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Thieves ruin family ski trip

A Victoria resident had thousands of dollars worth of belongings stolen from his truck that was parked off the base of Strathcona Parkway

A Victoria resident had thousands of dollars worth of belongings stolen from his truck that was parked between 10 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Thursday near the intersection of Strathcona Parkway and the Inland Island Highway.

Curtis Simpson, 22, a student who had been working on Cortes Island, had met up with his parents for a day of skiing at Mount Washington. Rather than taking two vehicles, the family car pooled to the top of the mountain.

Curtis' father Carl figures thieve(s) pried open the back of the locked canopy, which was loaded with two surfboards, a wet suit, fishing rods and camping equipment, among other items. Curtis also lost a CD collection and his passport.

Thieves also broke into the cab.

"I don't know how they got in there. I think some stuff was stolen out of there as well," said Carl, a Campbell River resident. "They just cleaned out everything."

Carl said there were about six other vehicles parked to the side of the parkway, which he notes is a "fairly visible spot." Still, he had thought twice about leaving a loaded vehicle at the base of the hill.

"We should have realized," said Carl, who called police and local pawn shops. "They (thieves) probably saw the tip of the surfboard."

Anyone with information about the break-in or whereabouts of the belongings is asked to contact the Comox Valley RCMP at 250-338-1321. The file number is 14-4336.