Urge government to act now and keep high-powered vessels, jet skis and jet boats off of this world-renowned rafting and kayaking river.
Across the globe, the Kicking Horse River is appreciated for its value as a whitewater kayaking and rafting river. Residents and visitors alike of the town of Golden value the quiet majesty of the Kicking Horse as it makes its tumultuous way from the mountains to join the Columbia, passing through the centre of Golden.
Now the river faces a threat from high-powered jet boats traveling against the downstream float traffic, endangering both people and the environment.
Help defend the Kicking Horse, a world heritage river and one of the most spectacular recreational white water rivers in the world.
Take action by urging decision makers to act now to ban dangerous jet boats from the Kicking Horse River. Tell them that jet skis, jet boats and powerboats on the Kicking Horse threaten safety and the environment and you want it stopped now.
Send your fax, email or hand-written letter to:
Jim Abbott, MP Kootenay
125 D Slater Rd. Cranbrook, BC ViC 4M4 FAX: 250-417-2253
abbott2@cyberlink.bc.ca
Hon. Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities
Place de Ville, Tower C, 29th fl. 3030 Sparks Street Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0N5
FAX: (613) 992-6802
Cannon.L@parl.gc.ca
John Johnstone, Boating Safety Officer
Office of Boating Safety Transport Canada
#620 - 800 Burrard Street Vancouver, B.C. V6Z 2J8 Fax (604) 666-1911
E-mail: JOHNSJO@tc.gc.ca
Golden Mayor and Council
Box 350 Golden BC V0A 1H0 Fax: 250-344-6577
jdoyle@town.golden.bc.ca
The Hon. Stan Hagen, Minister of Tourism, Sport and the Arts
PO Box 9071 Stn Prov Govt
Victoria BC V8W9E9 fax: 250-953-4250
TSA.Minister@gov.bc.ca
Norm Macdonald, MLA
BOX 2052 Golden BC V0A 1HO fax:250-344-4815
Norm.Macdonald.MLA@leg.bc.ca
Wayne Manzer
Friday, August 3, 2007
Monday, June 25, 2007
A letter to Brad
Dear Brad McLaren,
After our brief phone conversation inquiring about your intent to take clients in motorized jet boats up the Kicking Horse River, you brushed me off as soon as you found out that I am concerned about the safety of all river users. Your response "There is a steering wheel on them" did not alleviate my apprehension. I am stunned to find out that anyone could think that taking tourists upstream in fast-powered motorized jet boats from the confluence right through town and up the Kicking Horse Lower Canyon is a great idea on this busy stretch of river.
As a whitewater kayaker, I personally feel very threatened by the prospect of having to watch out for upriver jet boating traffic while descending the Kicking Horse River. I have worked in the whitewater industry as a safety kayaker, raft, kayak, and canoe guide, and kayak instructor and coach since the early nineties across North America and Nepal. Within my 23 years of whitewater paddling experience, I have never heard of such an unsafe idea coming from a rafting company operator. The Kicking Horse River is a narrow river with a continuous flow and nowhere to pull over to safely regulate traffic. From my perspective as ski patroller, it is not much different than allowing snowmobile tours to sled up the ski run "Show Off" at KHMR during hours of operation. I hope that you will realize that this jet boating idea may turn into a financial disaster for your business when the whitewater community finds out that you don't care to listen to their concerns and don't acknowledge the potential risk involved. Or worse yet, when there is a fatal collision on the river!
I understand that you are trying to make money with your jet boating plans, but there are safer ways to do diversity your business - what about running hydrospeed trips instead? This untapped whitewater activity on the Kicking Horse River is very popular with rafting companies in Europe that also operate on glacier-fed rivers. Anyway, I am sure that you will find many people appalled at your idea and that you are not making yourself or your business more popular by putting on your blinders and ignoring our concerns. In the hopes that you will realize that your plans aren't going to be accepted by the whitewater community, this is a safe time for you to change your mind and gracefully start a successful season rafting down the Kicking Horse River.
See you on the River,
Sanne van der Ros
Golden
After our brief phone conversation inquiring about your intent to take clients in motorized jet boats up the Kicking Horse River, you brushed me off as soon as you found out that I am concerned about the safety of all river users. Your response "There is a steering wheel on them" did not alleviate my apprehension. I am stunned to find out that anyone could think that taking tourists upstream in fast-powered motorized jet boats from the confluence right through town and up the Kicking Horse Lower Canyon is a great idea on this busy stretch of river.
As a whitewater kayaker, I personally feel very threatened by the prospect of having to watch out for upriver jet boating traffic while descending the Kicking Horse River. I have worked in the whitewater industry as a safety kayaker, raft, kayak, and canoe guide, and kayak instructor and coach since the early nineties across North America and Nepal. Within my 23 years of whitewater paddling experience, I have never heard of such an unsafe idea coming from a rafting company operator. The Kicking Horse River is a narrow river with a continuous flow and nowhere to pull over to safely regulate traffic. From my perspective as ski patroller, it is not much different than allowing snowmobile tours to sled up the ski run "Show Off" at KHMR during hours of operation. I hope that you will realize that this jet boating idea may turn into a financial disaster for your business when the whitewater community finds out that you don't care to listen to their concerns and don't acknowledge the potential risk involved. Or worse yet, when there is a fatal collision on the river!
I understand that you are trying to make money with your jet boating plans, but there are safer ways to do diversity your business - what about running hydrospeed trips instead? This untapped whitewater activity on the Kicking Horse River is very popular with rafting companies in Europe that also operate on glacier-fed rivers. Anyway, I am sure that you will find many people appalled at your idea and that you are not making yourself or your business more popular by putting on your blinders and ignoring our concerns. In the hopes that you will realize that your plans aren't going to be accepted by the whitewater community, this is a safe time for you to change your mind and gracefully start a successful season rafting down the Kicking Horse River.
See you on the River,
Sanne van der Ros
Golden
Friday, June 22, 2007
Come on Brad
I am all for free enterprise but community consultation is a must. When whitetooth went up for sale this community made a decision that it wanted a mega resort. Like it or not the community had its voice. In this case one individual is taking this community down a road many of us do not want to go. Lets hear his side. Address our concerns Brad. Show us your “coast guard certified captain” Let the community take a look at your risk management plan before we have another death on the kicking horse.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
True value of the Kicking Horse River
I am extremely disappointed to hear and see the new Wet n’ Wild Jet Boating operation on the lower canyon of the Kicking Horse river. As an avid kayaker, I have spent many blissful trips down this stretch of river. In my twelve years of whitewater kayaking, I have had the chance to travel extensively and see many different rivers around the world. After seeing all these other rivers, I am continuously amazed at how good we have it here in Golden. To have a world class river, such as the Kicking Horse right in our backyard is fantastic. In fact, the Kicking Horse River and the great whitewater community created by it, was a big part of the reason I decided to call Golden home.
The true value of the Kicking Horse is not just its whitewater. It’s the natural beauty of the river, or even just the presence of flowing glacial water through our town site. When I think of all the new developments happening in town. Riverside restaurants, bridges, patios, parks, and whitewater play parks. There is huge momentum in town to make the Kicking Horse the focal point of our town. And rightly so, the Kicking Horse is an amazing natural asset right in the middle of our town.
Unfortunately, this all stands to be lost by the shortsightedness of one business. Is all this momentum, and all the tourism business that comes from the Kicking Horse worth losing so a few people can jet boat up the river? I don’t think so! I think this would be a terrible shame.
This is only one reason of many against jet boating on the Kicking Horse. Having worked in the tourism and river industry for many years, I have been involved with the planning and implementation of risk management plans. I don’t see any such planning happening with this operation. Just the idea of running an 800 HP, 23-foot aluminum boat up a constricted whitewater river with so many downstream users is ludicrous. There are very few eddies big enough to accommodate a jet boat on this section of water, and many blind corners. How are they going to deal with the downstream traffic? Slalom through a raft trip of 8 boats? This is a real safety concern, and I would like to know how they plan to address it. Being Coast Guard certified does not cut it!
Another issue is responsible tourism and business. It seems that Brad McLaren has found a loophole in the government’s tenure process, and has exploited it. While he may not be legally bound to go through any public application process, as a local business owner, one would assume he would at least try to get public consent before starting such an intrusive business in Golden? It seems he doesn’t even have the time to respond to public inquiries regarding this? Is this responsible tourism/business? I don’t think so.
I sincerely hope that the government will intervene and ask some of these questions as well. The Kicking Horse is way too important to lose for one poorly planned Jet Boating operation!
Shane Kroeger
Golden, BC
The true value of the Kicking Horse is not just its whitewater. It’s the natural beauty of the river, or even just the presence of flowing glacial water through our town site. When I think of all the new developments happening in town. Riverside restaurants, bridges, patios, parks, and whitewater play parks. There is huge momentum in town to make the Kicking Horse the focal point of our town. And rightly so, the Kicking Horse is an amazing natural asset right in the middle of our town.
Unfortunately, this all stands to be lost by the shortsightedness of one business. Is all this momentum, and all the tourism business that comes from the Kicking Horse worth losing so a few people can jet boat up the river? I don’t think so! I think this would be a terrible shame.
This is only one reason of many against jet boating on the Kicking Horse. Having worked in the tourism and river industry for many years, I have been involved with the planning and implementation of risk management plans. I don’t see any such planning happening with this operation. Just the idea of running an 800 HP, 23-foot aluminum boat up a constricted whitewater river with so many downstream users is ludicrous. There are very few eddies big enough to accommodate a jet boat on this section of water, and many blind corners. How are they going to deal with the downstream traffic? Slalom through a raft trip of 8 boats? This is a real safety concern, and I would like to know how they plan to address it. Being Coast Guard certified does not cut it!
Another issue is responsible tourism and business. It seems that Brad McLaren has found a loophole in the government’s tenure process, and has exploited it. While he may not be legally bound to go through any public application process, as a local business owner, one would assume he would at least try to get public consent before starting such an intrusive business in Golden? It seems he doesn’t even have the time to respond to public inquiries regarding this? Is this responsible tourism/business? I don’t think so.
I sincerely hope that the government will intervene and ask some of these questions as well. The Kicking Horse is way too important to lose for one poorly planned Jet Boating operation!
Shane Kroeger
Golden, BC
Saturday, June 16, 2007
It's unsafe
With the volume of downstream traffic (commercial and recreational rafting, kayaking, public use) it is simply unsafe to run jet boats "up" the Kicking Horse River. Most kayakers and rafters (especially if they were in the water swimming) would have little power to avoid collisions on the narrow canyon section that Brad MacLaren plans to operate on.
As a local kayaker and person who celebrates the fact that we are lucky enough to live on two heritage rivers, I don't want to see jet boats roaring through town. I'd much rather see a project like the proposed water park on the Kicking Horse that would see river access and beautification improved, fish habitat created, and recreational opportunities (for locals). Jet boats and waterparks are about as conflicted as you can get.
I worry about the precedent that we would be set by allowing unregulated river use on our local rivers. It's not the fact that there is one operator putting the safety of other users at risk that is troubling, rather, it's the floodgates that it opens for recreational jet boaters from Alberta, BC, and the Western United States. Although jet boating is relativey new in this area, it is an industry that is flourishing and growing rapidly. Just visit any river in Idaho, and you will understand what is at stake here.
New adventure activities in Golden is something I generally support whole heartedly... the more there is to do here in Golden, the larger the growth of the tourism market for our community. What I can not support is a venture that goes against not only the safety of other river users, but also against what most in the community desire. I have yet to meet a local in Golden who supports the operation of jet boats on the Kicking Horse. The silence of non-supporters has to do with the fact that many do not know what, if anything, they can actually do about it.
The issue is that there currently is no regulation regarding upstream traffic on the local rivers around Golden. The lack of regulation does not mean that jet boats should be allowed on the Kicking Horse, it simply reflects that jet boats are a relatively new water craft in this area, and that they have never had to have a regulation in the past.
The thoughtlessness of one man should not dictate the future use of a resource that so many of us share. Please speak up and let your voice and opinions be known, whatever they may be.
Alison Harwood,
Golden Kayak Club Executive
As a local kayaker and person who celebrates the fact that we are lucky enough to live on two heritage rivers, I don't want to see jet boats roaring through town. I'd much rather see a project like the proposed water park on the Kicking Horse that would see river access and beautification improved, fish habitat created, and recreational opportunities (for locals). Jet boats and waterparks are about as conflicted as you can get.
I worry about the precedent that we would be set by allowing unregulated river use on our local rivers. It's not the fact that there is one operator putting the safety of other users at risk that is troubling, rather, it's the floodgates that it opens for recreational jet boaters from Alberta, BC, and the Western United States. Although jet boating is relativey new in this area, it is an industry that is flourishing and growing rapidly. Just visit any river in Idaho, and you will understand what is at stake here.
New adventure activities in Golden is something I generally support whole heartedly... the more there is to do here in Golden, the larger the growth of the tourism market for our community. What I can not support is a venture that goes against not only the safety of other river users, but also against what most in the community desire. I have yet to meet a local in Golden who supports the operation of jet boats on the Kicking Horse. The silence of non-supporters has to do with the fact that many do not know what, if anything, they can actually do about it.
The issue is that there currently is no regulation regarding upstream traffic on the local rivers around Golden. The lack of regulation does not mean that jet boats should be allowed on the Kicking Horse, it simply reflects that jet boats are a relatively new water craft in this area, and that they have never had to have a regulation in the past.
The thoughtlessness of one man should not dictate the future use of a resource that so many of us share. Please speak up and let your voice and opinions be known, whatever they may be.
Alison Harwood,
Golden Kayak Club Executive
Have your say
Whatever your views on this issue are, send them to me.
As long as your article adds to the discussion and is not abusive it will be posted.
Possible subjects are:
So whether you want to see jet boats on the Kicking Horse River or you think it is a bad idea start writing.
Email articles to kickinghorsejetboat@gmail.com
As long as your article adds to the discussion and is not abusive it will be posted.
Possible subjects are:
- Your experience from other rivers
- How you will be affected
- Impact on our town
- The fact there seems to be no regulation over river use
- Unanswered questions
- Comments on the letters that have been written by Wet 'n' Wild, our MLA, Golden Town Council
- Comments about safety or environment
- etc. etc.
So whether you want to see jet boats on the Kicking Horse River or you think it is a bad idea start writing.
Email articles to kickinghorsejetboat@gmail.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
