Calgary’s River Access Strategy will be presented to Community & Protective Services Committee Meetings on February, 01, 2017. The River Access Strategy strategy is an all encompassing document that addresses the needs of recreation river users for more boat and hand launch sites. From a review of more than 25 potential sites, 12 new or improved sites have been selected.
The River Access Strategy comes with a capital budget of $ 7.66 million spread over the next 5 years of which $ 1.69 million is earmarked for 2017 and 2018. Request for budget approval are made in the Executive Summary .
A detailed cost breakdown of the priority sites can be seen in the Priority Site Development Proposal. Development of these sites is expected to start in 2017.
The following is Calgary River Users’ Alliance support of the River Access Strategy:
The Calgary River Users’ Alliance (CRUA) would like to express its overall support for The City of Calgary’s proposed River Access Strategy.
The CRUA represents most of the recreational and commercial river user groups in the city, which includes canoeing, kayaking, rafting, paddle boarding, river surfing, and fishing.
We have been working with The City of Calgary over the past year to find ways to improve access to the city’s rivers for recreational use, to help improve the condition of the riverbanks, and to educate river users about responsible use of our rivers.
We are very pleased that The City has responded so positively and has generously allowed us to contribute to the proposed River Access Strategy, and we believe it is largely aligned with the CRUA’s objectives. We urge City Council to approve the Strategy and an adequate budget so that significant improvements can be made to river access this year and into the future.
We will continue to collaborate with The City in facilitating the implementation of the Strategy, including seeking other additional sources of funding.
Yours sincerely,
Patrick Mahaffey
Calgary River Users’ Alliance