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Staying safe with winter activities

The Towns of Black Diamond and Turner Valley are encouraging residents to skate only on town-regulated ice surfaces and to be mindful of where they are sledding this winter.
Eight-year-old Vance Amyotte battles his mom, Gaylene, for the puck at the outdoor rink in Black Diamond on Jan. 15.
Eight-year-old Vance Amyotte battles his mom, Gaylene, for the puck at the outdoor rink in Black Diamond on Jan. 15.

The Towns of Black Diamond and Turner Valley are encouraging residents to skate only on town-regulated ice surfaces and to be mindful of where they are sledding this winter.

Both communities operate outdoor skating rinks during the colder months and advise residents and visitors not to skate on other surfaces such as storm ponds or the Sheep River.

The Town of Black Diamond has two outdoor skating rinks at the Oilfields Regional Arena. The smallest is open to the public from 8 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. every day and the larger rink is available to the public unless it’s booked, said Les Quinton, Black Diamond parks and recreation manager.

People can view the schedule for the larger rink on the town’s website at town.blackdiamond.ab.ca.

“They are supervised, we have rules posted, they are maintained and there’s staff on site,” said Quinton.

The ice surface is typically maintained in the small rink from the beginning of December to the end of February while the surface in the Scott Seaman Outdoor Arena is maintained the beginning of November to the middle of March, said Quinton.

As for tobogganing in Black Diamond, Quinton said the Town has no designated areas for this activity, but there are a few locations where people like to head out to.

“We don’t have a lot of huge hills around town and there’s not a lot of places they’re sledding in town,” he said. “It’s not like we have a number of places and lots of issues.”

Quinton said when it comes to sledding, people do it at their own risk.

“We have never had any issues here and we’ve never had anything to deal with because a lot of it isn’t on our property.”

Quinton advised those who are sledding in town to select safe places where they won’t run into something.

“It’s just common sense,” he said. “Be cautious of where you are doing it so you’re not going to injure yourself.”

The Town of Turner Valley also has no official designated sledding areas.

“It can have its own associated risks,” said Barry Williamson, Turner Valley chief administrative officer. “You have to be careful with sledding hills. Once the Town gets involved they have to be managed. If people get injured the Town is liable.”

Williamson said there are hills around town that people are sledding on, and expects it to be one of the issues addressed by the newly-developed pathways, parks and recreation committee.

“They are starting to take a look at these issues,” he said. “Right now they are focused on pathways and parks. There is not a town-developed position on (sledding) yet.”

As for skating, Williamson said the Town maintains the outdoor skating rink north of the Flare ‘n’ Derrick Community Hall to provide the public with a place to skate recreationally.

To prevent the public from accessing storm ponds, the Town has placed signage telling the public to keep away.

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