RCMP are cracking down on people swimming and jumping off cliffs on Stoney Nakoda First Nation land near the Seebe Dam, west of Calgary.
The Municipal District of Bighorn, Stoney Nakoda First Nation and the RCMP have joined together with TransAlta, ATCO and the Canadian Pacific Police Service.
They are enforcing areas next to and downstream from the Seebe Dam, between Cochrane and Canmore, where several drowning deaths have happened in recent years.
“Last year was a big eye-opener with the drowning that happened here. It needed a full collaborative effort,” said Cpl. Chris Kosack of the Stoney Nakoda RCMP Detachment.
A 16-year-old Calgary boy died last August near the cliffs and two men in their twenties died in 2014.
Accessing the cliffs means trespassing on CP Rail and First Nation property.
“There’s a lot of graffiti on the cliff jumping side. A lot of litter and a lot of human waste. It’s just terrible the abuse that people give it to — a property that’s not their own,” said Stoney Nakoda security manager John Slater.
In spite of the danger and warnings, the crowds keep coming.
Last weekend, RCMP were called when things got out of hand in the area.
“We were called to assist the range patrol from the Stoney Nakoda First Nation. There was upwards of 90 to 100 people here and they were not listening to the Stoney range patrollers who were asking them to leave so things started to get heated when we got called,” Kosack said.
Officials say there has been an increase in people coming to the location with many posting their adventures on social media.
Kosack said the terrain can be unstable and the water in that stretch of the Bow River is cold and especially treacherous — water levels change without warning and strong undercurrents and undertows can drag people under or sweep them away to further dangers downstream.
So far this year, RCMP have charged four people with trespassing while CP Rail police have issued more than 60 trespass summons for the Seebe area.
Kosack said each person caught trespassing may be fined a minimum of $600 for each offence.
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