The recent discovery of large artillery shells in the Weaselhead Flats and on a section of the Tsuu T’ina Nation has renewed public safety warnings in the area that once housed military training.
“Where the (Grey Eagle Resort & Casino) is now, is the former Harvey Barracks,” explains Peter K Manywounds, Tsuu T’ina Nation CEO. “There was contamination there but nowhere near as severe as the impact areas, the main training range, which is southwest of the casino area.”
Manywounds says two 155 mm artillery shells, weighing approximately 135 kg each and capable of leaving a crater the size of a teepee, where recently spotted and disposed of. One of the shells was located on Tsuu T’ina land while the other had washed into the Weaslehead Flats natural environment park.
“You have to be careful when you’re out there,” says Manywounds. “People need to be aware and I think it’s important that people understand it may look like a rusted piece of metal but conceivably could blow up and it could kill someone.”
Along the popular Elbow River Pathway near the Weaselhead, city crews have erected signs warning of the potential danger of explosives in the area.
Members of the Calgary Police Service bomb disposal unit, including Constable Jerry Holik, have spent a considerable time removing old shells from the trails of the Weaslehead. Holik says the casing of grenades, dynamite and artillery shells will deteriorate over time and the explosives may become more volatile.
“Sometimes, people are tempted to move this stuff if they find it which is a big no-no,” explains Holik.
According to Holik, anyone who encounters an explosive should note their location, back away and call police.
Stu Wilkins says the possibility of encountering an undetonated explosive won’t change his cycle route. The cyclist from Saskatoon has pedaled without incident through Camp Dundurn, a Canadian Forces Ammunition Depot in his home province, where similar warnings are posted.
“They tell you just to avoid it,” said Wilkins. “Don’t touch it. They won’t hurt you, just don’t touch it.”
The flooding of the Elbow River in 2013 has exposed a number of long buried explosive ordinances on Tsuu T’ina land and near the Weaselhead Flats, explosives that went undetected during scans of the area in the 1980s and 1990s using inferior technology by today’s standards.
“The fact that we’re finding them, as the result of flooding, is obviously a concern and demonstrates that there are still some issues that have to be resolved,” said Manywounds. “We have protocols with the province and with the government of Canada. When we discover those things, they send teams down and they dispose of them.”
Manywounds believes the process of removing all hazards from the area will be time consuming.
“Our objective is to get it cleared. Our plan is, that land, that 11,800 acres is a vital piece of our community and we need to clear it to the point where we can use it for whatever the membership deems important to be used for, up to and including housing.”
“We want them to be able to enjoy the outdoors there since we got the land back. It’s a beautiful area, but it still has some possible hazards.”
