Crowding within Sylvan Lake's Waterfront
The Town of Sylvan Lake is aware that our waterfront, this past Saturday, July 12, was at or near a maximum capacity, and that some of our visitors were concerned with crowding, and physical distancing practices, or lack thereof.
All Albertans should now be acutely aware of their role in preventing the spread of COVID-19. Those unable or unwilling to adhere the direction of Alberta Health – that is to maintain a physical distance of 2 metres from that outside of a family cohort, and to stay home if feeling ill, must reconsider visiting our community.
"Controlling social behaviour is tremendously difficult; we neither have the jurisdiction, nor the resources, to manage and enforce behaviour. Only the RCMP, and Alberta Health has the authority to enforce how visitors comply with physical distancing rules, but we want to be clear: from what we observed on the weekend – the sheer number of people, enforcement alone is not the solution." - Wally Ferris, CAO Town of Sylvan Lake
The Sylvan Lake waterfront is a smaller park that regularly attracts hundreds of thousands throughout the summer months. For those who have never previously visited Sylvan Lake, while Saturday’s park attendance was near or even at capacity, crowds are commonplace. While the Town is disappointed with those who did not follow best health and safety practices on the weekend; we are aware of, and observed first hand, many that were enjoying the waterfront responsibly, so thank you.
We recognize all Albertans are attempting to do their best to balance responsible social distancing action with their journey to find a sense of normal in today’s world; they are searching for an opportunity to be well and connect with loved ones. The public has been told they can form family cohorts of up to 15, to stay-cation within the province, and to support their local economies. With this, larger crowds at destinations like Sylvan Lake (and we’re aware of many other locations), are bound to happen, and we’re committed to working together to identify possible solutions to make our public spaces safer.
The Town of Sylvan Lake has reached out to the province to provide a clear direction for destinations and communities like Sylvan Lake, and to work together identify potential solutions to allow continued enjoyment of the lake, and to allow our local waterfront businesses to continue to operate.
In the meantime, we would like to remind all Albertans that any person who wants to be tested can now be tested for COVID-19, even if they don't have symptoms. Those who have visited our community and who have experienced difficulty in keeping a safe physical distance from others, are encouraged to get tested.
Back to Search