Summer in Calgary can get hot no doubt, and for folks who want a way to "chill" and "cool-off", the Elbow River is a great place to do just that. People go there to relax by the riverfront, swim and river-rafting. Most people abide by the "play rules" and behave well. But there are many idiots who flout the rules.
Evidence: Last weekend, by-law officers had to issue close to 800 warnings (no tickets though) to revelers for stupidities like drinking, not wearing life-jackets, and EVEN urinating in public!
Now, I could care less about the dimwits who think they are invincible and can swim to shore if they fall into the COLD river, even when they are drunk! But the laws are plain and simple - put your life jacket on.
It's doesn't hinder your fun. It's in the event where you cannot swim to shore due to fatigue and leg cramps. Try getting one of those and swimming 40 feet to shore! As far as booze goes - there are those who stumble out of the raft and then get into their cars to drive...need I say more?
Let's NOT just give these morons more warnings. Fine the idiots, fine them with an obscene amount and then maybe they'll think twice before getting drunk and throwing beer cans in the river.
We're already being milked by city hall in the form of higher taxes and fees; if one of these nincompoops falls into the river, the taxpayers will have to foot the bill for EMS to come save their ass.
So if you don't want to follow the rules - then be prepared to pay the fines without whining about it and when the unthinkable happens and your luck runs out - be prepared to pay the costs for your rescue and recovery. It should not be my responsibility to pay to find you or care for you when you deliberately do something so incredibly stupid!
Showing posts with label calgary bylaw. Show all posts
Showing posts with label calgary bylaw. Show all posts
Monday, June 22, 2009
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Smile (and wave).....you're being watched!
With the recent increase in crime and gang activity in Calgary, the police department has decided to install over twenty video surveillance cameras in the downtown area to keep an "eye" on suspicious activity.
The folks at Calgary Police Services are inclined to believe that more cameras will translate into less crime. To say that this thinking is flawed would be an understatement. There is no credible evidence that criminal activity slows down due to surveillance cameras. They install cameras in the downtown core and the gang members will move somewhere else.
The recent triple murder on new year's day - in broad daylight at a restaurant- is proof that gang members do not limit their activities to downtown Calgary. We cannot put up cameras everywhere and the taxpayers money could be better spent on something useful - like snow removal to prevent auto accidents!
Another component that concerns me is the invasion of privacy. Is there any guarantee that the video footage collected from these cameras would not be misused? There is growing evidence that the police in the U.S and Britain have used the surveillance systems to send out tickets for traffic or by-law violations. In fact, I was told by one British visitor that after tourism, cameras are the second largest source of revenue for the London city government. So this apparatus is more like a cash cow for city councils than a detterent for crime.
Gangsters and drug dealers will eventually find a way to avoid these cameras, and the general public won't fee any safer. The best way to combat crime in this city is to change the criminal justice system and enact tougher laws to punish the crooks, instead of creating a totalitarian police state where big brother watches everything you do.
The folks at Calgary Police Services are inclined to believe that more cameras will translate into less crime. To say that this thinking is flawed would be an understatement. There is no credible evidence that criminal activity slows down due to surveillance cameras. They install cameras in the downtown core and the gang members will move somewhere else.
The recent triple murder on new year's day - in broad daylight at a restaurant- is proof that gang members do not limit their activities to downtown Calgary. We cannot put up cameras everywhere and the taxpayers money could be better spent on something useful - like snow removal to prevent auto accidents!
Another component that concerns me is the invasion of privacy. Is there any guarantee that the video footage collected from these cameras would not be misused? There is growing evidence that the police in the U.S and Britain have used the surveillance systems to send out tickets for traffic or by-law violations. In fact, I was told by one British visitor that after tourism, cameras are the second largest source of revenue for the London city government. So this apparatus is more like a cash cow for city councils than a detterent for crime.
Gangsters and drug dealers will eventually find a way to avoid these cameras, and the general public won't fee any safer. The best way to combat crime in this city is to change the criminal justice system and enact tougher laws to punish the crooks, instead of creating a totalitarian police state where big brother watches everything you do.
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