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Grade 6
Posts: 1052
 
Location: Calgary | A message from Chuck Lee (AWA Executive Director):
_______________________________
Dear Paddlers,
The Alberta Whitewater Association (AWA) needs your assistance in convincing the Government of Alberta to negotiate a long-term sports facility lease at Canoe Meadows. Please read through our proposal carefully and if you agree with the premise that Canoe Meadows is about paddling and not a general public group campground and should be managed for and by paddlers then please send a letter of support to:
1. your MLA and
2. Cindy Ady
Minister of Sports, Recreation and Parks
#229 Legislature Building
10800 97 Avenue
Edmonton, AB
Canada T5K 2B6
'TPR.minister@gov.ab.ca'
The paddling community was quite successful in marshalling support against the changes to the Navigable Waters Protection Act and I am trusting that we can do the same and this time win our battle by working together.
Thank you for taking the time to read this proposal and to support the future of paddling in Alberta.
Chuck Lee
Executive Director - AWA
403-628-2336
Attachments
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 AWA proposal re Canoe Meadows on the Kananaskis River Aug 9 2009.doc (60KB - 109 downloads)
Letter to Cindy Ady Aug 9 2009.doc (44KB - 66 downloads)
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Grade 6
Posts: 536
Location: Canmore | Brilliant. Thanks for bringing that to our attention.
-Bruce |
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Grade 3 User
Posts: 70
| I support this initiative. As someone who has booked the site out and used it successfully with a group of clients to do an introductory whitewater course over a period of 5 days it was great to be right beside the river. One thought I have is that the AWA stress to Alberta Parks that they have Porcupine Group Campsite available about 10kms away up the road which could be used by non-paddling groups. This Porcupine site is also closer to Wasootch a climbing area. I am imagining a scenario akin to Camp 4 in Yosemite. It would be great if there were some permanment cooking facilities that could be rented at additional cost, similar to an ACC hut, simple but effective. I think you would have groups that use the site willing to pay an extra 40-60 dollars a night for use of an indoor facility.
Edited by Eric 2009-08-18 3:42 PM
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| Here is a little helpful push to find out who your MLA is complete with phone # & address both Legislature Address ie Edmonton office & respective Constituency Address ie there local address.
Visit http://www.agcat.org/mla2.htm |
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| Done! |
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Grade 3 User
Posts: 62
| I disagree.
Canoe Meadows should be managed by the Park for the use of everyone….not just paddlers. Is there a possibility that, if the AWA manages the river, they will restrict access during the many events that occur on the river?
Regards
James
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Grade 6
Posts: 1052
Location: Calgary | What events are you talking about??? Weddings? Staff parties?
The paddling community (via the AWA, LKRUA, Calgary Kayak Club) has invested a boatload of time, energy, and cash into this site. It makes sense to me that the paddling community should preferential access to it above random group users without paying ridiculous fees. For instance, for Kanfest we pay a couple thousand dollars to use the site.
Of course there will be issues to resolve on booking priorities etc, but nothing that can't be worked out. The best change will be that it will be available to more people to use on a random basis.... say if you wanted to just tent over night.
Just curious James, where do you live? |
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Grade 2 User
Posts: 18
| I disagree James,At this time canoe meadows is not managed by the parks it is run by a private company who rents it to whoever wants to use it(giving priority to regular users for yearly events)at this time only one group can book at a time,I think under differnt managment we could see 1,2 posibbly 3 groups renting at the same time,as well as individuals camping for the night depending on groups size.I think overall parks canada would recieve more income from this piece of land and everyone would get better use from it.I know lots of people who would go out and spend a weekend or even a weeknight out there to paddle if it was cheaper than driving back to town |
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Grade 6
Posts: 592
| Here's another perspective. There are parents of paddle athletes who drive their juniors out there to train in all kinds of cold crappy weather, several days a week, and sit around in the cold while the paddlers train. The company that runs it put a lock on the building and would not even allow the parents to warm up in there with a fire, even if they brought their own wood, unless they pay the $150 group rental rate. We need much more flexibility than that. Way to support our future olympic athletes. Also, I was told by an athlete from my time, that 20+ years ago athletes could camp there to train for a couple of weeks at a time (rather than be forced to move to BC or Ontario to be competitive). Then when the AWA built canoe meadows and parks took over to run it, they lost that ability. Who can afford the gas to drive back and forth twice a day for workouts? People have lost access that they should have and there is no good reason they should not have it. The benefits are tremendous if the operator of the site was sensitive to the needs of paddlers, in fact an advocate for them. There are countless other sites for general recreation but no other places with the opportunities that canoe meadows provides. |
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Grade 4
Posts: 138
| I support the proposal and hope that a transfer to the AWA would return Canoe Meadows to a more flexible site for camping and facility use. I was paddling for Alberta a couple of decades ago and as Barry mentioned, we were able to camp cheaply in the meadow on a fairly informal basis, without the need for major advance reservation, or a large group. We could thus easily head up for a few extra days before or after a race or camp, or just to paddle. It also simplified the initial development since we could camp there during the week when the work was underway.
I’ve lived in Calgary and in Lethbridge and camping at Canoe Meadows was especially convenient when we lived in Lethbridge, since it’s a 3+ hour drive. The Kan has become a Provincial centre for whitewater paddling and competition, and the option for more flexible camping would really help out for paddlers from outside of the Calgary-Canmore corridor.
With the change, I wouldn’t be worried about river closures for paddlers.
And from the archives, here’s the poster from the ’88 Nationals at the Kan – anybody recognize the C1 paddler who I think won that year?
 (1998 Nationals Kan.jpg)
Attachments
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1998 Nationals Kan.jpg (56KB - 24 downloads)
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Grade 6
Posts: 592
| Larry Norman. too easy Stew  |
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Grade 6
Posts: 829
| The way Canoe Meadows is operated now is very inflexable and for no good reason. If it were operated by by somoen with a more flexible attidude it could generate more revenue.
FYI I'm sure Parks Canada has nothing to do with Canoe Meadows as it is in a provincial park |
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Grade 5
Posts: 241
Location: Calgary | Dunno if it's relevant, but this is how they've done it in Wales. Obviously the whole rights/ownership/access culture is different here, but...
http://www.ukrafting.co.uk/kayaking.htm
Have a look at the 'Money Stuff' and 'Funding and Donations' bits down the base of the page.
dave |
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| A few points
1/ Canoe Meadows is not managed by Parks Canada. I believe it is managed by Bow Valley campgrounds.
Trying to get hold of Bow Valley campgrounds can be a challenging experience. It took me 3.5 months to manage to get hold of them to book one of their campgrounds for my wedding so the reality is that if you want to try and get hold of them in the off season (before the end of may) it is very difficult.
2/ Please don't follow the welsh model of access etc. It is close to being the worlds worst. Check UKRGB and some of the posts on that board if you want to see 30 pages of discussion/bullshit/bitching (?, looked more like trolling from the fishing fraternity) about why kayaking shouldn't be allowed because it disturbs fish spawning and how they will be trying to adapt legislation to prevent large scale gravel extraction from rivers to prevent paddling.
Waaaay too much class angst in the grotty little island, especially the principalities.
3/ Many of the kayakers have invested considerable amount of time/labour in improving the Canoe Meadows site. Who do you want to see inherit this contribution? Paddlers, or a commercial enterprise whose emphasis is not on the river and are not interested in prioritising kayaking at the site?
And one just for south country James: Have you ever tried to camp at Canoe Meadows other than at the KWF? How did you get on?
Chip
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Grade 5
Posts: 241
Location: Calgary | Blimey Chip, I wasn't suggesting following the Welsh access plan!
I just thought it was interesting that they have a good facility that is [now] free to use. Paddlers are able to make donations if they wish but there's no pressure.
I don't know how many times the Kan's paddled a year, but I'm guessing it's a high number. If every time anyone paddled it, they were able to donate even a dollar or 50c, it would help to fund making it a really great facility and lighten the burden on the great work of all the people who maintain it.
I'm unfamiliar with the politics of it all, but it clearly makes commercial sense to be able to take individual bookings for camping. Only accepting group bookings sounds like the lazy option where they know they are guaranteed a couple of bookings a year, and they can collect the money from that with no effort or input into the site.
I think the proposal seems well put together and more importantly very fair. |
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Grade 6
Posts: 1052
Location: Calgary | As always, LKRUA is definately lacking rec boater input. I think I'm the only one left. As I mentioned in the LKRUA forum, there is a meeting coming up for anyone interested. |
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| Done!
This is what I wrote.
to: calgary.shaw@assembly.ab.ca
date: Wed, Sep 23, 2009 at 6:17 PM
subject: Canoe Meadows Lease for the Alberta Whitewater Association.
mailed-by: gmail.com
Cindy Ady MLA PC #513 Legislature Building 10800 - 97 Avenue Edmonton AB T5K 2B6 (780) 415-9472 (780) 427-1835 #328, 22 Midlake Blvd. S.E. Calgary AB T2X 2X7 (403) 256-8969 (403) 256-8970
Dear Cindy,
I heard the Alberta Whitewater Association is trying to lease Canoe Meadows from the park for the Whitewater facility that is already there on the Kananaskis River. I believe this to be a great idea and would give paddlers from all over Canada that travel to this location a place to paddle and enjoy the area. Please, Please, please give this some consideration.
I have competed at five world whitewater freestyle championships for Canada and believe this section of river on the Kananaskis is a great Freestyle training ground for Western paddlers who have very little water through the Summer months to train on as most rivers dry up. But the Kananaskis flows all year round! A Canadian just won the Freestyle World Championships in Switzerland a few weeks ago. And it would be great if Canada could repeat its Gold Medal Podium win with another Canadian World Championships title in two years when the International Canoe Federation (ICF) hosts its next World event. The ICF is the same federation that brought the Slalom Whitewater events to the Olympics back in the 1970's. And it is possible that they could do the same for Freestyle Whitewater Kayaking with over 30 plus countries competing at world championships.
If you can help get the Canoe Meadows lease for the Alberta Whitewater Association this would be fantastic!!
Thank you,
Brad Sutton
Edited by Brad Sutton 2009-09-23 8:32 PM
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| Dear Ms. Germaine:
Thank you for your e-mail of September 4, 2009 regarding the Alberta Whitewater Association’s proposal to obtain a special lease at the Canoe Meadows area within Kananaskis Country. I appreciate the opportunity to respond.
The Alberta Whitewater Association has contacted my ministry about lease opportunities and redevelopment at Canoe Meadows. My staff are currently reviewing the association’s proposal and hope to meet with the representatives of the association to further explore this opportunity. Your letter of support will be kept as reference, should such a development at Canoe Meadows be desirable.
Thank you for sharing your views on this matter.
Sincerely,
Cindy Ady
Minister of Tourism, Parks and Recreation
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Grade 6
Posts: 829
| I got the same one... It looks encouraging
Have they contacted you yet Chuck? |
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Grade 6
Posts: 536
Location: Canmore | This whole Parks Canada thing isn't that far from the truth. Not to be a conspiracy theorist, but Canoe Meadows was in Banff National Park until the boundary change of 1917.
(no, I'm not contributing to the discussion in a useful way)
-Bruce
 (Kanbnd2.jpg)
Attachments
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Kanbnd2.jpg (91KB - 17 downloads)
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Grade 6
Posts: 1052
Location: Calgary | And I guess the boundary changed again after 1917? Know why? |
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Grade 6
Posts: 536
Location: Canmore | Oh, the boundary changed a whole bunch of times. Originally it centered around the Cave & Basin, then expanded outwards, then contracted. I read a history of it once but have since forgotten all the relevant details and why each change was made. I've got boundaries for 1885, 1887, 1892, 1902, 1911, 1917, 1930, and the current boundary. |
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Grade 6
Posts: 1052
Location: Calgary | Aren't you the wealth of knowledge? 
Just curious.... are you a Wikipedia contributor? |
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Grade 6
Posts: 536
Location: Canmore | No. I'm just the guy who knows the price of everything but the value of nothing.
After 16 years of GIS work I've accumulated mountains of obscure data files. Drawers full of disks and hard drives full of junk. |
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Grade 6
Posts: 829
| I didn't realize GIS had even been around for 16 years |
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Help the AWA Lease Canoe Meadows
