Few can use it

Re: “Make Harvie Passage accessible to novices as well,” Letter, Aug. 21.

I strongly endorse Bob Grundie’s letter, in which he urges the creation of a Class I channel through Harvie Passage. I’m a kayaker and rafter who has safely travelled through Harvie Passage several times. But what has been the value of a multimilliondollar makeover of the deadly weir, and now more money must be spent repairing it, when only a tiny fraction of Calgarians will have the paddling skills to safely use it?

When the weir makeover was proposed, it was described as a project that would enable a wide range of Calgarians to enjoy the passage after work was completed. There was even a large wooden sign for a couple of years on the south side of the river, overlooking the passage while construction was underway, which illustrated the finished project by showing children and families enjoying themselves in the water together.

Was that wooden sign — which may still exist, and be waiting for an investigative Herald reporter to find it — a form of false advertising? It would be difficult to argue otherwise.

Regardless, the repairs that flooding have made necessary give us the opportunity to correct the problem and add a Class I passage. Let’s seize that opportunity.

Jeff Adams, Calgary