City installs barriers to block vehicle access to unpermitted kayak rental business on Bow River

The City of Calgary has set up barriers in Haskayne Legacy Park to prevent vehicle access to a kayak and paddleboat rental business that has been operating without city approval for the past two summers.

The fencing blocks a road from the parking lot to a private tree farm, an apparent attempt to prevent public vehicles from accessing Bearspaw Marina, which operates on the Bearspaw Reservoir—a section of the Bow River just outside Calgary's northwest city limits. The barrier represents the latest escalation in a dispute now entering its third year.

The marina began renting kayaks, canoes and stand-up paddleboards in summer 2024. The business, owned by Rick Skauge, has drawn opposition from TransAlta, which maintains land along the shoreline to monitor water levels and flow rates as part of its water licence from the Alberta government for the Bearspaw hydroelectric dam downstream.

The jurisdiction question remains murky. Though the east shoreline of Bearspaw Reservoir is within Calgary's boundaries, the reservoir itself sits in Rocky View County. The county and its reeve have said the municipality does not have jurisdiction over activities on the water. The marina has no business licence with the city and did not apply for development or building permits to install the dock, according to previous city statements.

Skauge claims the enterprise complied with Transport Canada's Navigable Waters Act for installing a floating dock on federal waterway. "They don't require one if you don't have a major project in place, so we're totally legal," he said. He said he has held an easement agreement with TransAlta for a strip of the reservoir's shoreline.

Both TransAlta and the city have cited safety concerns. TransAlta says recreation on Bearspaw Reservoir is dangerous due to potential water level fluctuations from dam operations and the fact the Calgary Fire Department cannot respond quickly to a water emergency or drowning incident. The city has also claimed that recreating on the reservoir could contaminate Calgary's drinking water, as the marina sits upstream of the Bearspaw Water Treatment Plant intake.

"The marina has twice been illegally established near an active hydroelectric facility and the drinking water intakes for the City of Calgary, without necessary permits or approvals," TransAlta said in a previous statement.

The city has not said how much the barriers are costing to install and maintain.