A visible police presence combined with heavy wet snow that coated the area on May 21 seem to have contributed to a largely uneventful May long weekend.
Campers and recreational users in the West Country were mostly responsible and were glad to see officers on patrol, said the Sundre RCMP detachment's Cpl. Joe Mandel.
“They like to enjoy themselves. They don't want some yahoo ruining their weekend,” he said.
Over the long weekend, local police dealt with a total of 26 files for the detachment's area, but only six of those calls were related to activities in the West Country, he said.
People were being mostly responsible and ensured designated drivers could safely transport their friends, he said, adding that visitors coming through the area are mostly getting the message to be responsible regarding drinking and driving.
RCMP officers were busy keeping an eye on drivers with Checkstops and pulled over about 1,000 vehicles in the detachment's area. Those stops resulted in only two roadside suspensions, he said.
“They were drunk, but not enough to be charged criminally.”
Regardless, the two motorists who faced the suspensions had their vehicles towed into Sundre. Meanwhile, police did not come across anyone who was over the legal limit, he said.
The six calls reported from the West Country were mostly complaints about the use of off-highway vehicles, which in some cases were witnessed being driven in streams and other bodies of water. While crossing a stream where no bridge is present is allowed, driving around in the water is not, he said.
Authorities worked collaboratively with officers from the Rocky Mountain House RCMP detachment, Fish and Wildlife as well as Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development, coordinating their enforcement efforts, he said.
“It went off really well,” the corporal said about the weekend.
“It was relatively safe for everyone and enjoyable from my point of view.”
Although the long weekend panned out well in the Sundre area, the local detachment was involved in a response to a fatal quad rollover in Clearwater County that resulted in one death and an injury, he said.
But overall, the number of calls was low. While the long weekend initially seemed to be off to a busy start with many people coming out with their RVs and off-highway vehicles, heavy wet snow that came down on Saturday, May 21 prompted many people to end their trip early, he said.
“When the snow came, a lot of people just ended up pulling stakes.”
However, some diehard campers remained and even joked with officers about sticking around through the conditions, he said.
The Sundre Fire Department also responded to very few calls.
“The weekend was short and sweet,” said fire Chief Marty Butts, adding it was “pretty uneventful for us — that's always good. But the rain and the snow maybe helped that.”
There were a fair number of people who came out, but dismal weather tends to dampen spirits. Campers and outdoor enthusiasts are more likely to stay in rather than go out quadding or hiking in such weather, he said.
Despite the fatality in Clearwater County, the chief said there were no deaths in the department's jurisdiction. Over the four days, the fire department responded to only one call for a medical assist just north of Sundre, he said.
“It was one of the quietest ones we've had,” he said about the Victoria Day long weekend.
“I'm sure the weather played a big part in that. It can be a crazy weekend — everybody wants to get out; it's the first long weekend of the year to let loose.”
The precipitation and moisture were certainly needed, but unfortunately came when everyone wants to come out. Had the rain and snow come down the week before, people would have been able to enjoy the long weekend, which would have meant a busier time for responders. However, it was better to get the snow and rain than not to, he said.
“It was so dry, and you get lots of people out there, something's bound to happen.”
