Calgary River Ban
 

I believe the fine is about $2500.00


In Calgary, the fire department has Banned all activity on the Elbow and Bow rivers. Under the activated city bylaw "any and all activities near or on the water are restricted until further notice."

Cold river water – running fast and laden with debris – continues to rush through Calgary in the wake of last weeks' rain.

"The intent of the ban is to educate and drive home the dangers [for] people that would basically ignore the warning and danger signs and attempt to enjoy the sunshine," said spokesman Don Huska.

Nevertheless, fire fighters were kept busy Sunday getting people off the water.

"It is frustrating," said Huska. "Not only that they're putting themselves in danger, they're also endangering all the rescuers that have to attend, and also depleting the resources that are being dispatched to the call."

Depending on the weather and water levels in the rivers, the ban could continue for the rest of the week.

There was a fella in a kayak going thru the new weir area on Friday aft, there are definitely a couple of spots in that area to stay out of.

I was just listening to the radio and on the news they said that anyone who gets a ticket also gets an automatic appearance before a judge so that the amount of the fine could be set. I wonder if the "idot factor" comes into play when the fine amount is decided?

It's an old Bylaw. No specified penalties listed, so an officer must make it a mandatory court appearnace. Upon conviction/guilty plea, a judge may assess a penalty up to $2500.

Can the bylaws be applied to Fish Creek? It was raging over the weekend and looked like a neat time to try kayaking (not for me though, I don't have a kayak)...just curious.

......any and all activities........restricted...
Could include a lot of other stuff, not only being on the water. Does anyone have a link to the actual bylaw?


........getting people off the water. Unbelievable that people would still go on the water. Just having a look at the water should be enough to keep people off.

Yesterday when we were driving SB on Deerfoot, I saw 5 kayakers playing around at the weir. Crazy guys.
And I also saw some construction workers working on the river bank under the 10th street bridge. They were on a path about 3 feet wide. One stumble and they would have been swimming.

Can we get a link to your source article please FishingMom?

Does this include fishing from the bank? (what's left of it!)

One of the selling points of the new "wier" system was that it was to be used for white water kayaking and now that the water is well into the fun zone they go and shut it down.

The bubble wrappers strike again.

YES IT INCLUDES FISHING
http://newsroom.calgary.ca/pr/calgar...age_rss=204334

Activity ban issued for Elbow and Bow rivers
M. Jeremy May 28, 2011 23:22:20 PM

The Calgary Fire Department has issued an activity and perimeter ban for both the Elbow and Bow rivers effective immediately, due to the extremely unsafe conditions.

High water levels have increased flow rates and debris, and are a public safety concern.

The fire department's Brian McAsey tells 660News, Calgarians are advised that the rivers are currently unsafe for any type of activity.

The perimeter ban, issued in the name of safety and under the authority of the City of Calgary Bylaw 37M84, means that any and all activities near or on the water are restricted until further notice.

The bylaw will be strictly enforced.

Be interesting how many people actually get charged.

For sure. Have they done this before?

cfrn news is just reporting there is a rescue under way right now on the elbow where it dumps into the bow. looks like one person is receiving cpr and they have not recovered the other. there's obvious reasons people are being told to stay away from the water right now. it's a shame people don't seem to understand the danger and stay away.

I saw the FD rescue boat screaming along towed behind an FD truck twice on McLeod yesterday.

i saw some tubers on the oldman yesterday.....they went by really fast. was fun sledding.

2 possibly 3 in the water.
One rushed to hospital......

Do they know what they were doing when they got into trouble? Rafting? Wading?

i have a question
A person can see the condition the water is in
Who is this tempoary law directed to?

1 rescued - rushed to hospital.


Now in recovery mode.
Looking for 1 more according to global news.

sounds like they've called off the search for the other person for the night. sad. the water is wicked and unforgiving right now no doubt.

http://www.calgarysun.com/2011/05/30...om-elbow-river

Not sure the circumstances are but if it was a foolish mistake..... apparently Darwin was onto something........

Lefty

Thats what happens when you combine alcoholics and general meatheadism. Brutal. Stay safe everyone.

I guess the guys launching thier raft at Bearspaw on Sunday missed the warning . BC plates on the truck , I wasn't aware of the ban at the time . Just common sense and looking at the raging flow up there would make me think twice agout launching an inflatable into that river :rolleye2:

So is the Ban still on? If they want people to abide they should really make this info easier to obtain.

So far, it is still in effect, but for updates...

You can look here:

http://newsroom.calgary.ca/pr/calgar...spx?ncid=17192

Or call the FD office at: 403-264-1022

Well this is idiotic for many reasons.

First, do we need MOMMA watching out for us and changing our diapers?

Secondly, were is the opportunity for the darwin effect to take place....because lets be realistic.....if your that stupid that you jump into a float tube in dangerous water, then do we really want this person driving on the roads or eventually raising or just having children. And where is the opportunity for those taking the risk to sort out just how resourceful they are when they get into trouble....and learn some hard lessons or close call lessons.

Third, have you ever seen the water/rapids that those in kayaks and jetboats can navigate safely......so because they are afraid of a few frat boys needing to be rescued, all people are limited by the fears. Pretty simple...if you do something stupid and need to be rescued because of it, then you pay the costs and a fine......the less money the stupid have the better...pretty hard to get into trouble when you can afford any beer.

Forth, just because someone else is stupid and needs rules to protect them from their own actions, we all have our freedoms and choices take away from us???? (reminds me of the gun registry thinking that it will stop the polytech type of shootings). Before you know it we will all have to wear a helmet on all the time so we don't bump our heads into a doorway or tree.....let it happen....some heads need some good bumps.

Fifth, just who does the Calgary city/bylaw/etc think they are by dictating a reactionary/fear based law on the spur of the moment that stomps all over personal freedoms and rights....specifically my common law right to travel navigatiable waters unimpeded.....I not a law expert but I doubt that if challenged, any charge would stand up long term in court....thats why you appear before the judge....but it still does give them gestapo like authority for the time being.

Sixth, just where do you think this type of thinking will take us as a society.....not that much of a stretch to forsee that climbing mountains and trying to reach the north pole will be illegal.......and eventually anything that may cause the emergency services from doing the job that they have been organized and paid to do, will be illegal......so taken further, eventually forget quading and snowmobiling and skiing and snowboarding and swimming....cause you might just drown or need a rescue.

Finally, how hard would it be to implement a system that, if you need a rescue, that is what gets you in front of the judge to access whether your actions and the resultant rescue was wreckless indangerment to your self and wasteful of rescue resources. So if you get in trouble with your well planned thought out adventure, no problem....if you acted like a complete moron, lets take some of that fun money away from you so that you can sit in your momma basement surfing porn instead of being involved in society.

Travel outside the city limits for now. Policeman's Flats might still be inside city limits, but McKinnon is outside.

I'm not sure far away you have to be from the river, but you can't be on the bank.

I'm surprised about all of the fuss about the river right now. It gets a lot higher and faster without being closed.

I think it's more a debris issue.

And blackheart has many valid points,, I mean icefishing is a seriously dangerous sport early and late in the ice season,,, anyhoo, lakes for now.

Lots of good points by BlackHeart. What about the people who ski and board out of the allowed boundries, snowmobilers riding in high risk of avalanche conditions, kids pulling each other on tubes in the Shuswap and Okanagan and Sylvan at 50 MPH with no life jackets or spotters, hikers who go their own way and go missing........................................... ...........

An accident is an accident but dumb risks that result in rescues should end up in court to recover rescue costs.

More people die falling down stairs than into the Bow. Them's the breaks IMO.