The Alberta Whitewater Association has received a Transport Canada Grant of $225,000 for several river safety initiatives that we will be working on from 2023-2025. The River Watercraft Safety Program has three parts:
1. Set Up a PFD Lending Station at Harvie Passage in Calgary.
2. A SUP awareness campaign about the dangers of ankle leashes in moving water.
3. An Online River Safety course for the general recreational paddler on the basics of river safety.
We are very grateful to have received funding contributions from the following sponsors:
AQOutdoors - Donated funds for the purchase of two AEDs. These emergency lifesaving devices will be stored at Harvie Passage and Canoe Meadows during the paddling season and could save someone's life.
Mustang Survival - Donated PFDs and sold us PFDs at cost for the Harvie Passage PFD Lending Station
Paddle Alberta - Donation for the purchase of PFDs for the Harvie Passage PFD Lending Station
We are working with the City of Calgary to launch a free PFD Lending station at Harvie Passage in downtown Calgary.
We want to encourage SUP Paddlers not to use ankle leashes on moving water. Leashes are a serious entrapment hazard on moving water that have caused several fatalities in Alberta. For more information, check out our SUP Safety Page.
Podcast about Leash use -Â The Safety Break
We are currently working on developing a free online safety course for recreational river users.
