Snowboarder fined $1,150 after breaking quarantine to go to Whistler

A snowboarder who broke Canada's quarantine rules early to try to go to Whistler, B.C., was fined more than $1,000 before he even made it to the mountain, according to police.

West Vancouver police said the man was caught on the Sea-to-Sky Highway, which links the North Shore to the ski resort, as he was driving north on Monday. An officer on patrol noticed his Audi had California plates with expired tags.

After pulling the driver over, the officer spoke with him and realized he had recently entered B.C. from the U.S. The officer called public health officials and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and confirmed the man still had two days left of his 14-day quarantine.

"They had chosen to leave their home in North Vancouver and were attempting to go up to Whistler to do some snowboarding a bit early," spokesperson Const. Kevin Goodmurphy told CBC.

The man was fined $1,150 under the Quarantine Act and sent home. Under the act, both Canadians and foreigners entering Canada have to quarantine for two weeks. 

Goodmurphy said the man is not the first quarantine-breaker to be caught after arriving from the U.S. In one case, the officer said, two men were caught heading to Vancouver's Stanley Park for a workout before their two weeks at home were up.

"It's all risky behaviour. There are quarantine rules in place for a reason ... and we take it seriously," Goodmurphy said.