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Quarry Lake – The good, the bad and the ugly

The Good: Sunday evening at Quarry Lake after a beautiful blue-sky Alberta day. A few families are enjoying the sandy beach splashing in the water. A man and child are paddle boarding, a swimmer crosses the lake from shore-to-shore, young people are challenging themselves by leaping into the cold water and couples stroll along the path around the lake. What a beautiful scene.

The Bad: Signage is prevalent stating that no dogs are allowed around the lake. However, on Sunday (July 29), I observed four dogs at the lake. Two on leash dogs were being walked around the lake and were encouraged to wade in the water. When I approached the dog owner, explaining that no dogs are allowed and that there is a dog park and pond a short distance away, I was told ‘that is your opinion, thank you very much’. The owner continued walking the dogs. The two other dogs were on leash and they were laying at one of the picnic benches with a family. One of the dogs was allowed to urinate in the grass near the shore. Just as I was about to leave, someone spotted an elk herd on Wedding Hill. A mad rush ensued to see the elk. What would the consequences be if someone was hurt by a charging elk?

The Ugly: Trash was found littering the area under and around the picnic benches. Empty beer/pop cans were found in the bushes as well as coffee/drink cups left to rot under the trees. A child’s large floatie was left on the path leading out of the park at the east end of the lake. All of this after only one day where people have access to one of Canmore’s treasures.

Recently, Town council approved the spending of $100,000 to enhance Quarry Lake. Perhaps, one solution would be to spend the money at the dog pond by adding benches and shade trees, making the area comfortable for dog owners and their pets. Also, would hiring more bylaw officers be another workable solution?

One can only ask that the people who come to visit Quarry Lake respect the beauty of the area, obey the signage and leave only their footprints.

K.R. Mattern, Canmore

Facts not Fiction Report: Support for the appeal to stop the “temporary loam screening” in unfinished golf course

Your report of Aug. 8 “Canmore committee supports Three Sisters residents in permit appeal” was brief and did not provide many details. However, it did report the salient reasons for the residents to launch their appeal: noise, dust, negative effects on the wildlife corridor, lack of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). Your report also provided the three reasons stated by the SDAB to uphold the appeal against the permit granted by the Town to TSMV. One of the reasons: “the lack of certainty that the proposed development would not unduly interfere with the amenities of the neighbourhood or materially interfere with or affect the use, enjoyment or value of neighbouring parcels of land.”

The Subdivision and Development Appeals Board (SDAB) recognized that residents should be able to enjoy the properties in which they live and granted the appeal against the development. Kudos to the SDAB for doing its job.

Blanca Cervi, Canmore