CANMORE – Gone are the days children and young adults can freely jump from Canmore’s engine bridge after council unanimously passed a bylaw banning the activity on Tuesday (April 2).
Under the Town’s new parks bylaw, anyone caught jumping or rappelling from Town owned infrastructure into a body of water could face a $500 fine.
“We’re trying to protect people and the rescuers who would have to respond to such an event,” said Lisa Guest, supervisor of parks.
The new bylaw also bans people from operating a motorized boat on Quarry Lake, removing lifesaving equipment from the lake when not required and dumping sewage in a park.
Council also agreed to remove specific hours a park is closed, giving administration the flexibility and discretion to set hours as required.
“The intent of the parks bylaw is to set community expectations for the safe use and enjoyment of a park,” said Guest.
“People have different expectations and we just want to make sure everybody’s using them respectfully.”
The new bylaw still contains many of the previously banned activities such as damaging fences and structures, disturbing the enjoyment of other users and harassing wild animals. It is also still illegal to damage ground surfaces and climb on structures not intended for climbing.
Mayor John Borrowman supported the changes and encouraged administration to consider setting up signage in public parks to educate the public about the new rules.
As part of the new bylaw, several other activities are also banned in a park unless a permit has been issued by the Town including: operating a loudspeaker, erecting a sign or billboard, distributing pamphlets, operating a remote controlled object including drones, selling goods or services, operating a vehicle and demonstrating.
The public will also need a permit to bring horses or livestock into a park, build a shelter, trail or jump, abandon or store materials, hold a wedding or special event, film a commercial production, access a body of water with a motorized boat, or camp overnight.
Penalties range for $100 to $500.
