A greater presence of police officers, EMS, fire officials and bylaw staff on the Elbow River resulted in 800 people receiving verbal warnings over the long weekend.
Bill Bruce of Calgary’s Animal and Bylaw Services said it was a quiet weekend, but added he was impressed with an 85 per cent compliance rate on life-jacket use.
“People are getting the message to leave the booze at home and bring your life-jacket along,” said Bruce.
Bruce said officers did dump approximately 150 bottles of liquor and issue eight tickets for consumption of alcohol under the Gaming and Liquor Commission Act.
Officers also handed out tickets to 13 people who didn’t have life-jackets on their rafts, while two tickets were issued for rowdy public behaviour and several others for unattended fires and off-leash and unlicensed dogs.
Bruce said he wants people to remember that the Elbow River can be dangerous. On Saturday, he said two people were swimming without life-jackets and got caught in the current.
“Fortunately, there were two citizens wearing life-jackets who went in after them.”
