West Vancouver Police Board chair breaks silence over Christine Cassidy’s roadside prohibition

The West Vancouver Police Board has broken its silence on vice-chair and District of West Vancouver councillor Christine Cassidy’s roadside prohibition, confirming she was driving in the “warn range” for blood-alcohol when stopped by police in November. Councillor Cassidy and Mayor Sager didn’t respond to questions.

In a statement issued Tuesday, board chair Graham McIsaac said Coun. Cassidy informed the board of the incident, adding that it “does not compromise this individual’s capacity to fulfill their responsibilities as a Board member.”

“This suspension, administered when a driver registers a blood-alcohol level within the ‘warn” range, is an administrative penalty under the Motor Vehicle Act. It does not constitute a criminal charge, is not a finding of impaired driving, and is treated as a private and confidential matter,” he said.

Under B.C.’s Motor Vehicle Act, the ‘warn’ range refers to a blood-alcohol concentration between .05 and .08. Drivers in this range receive a 24-hour roadside prohibition, surrender their licence, and receive a notice sent to ICBC.

“The Police Board holds public trust with the utmost seriousness and is committed to serving the residents of West Vancouver with integrity,” the statement said, adding the board considers “this matter to be concluded” and will issue no further commentary.

“The Board member concerned has informed the Chair of the incident and has maintained full transparency with the Board. This incident does not compromise this individual’s capacity to fulfill their responsibilities as a Board member,” the chair said.

McIsaac’s statement comes after the Vancouver Sun reported last week that a member of the public called authorities on the evening of Nov. 18 after seeing someone they believed was intoxicated leave the Earls restaurant at Ambleside Beach. The caller provided a description of Cassidy’s vehicle and licence plate number.

According to the Sun, a police officer approached Cassidy after she arrived home and was parked in front of her house. Cassidy confirmed to the newspaper that she received a 24-hour suspension, saying she had consumed “two five-ounce glasses of wine over three hours” at Earls.

Cassidy told the Sun she believed she was “targeted” because she complained to restaurant staff about seeing mice “scurrying up the wall.” Vancouver Coastal Health inspection records confirm rodent activity was found at the Ambleside Earls location on Aug. 5, Nov. 14, and Nov. 20.

However, Earls management told the Sun that staff did not call the police and that the restaurant has protocols that would have documented such a call. The North Shore Daily Post posed several questions to Cassidy, including what specific grounds the officer cited for the prohibition, her exact breathalyzer reading, and whether she has recused herself from any police board matters since the incident. Cassidy did not respond to requests for comment.

Mayor Mark Sager, who appointed Cassidy to the police board in April 2024, also did not respond to questions about the incident, especially around the discrepancy reported in the Vancouver Sun article: Cassidy said she informed Sager about the suspension “the next day,” but Sager initially told the newspaper he “hadn’t heard of any incident.”

McIsaac said the board is “not involved in the day-to-day operations of the police department” and “does not involve itself in specific cases.” As a civilian body, the board is responsible for governance duties under the B.C. Police Act.

Cassidy has served on West Vancouver council since 2022. She previously served from 2014 to 2018 and ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 2018, losing to Sager.