Hello ,

The rivers and waterbodies that we live on are naturally top of mind for ourselves, but not everyone thinks of them when planning policies and projects.

AWA's #1 Priority in our Strategic Plan is advocating for access and developing world class facilities. To that end this newsletter is dedicated to what is on-the-go around the province! 

If you have additional project or policy areas that you know of in your region, please reach out. The strength of Alberta's paddling community is in our 22 wonderful clubs and their combined knowledge! 

In this Newsletter:

Kananaskis - Construction, Flows, Next Projects

Harvie Passage Whitewater Park

Ghost to Bearspaw

Upper Red Deer River access plan

Upper Smoky Regional Plan

10th Street Wave

Events

Casino

Whitewater Leadership Symposium

Summer Jobs

New! Online River Safety Course

Maintenance and Upgrades 2024

With the most recent work on the Kananaskis complete, we're looking forward to exploring the new features and learning how best to incorporate them into our daily lives. From businesses who make their livelihoods on the river, to clubs teaching and training, to all of us who just play on water, there is something for everyone! We will be celebrating the work May 29th with a BBQ for AWA members on site. 

River Flows (our #1 question)

The Government of Alberta (Tourism & Sport leading) and TransAlta are working towards a one year pilot agreement, with compensation attached, to ensure flows based on the Lower Kananaskis River Users Association's requested hours. This would include daily releases for commercial and recreational users, as well as 'event' water for the standing events on the river. 

There is no regulatory way (currently) for the GOA to make TransAlta operate any dam hourly. The regulations are all related to the amount of water generally. The dam agreements are all in place under the Water Act, and the Water Act has no provision for ministerial direction (even though the dam agreements do). In order to change this, the Water Act would need updating or another piece of Legislation created, with cabinet level support.

We have been following up weekly with Tourism, and are hopeful that the new agreement will be in place soon, but we completely recognize everyone's concerns. For reference it took 3years to get an agreement in Ontario on the Madawaska River.

The underlying problem is that TransAlta wants to optimize energy production from their hydro sources as part of their production mix. In recent years, solar and wind have been able to take up the bulk of production during the day, so hydro is seen as the peak evening green solution.  

Kananaskis Adjustable Wave

The new wave between Mountain Wave and Green Tongue is moving into the fabrication phase. The structure is steel and concrete, and the concrete portion (ramp) will be complete by June. Alberta River Surfing Association, Able Demolition, and AWA are partnering on the costs of the structure and we cannot overstate Able's contributions to this project.

Another round of funding (CFEP) will be sought in June, as well as additional matching sponsor/community funding prior to installation. Fabrication -> Funding -> Approvals -> Construction.

Ghost Dam Access

TransAlta has recently added new no trespassing signs at the previously used access below the dam. This is part of their general tightening of liability for their lands. We proposed a lease for access, but they only want to work with government on any access issues. 

One possibility is moving the land to Public Lands, or a Parks PRA, but we've been told that is not likely to be a priority since the dam will be decommissioned in 8-10 years. If anyone uses the location, please keep us informed about the situation.

Looking forward, we will ask the GOA to implement proper access at the new Ghost Dam location. 

Cochrane 

The Town of Cochrane is looking at river access as part of its Parks plan and there are new access locations proposed. We applaud their work to support river recreation, based on the 2022 survey commissioned as part of the Wave Park proposal. In it the town showed significant support for additional river recreation amenities.

Bow River - Bearspaw Reservoir - Haskayne Legacy Park

To date no public engagement has gone into the development of Haskayne Legacy Park, or as part of the Bearspaw Trilateral Task Force. 

Haskayne Legacy Park was considered for a future river access point as part of the approved River Access Strategy in 2016. Prior to and following its opening no movement has been made by the City to create public access to the Bow River. In 2024 The Bearspaw Marina built a dock and started operating on the reservoir, at the end of a road allowance. The business was very successful and was happy to have public use the area for river access as well.

In April the City's Planning Commission recommended closing the public road allowance, thus making it illegal to access the river. This decision will go to Council May 6th. The Agenda will be available a week before. In the meantime it looks like the public can submit comments HERE based on the "Road Closure and Land Use Amendment in Haskayne " title in the Planning Commission's Minutes. 

Additionally, we met with the City last week and have been told that the Task Force will start, in the near future, public engagement about: regulation for recreational activities, source water protection, public safety, and adjacent development. This is a small victory, but will require significant public support to move the needle on formal access.

Open!

The sluice gates dropped on April 15th and there is now water in the right channel. There have been no changes since 2024 and the status quo looks good.

PFD Lending Station 

AWA has an agreement with the City to operate the PFD Lending Station again this year. 

• If you know anyone who would like to work at Harvie this summer, please let us know.
• Our Transport Canada grant is complete, so if you know any donors, sponsors or grants that would like to help with lending station, please let us know. We expect it will cost around $10,000/yr, half of which we hope to get from Canada Summer Jobs grants.

Facility Enhancement Plan

In 2023 the City approved a Facility Enhancement Plan for the area. To date only the PFD station has been actioned (by us). FEP approved work includes:

• Planning for a Boathouse
• Temporary change rooms
• Washroom Upgrades
• Parking Upgrades

River Access Trails Plan

We have developed a plan to upgrade access along the Upper Red Deer River. This includes some new pull-offs, new or upgraded trails to the river, highway location signage, and access info kiosks. We will be working with Public Lands and Parks to formalize this plan into their formats, so that we can work towards this objective.

Trails Funding

The Alberta Public Land Trails Grant Program is how we hope to fund the upgrades above. We submitted an application this year, but they want the plan on their books before approving. We will re-submit in the fall.

We also think that river access would be a good project for the Alberta Conservation Association's Conservation, Community and Education Grant. Paddling information and access priorities match well with angling objectives.

As mentioned off the top, engagement is critical to making sure that paddle sports are considered as part of the overall recreation asset mix.

The Province is undergoing engagement on the Upper Smoky plan including pieces that may link into the South Saskatchewan Region Plan, which is the leading provincial plan. At present there is no mention of paddling or river recreation. Help us get on the record by providing feedback to the ministry.

Engagement Survey and Online Webinars

This area includes:

• Grande Cache day trips - Sheep Creek, Muskeg and Sulphur
• Multi-day - Smoky River and Kakwa River
• Lesser known - Narraway, Torrens and Wapiti

The City is moving ahead with Preliminary Engineering for this project. AWA and ARSA are the main stakeholders deciding on river users needs. This project has been a pleasure to work on and we thank the City's commitment to innovative ideas around river recreation! 

In the end we will have a World Class wave for surfing and paddling!

Pinch-o-Crow Creekers is adding equipment storage to the Boulder Run facility below the Old Man Dam. This will help the club's sustainability and add to its presence in the area. If you've never been to Boulder Run, you should check out this hidden gem of a whitewater park that was rebuild after the 2013 floods.

The EPCA has applied to add an accessible dock (not exactly as pictured), to support its adaptive programming at Rundle Park. This is an exciting step to providing more accessibility for water recreation in Edmonton. The project will be (hopefully) funded by the Province and matched in-kind by the City of Edmonton.

Alberta Whitewater Association Casino - Calgary - May 3/4 

This is our 4th Annual Symposium and we continue to improve the schedule to support leaders and instructors in Alberta and beyond. This year we'll have 4 streams that you can take part in.

- Kayak Leadership - 3 days - rescue skills, personal skills, teaching

- SUP Leadership - 1 day (Saturday) - Flatwater & moving water progressions

- Leader 2 Instructor 2 Course (full*) - NCCP L2I2 Course + opportunity for LFs to develop consistent courses

- Moving Water - CKC Moving Water Course + safety skills & personal skills.

*If you missed the L2I2 registration, there is one two weeks later as well.

April 25-27 - Whitewater Leadership Symposium - Kananaskis

May 3/4 - AWA Casino - Calgary

May 10 - 17th Annual Penguin Race - Calgary

May 16-19 - 25th 3-River Rendezvous - Pincher Creek

May 29 - Kananaskis Whitewater Celebration BBQ

May 31-June 1 - Harvie Passage Open - Calgary

Want the best summer job you can get? Consider coaching for one of the clubs, or directly with AWA. There are positions open yearly in:

Pincher Creek, Lethbridge, Calgary, Canmore, Rocky Mountain-House, Sundre/Innisfail, Edmonton, Grande Prairie, and Fort Smith. Some positions come with accommodations and other perks, so consider a new experience. 

AWA applies for more than a dozen Canada Summer Jobs grants for our clubs each year. If you're between 15-30, the clubs get a $15/hr grant. The clubs choose their candidates and do direct supervision, while AWA does the payroll and other admin. Win-Win. 

Wapiti Whitewater Kayakers in Grande Prairie are already seeking a qualified candidate to support their programs in 2025. See the posting below.

Bow Valley Kayak Club is looking for leaders and instructors in Canmore.

AWA needs two people to support the PFD lending station at Harvie Passage. Work on your tan, and lend out free PFDs all summer.

We are excited to share the result of 2 years of work from a great team of people. The Online River Safety Course is for everyone. From tubers, to beginner paddlers, to experienced paddlers taking friends out. You'll find tips and tricks for staying safe on the water, maneuvering around, and respecting the river.

Developed by: Onlea (Edmonton), AQ Outdoors (Calgary), and AWA staff & partners

Funded by: Transport Canada, AQ Outdoors, and Paddle Alberta 

Watch the Promo Video

If you have any articles to publish or topics you'd like to see in the newsletter, please let us know!