
Cactus Club: Floating restaurant
This one is annoying, because you wish it was actually true.
Cactus Club Café announced Club Island, a stand-alone floating restaurant just off the shores of Stanley Park — and a groundbreaking vision of patio goals.
Bonus points for styling the ads after the Fyre Festival music festival, which also turned out to be a belated April Fool's joke.
UBC: Hawaii campus
Throw on your leis, UBC students, 'cause you're going to Hawaii.
UBC president Santa Ono said the school is opening a new campus in the sun-kissed oasis in 2021.
To make things easier for everyone, faculty, staff and students will get their round-trip transportation and sunscreen covered in the first year, Ono said.
No word yet on how this will affect tuition.
B.C. RCMP: Police cats
Sure, dogs are great and a natural fit for police work.
But frankly, cats have been overlooked for far too long. Enter the B.C. RCMP and its police cat initiative.
Any cat entering the training program must be moody, aloof and pensive, RCMP say.
One question: where does one get a police uniform for a cat?
District of Sechelt: noise-emitting speakers
Sechelt, a small community on the lower Sunshine Coast, said it would be installing noise-emitting speakers in parks to reduce human and wildlife interactions.
The wireless speakers would be hooked to rocks, trees and benches to ward off animals.
A simple and understated prank; so much so that one of our own CBC reporters was duped by the announcement.
Daily Hive: BC Ferries cruise line
Introducing Seaquest, an upscale cruise line from the minds that brought you the Salish Eagle vessel, where no one can figure out the doors.
Fret not, however — the ships will not be an "extension of the provincial highway system," assured BC Ferries in a satirical story published in the Daily Hive.
Instead, the two $2.3-billion vessels — with a tonnage nearly five times the size of the current largest vessels — will shepherd 3,200 passengers, offering amenities such as a Lego-themed pool and, er, a 213-metre-long roller coast with speeds to 55 km/h.
Abbotsford police: Take your pets to work
Horses, snakes, tarantulas and tortoises took over the Abbotsford Police Department, all thanks to a new employee wellness initiative that apparently let staff bring their pets in to work.
Check out the Abbotsford police zoo!
Police reported service delays at their counter, limited parking and allergy flare-ups.
The diversity of animals in this video is impressive, especially the rooster perched on the gym weight.
Vancouver Fire Rescue: horses in, fire trucks out
The next time a blaze breaks out, expect firefighters to come trotting by on horses.
But no joke, this was a reality back in 1899, when horses pulled around hose wagons.
Vancouver Fire Rescue said it would be honouring the tradition by bringing back the horses to select halls.
