Skip to main content.

News

ARCA Annual General Meeting

Will be held in November 2008

At Kerry Wood Nature Centre, Red Deer, Alberta
All Member Organizations and ARCA/Paddle Canada Instructors are welcome

Agenda:
10:00 to 12:00 a.m. --Educational Seminar
12:00 to 1:00 p.m.--Lunch supplied by ARCA
1:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.--AGM Meeting

Please RSVP by November 15

For more info contact ARCA at: info@abcanoekayak.org

2008 ARCA IT Clinic:  Sept 11-14 2008

ARCA Instructors/Instructor Trainers Clinic on Paddle Canada Moving Water certification.

The goal of this clinic is to give skilled moving water canoeists the opportunity to obtain Paddle Canada Moving Water Instructor or Instructor Trainer certification. ARCA is currently planning this clinic.  Courses offered at the clinic will be determined based on the number of participants for the various certification levels, that inform ARCA they wish to take a course.  If you are interested in obtaining a particular certifcation, please inform ARCA as soon as possible (prior to June 20).  The potential certification levels are:

--Paddle Canada Moving Water Level 1 Instructor;

--the new Paddle Canada Moving Water Level 1 Instructor TRAINER certification;

--Paddle Canada Moving Water Level 2 Instructor; or,

--Paddle Canada Moving Water Instructor Trainer

Please contact ARCA:  info@abcanoekayak.org

Toll Free Phone:  1-877-388-2722

 
 

Edmonton River Day and MEC Paddlefest

Saturday June 14 2008 from 10 am to 3:00 pm at Rundle Park

Fishing Event at Hermitage Park from 2:00 to 4:30 pm

The 11th Annual River Day 2008 event is held at Rundle Park in Edmonton's river valley.  Join us for a waterfull day of fishy fun at Rundle Park and Hermitage Park Lake. Free, hands-on activities that the whole family can enjoy.

--Free pancake breakfast at 10:00 am to 11:30 am. sponsored by the Strathcona Industrial Association.

--Check out MEC's Paddlefest an urban celebration of canoeing and kayaking.  Come out and test the boats, take part in a one hour clinic to learn to canoe, river kayak or sea kayak. Take part in a demo session.  All skills welcome. 

--Ceyana Canoe Club, Northwest Voyageurs Canoe and Kayak Club and Alberta Canoe Polo Association with Edmonton Whitewater Paddlers will be offering 20 minute try-it sessions in a canoe or kayak. 

--Ride a voyageur canoe. 

--Participate in the Passport to Fishing Program and receive a free fishing rod, tackle box or fishing book.

--Try your luck at the Pooter Pond. 

--Take a ride in the RiverWatch boat on the North Saskatchewan River.

--Watch water rescue and boat safety demos. 

--Take in some of the new displays for 2008.

--From 2:00 to 4:30 at Hermitage Park pond 'go fishing'.  Kids under 12 may receive a draw prize. Live entertainment.

Calgary MEC Paddlefest

Saturday June 28 2008 at Carburn Park in Calgary

Paddlefest is a celebration of paddling that aims to expose Calgarians to the thrill of watersports.

MEC Paddlefest offers paddling clinics, boat demos, and aims to educate individuals about water safety. Even if you don't want to get in a boat there will be on-land clinics, information sessions, and activities throughout the day.

We welcome everyone from novice to expert. Paddlefest is an event for everyone, including recreational paddlers, canoe trippers, dragon boaters, single-blade and double-blade paddlers.

Location

Carburn Park is located in southeast Calgary, on the east bank of the Bow River at 8925 Riverview Drive SE.

Registration

Call our Service Centre at 1.800.663.2667 to register for a clinic. Registration begins June 1, 2008. Cost is $3 per clinic and payment is required when you register. Please tell the Service Centre representative the name and time of the clinic you want to attend. Individuals aged 8-18 are welcome to register, but require a parent's consent.

On the day of the event please arrive 15 minutes early to sign in and pick up a wristband for your session.

PRE-REGISTRATION WILL CLOSE THURSDAY JUNE 26, 2008Pre-registration is recommended to ensure you'll be able to attend the workshops you want. But for safety reasons we need to limit the number of participants for on-water workshops. When a workshop is full, it's full. There will be on-site registration on the day of the event, and there will be a $3 fee for on-water clinics.

Schedule of Events from 10:00am - 3:30pm, and program ends at 4:00 pm

Detailed Clinic Schedule

Participation

If you don't swim, have never been in a boat, or you're an inexperienced paddler, sign up for a beginner level clinic with a certified paddling instructor from Aquabatics, Bow Waters Canoe Club, or Rocky Mountain Paddling Centre. Discover paddling in a safe and exciting atmosphere.

Carburn Park is a beautiful location to enjoy a picnic. There is no potable water or food on site, so please bring your own treats, lunch, and beverages.

Paddlefest happens rain or shine, but in the event of lightning or dangerous weather, on-water activities may be temporarily suspended.

Kids

We encourage you to register children who are eight or older for clinics. Younger children may join the Bow Waters Canoe Club for voyager canoe rides. No childcare facilities exist on site, so adults are expected to supervise the children they bring.

Swag

You could win a kayak, and much more, just by participating in this event.

Equipment

Boats, PFDs, and paddles are available to anyone who registers for a clinic or boat demo. You are also welcome to bring your own equipment, including your own boat. Please bring a towel and extra clothing (bottoms can get wet from sitting in boats).

*All on-water participants will need to sign a waiver and wear a PFD or lifejacket.

Presenters / Guides / Vendors / Retailers

Come enjoy $3 clinics and information provided by:

Boat Demos will be offered by:

Voyager Canoe offered by:

Contact

For information, to volunteer, or to become a presenter or exhibitor, please contact Monika Ambrozaitis or Brad Clute at   calgarypaddlefest@mec.ca or call us at 403.269.2420.

See you at MEC Paddlefest.

David Thompson Brigade Society-2008 Brigade left May 10th 2008: Follow their progress via satelite on their website.

This group has as one prime project the commemoration of David Thompson as one of the great Canadian explorers, and recreation of David Thompson's journey(s) east to Fort William (now Thunder Bay) from Rocky Mtn. House on May 10th 2008. For more information please check out the Brigade

website at: http://www.2008thompsonbrigade.com

AWA-ARCA Alberta PaddleFest 2008

July 11-13 2008 on Upper Red Deer River near Panther River, camping at Mukwah Tours Base Camp

All AWA and ARCA Member Clubs and Organizations and their members, as well as the public, are welcome to attend. Lessons will be offered for beginner canoeists and kayak lessons for beginner and intermediate kayakers.  Mukwah Tours is on the Upper Red Deer River, 2.5 km SW of Mountain-Aire Lodge, near the confluence of the Panther River. You must pre-register on the Alberta Whitewater Association (AWA) website.  For more details see AWA website:

www.albertawhitewater.ca

For more information on the canoeing contact ARCA (Alberta Recreational Canoe Association) Email:  info@abcanoekayak.org

or Phone 1-877-388-2722.

For more informatoin on the kayaking contact:  AWA Email: awatd@telus.net

Paddle For The Peace

July 12 2008

Join other paddlers in support of Peace River, which has plans to be damned.

www.paddleforthepeace.ca

Marine Liability Act

For information go to the Transport Canada website: www.tc.gc.ca.

Kananaskis River Upgrade

The Kananaskis River, located just west of Calgary on Highway 40, is an extremely popular river for whitewater canoeists and kayakers as well as a well-known training and hosting site for competitive paddlesports. The last few years has seen an increase in river traffic and a great deal of congestion on a few of the major features. The Lower Kananaskis River Users Association, along with other local groups, has spearheaded a project to revitalize the river and add a number of training and play features between the Widow Maker and Green Tongue. The project has been completed. Come check it out — there are some fairly significant changes to the Upper stretch — fun, fun, fun!

In Spring of 2008 the Lower Kananaskis River Users Association will again upgrade the river bed.  It is accepting donations for this project.  For more information contact ARCA.

Calgary Weir Project

Three years ago, a small group of people associated with the Bow Waters Canoe Club in Calgary recognized the need for modifications to the Weir in Calgary. The weir in Calgary diverts water from the Bow River to the East Irrigation Canal System. Although the City of Calgary has done an amazing job of cautioning Calgarians about the weir with safety messages and signage, the fact remains that it is an extremely dangerous feature in the middle of a very large city whose citizens are active recreationists on and around the river. The problem with man-made hydraulics, such as the Calgary Weir, is that they are so uniform, they don't provide any avenues for escape. In nature, many hydraulics flow over rough surfaces which provide varying water forces.

After raising the funds to provide a feasibility study, the project was undertaken by the River Valleys Committee and a technical study was completed in 2002. For more information on this phase of the project, contact Howard Heffler at hheffler@shaw.ca.

In 2004, two engineering studies were completed: Flood Impact Study and Groundwater Impact Study. The Parks Foundation Calgary was involved in this phase of the project.

In March 2005 a survey was distributed locally to obtain information about user access and parking concerns. Contact Vince Lee or Larissa Sawchyn if you have any questions regarding the survey:

Larissa Sawchyn: larissa.sawchyn@calgary.ca
Phone (403) 268-5396

Vince Lee: vince.lee@calgary.ca
Phone (403) 268-1060

Due to the Alberta boom, construction costs have doubled therefore fundraising will continue in 2006-07 in hopes that there will be adequate funds for the project to start in the spring of 2008.

 

New Provincial Park to be Created in Alberta

34Calgary ... A fragile and majestic stretch of the Bow River valley between Calgary and Cochrane will be preserved through a land agreement between the Harvie family of Cochrane and the Alberta government.

The Harvie family has agreed to sell the Alberta government 3,246 acres of the Glenbow Ranch for less than market value for park purposes, a size roughly equal to Fish Creek Provincial Park.

"This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity allows the Alberta government to create a new provincial park that will be a legacy of conservation, education and recreation opportunities for all Albertans to enjoy," said Premier Ralph Klein.

"With development pressures mounting from both Calgary and Cochrane, we are very pleased the Alberta government decided to support a park that our family has thought about for decades," said Tim Harvie on behalf of three family generations who have ranched the historic valley for more than 70 years.

"Our late father Neil Harvie dreamed this beautiful landscape could be protected from development and conserved for all time," added Harvie, whose grandfather, Eric Harvie, purchased the first land for the ranch in 1933 before passing it on to his son Neil in 1953. ''Today, our family would like to thank the Government of Alberta for helping to make this dream come true.''

Public access to the planned Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park will be prohibited for about a year to protect the landscape and its sensitive ecological balance while the government and Harvie family complete the transition from ranch to parkland.

An independent appraisal completed late last year placed the land value at about $67 million. Recent land sales place the estimated value of the land at about $80 million. The government agreement reached includes the purchase price of $40 million along with a $27 million charitable donation tax receipt for the Harvie family. The family will also provide $6 million to establish the Harvie Conservancy Foundation. The Foundation will divide the funds between the planned Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park and the recently-created Lois Hole Centennial Provincial Park near Edmonton.

"This landscape is breath-taking, with a rich ranching story to celebrate, exceptional historic value and unique ecological attributes," said Denis Ducharme, Minister of Alberta Community Development, responsible for parks and protected areas.

Tim Harvie and his sister, Katie Harvie, who both currently ranch the land, were joined at the announcement by their sisters, Pauli Smith and Carol Raymond, and their mother, Robin Harvie. The four siblings own the land that will become the new park.

The new park will help meet a growing demand for walking, biking and other trails between Calgary and Cochrane. It will also help meet the growing demand for environmental education that already is greater than the existing education centre at Fish Creek Provincial Park. Since its opening 23 years ago, close to a half-million students, 15,000 teachers and 85,000 parent volunteers have participated in programs at the Environmental Learning Centre in Fish Creek Provincial Park.

A map of the new park is located on the park's website at: www.cd.gov.ab.ca/parks/glenbow.

Contact:
Cheryl Robb, Community Development Communications
Phone: (780) 427-6530
To call toll-free within Alberta dial 310-0000.

To contact the Harvie family, please call Crosbie Cotton, (403) 923.8873.

Source: Government of Alberta news release (23/08/06), & the web editors

2009 ARCA Casino--planned for Oct-Dec 2009

The next ARCA Casino will be held in Edmonton sometime between October to December 2009.  Date will be announced in February 2009.  For more information contact ARCA.