Coldstream Mayor Jim Garlick is concerned about the increased traffic on Kalamalka Lake and the mixture of power boats and personal watercrafts like paddle boards, kayaks and canoes.
He wants to look into the possibility of Coldstream joining in on what the electoral areas are doing with increased boat patrols provided under contract by the B.C. Conservation Service on the Shuswap River and Sugar, Mabel and Kalamalka Lakes. The Electoral Area Advisory Committee budgets $21,000 a year for the contract.
Garlick says that every year the issue of keeping Kalamalka Lake safe for all its users comes to the forefront in the summer but is quickly forgotten when the cooler weather sets in.
“We need to address this now because if an accident happens it will be too late ,” said Garlick who is committed to finding a solution to safety on Kalamalka Lake.
He says there are a number of things that could help make sharing the lake safer, like reducing speed limits on the water and spliting up boat traffic in some areas where it is more densely populated.
“The issue is who enforces the laws,” said Garlick.
