In that time, the local author and historian has seen the area shift from a quiet place of relaxation to what he describes as a “madhouse” on the weekends. And with the influx of visitors to the area has also come an increase in unlawful behaviour.

Even during a brief Saturday stroll through the hamlet, McLennan is able to point out numerous bylaw infractions, such as litter strewn about and cars parked on the sidewalks.

“The pedestrians have really lost their way in Bragg Creek,” McLennan said.

“The noise is phenomenal, people leave dogs in their hot cars and they bark. We pick up tons of garbage and we have people walking right through the yard.”

Long lines of traffic like this are a non-stop sight on the weekends in Bragg Creek, and some residents believe there is not enough police presence to ensure everyone heading to the area is obeying the law. Photo by Jeremy Nolais

McLennan has spent countless hours bringing issues to the attention of local law enforcement, namely Rocky View protective services and the Cochrane RCMP, but to date has received what he describes as an inadequate response.

“I get a frustrated feeling, they say ‘We’ll look into it,’ but that’s about all,” McLennan explained.
“I would say the Cochrane police are rarely in this area.”

McLennan’s thoughts on police presence are echoed by fellow Bragg Creek resident Andrew Benson, 15.

“You just don’t see them here; there’s really no sign of RCMP,” Benson said. “I have been living here my whole life and you just don’t see them.”

Cochrane RCMP Staff Sgt. Jason Seper said his detachment treats Bragg Creek like any other area in its jurisdiction and will respond to all calls for service.

“The issue is priority. If it’s a bylaw matter that can be handled at a later date, we will take the information and go from there,” he added.

Seper acknowledged that he can “never have enough manpower,” but said Cochrane RCMP must also strive to exercise fiscal responsibility when it comes to policing levels and patrol frequency.
“Policing is a funny thing,” he said.

“Some weekends we can be extremely busy and others we can be doing more proactive stuff. It depends on the weekend, depends on the weather, depends on what’s going on.”

Bylaw enforcement in the Bragg Creek area falls largely to Rocky View protective services, which manager Ted McCauley says has been hit with a “huge reduction in manpower recently.”

Two months ago, the service suspended weekend shift work and now only responds to special attentions, McCauley said.

Rocky View’s director of emergency services Ted Gard, however, said the situation is not dire, noting the department reduces and increases its manpower based on community need.

Both Gard and McCauley noted that protective services typically does not receive a high volume of weekend calls.

“It works to a degree, it’s certainly not as ideal as having someone seven days a week,” McCauley added. “The thing about bylaws is we are not talking about emergencies here. We are talking about the concerns of the citizens and we are very interested in making them happy but in the same sense when somebody phones in we are not going to get there in two minutes.”

As well, McCauley said issues such as cars parked on the sidewalk are not specific to Bragg Creek and have been around for decades.

McLennan, meanwhile, said Rocky View’s stance on the matter is not good enough.

“What do we have to happen to get some change?” he said.

“Do we need to have a child hit?”

McLennan added there is very little enforcement on noise levels in Bragg Creek, with the most common source being loud motorcycles rolling through the hamlet.

This issue has also caused a fair amount of grievance for Bragg Creek resident of 27 years Tammy Moon, who owns The Alicat Gallery in town.

“They are so disruptive and take up so much space in the parking lots,” she said.

“In (the gallery) we can be having a conversation and two rip down the street and you can’t hear each other.”

McCauley noted that a tougher noise bylaw was recently passed in Edmonton and the matter is also currently being mulled over by Calgary city council.

“I’m certain if Calgary passes their legislation, then it’s something I will bring to (Rocky View) council,” he said.

McCauley added that he is looking at enlisting some contractors to help with enforcement on the weekends.

In the meantime, McLennan said he plans to continue making his voice heard in hopes of improving not only his own quality of life but that of fellow Bragg Creek residents.

“I can’t change the whole bloody world,” he said. “You just have to pick your battles.”

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Local hard courts will be busy in the weeks ahead as high school basketball teams battle it out for a coveted spot in the provincial finals.

And for the Cochrane High Cobras senior boys team to be successful they will need serious input from two team members living under the same roof.

Head coach Jamie McLellan and his son Jared, a senior guard on the team, will be looked upon to lead a spirited Cobras team that has eyes on making a run all the way to the big prize.

“The goal is to win provincials,” Jamie said bluntly. “I think when we started the season off and I told the parents that they said ‘Yeah sure, whatever,’ but the kids have really started to believe in themselves.”

Cochrane High Cobras head coach Jamie McLellan, left, and his son Jared believe the Cobras have what it takes to contend for senior boys 3A provincial title. Photo by Patrick Price.

Basketball, and winning for that matter, have been in the McLellan blood for a long time. Jamie led Winston Churchill High School to the 4A provincial title in Grade 12 and starred as a shooting guard at the University of Lethbridge for five years. He also coached Jared’s team in Grade 9 at Calgary’s Montgomery Junior High School as the team ran all the way to the city championship.

Jared, meanwhile, is no slouch in his own right. He played on the Cobras football team, first as a receiver and then as a quarterback this season before being sidelined by multiple injuries. As well, during this year’s basketball campaign, Jared has consistently found himself atop the Cobras scoresheet.

“He’s a really good shooter,” Jamie said of his son. “Football has been good for a lot of these kids because it’s taught them to be tough and aggressive. Jared certainly has benefited from that, he’s become more aggressive. It’s a more physical game than it was 10 years ago. The refs let the kids play now.”

Jared said that if he had to choose between football and basketball he has always felt more at home on the court.

“I’ve grown up with it, played it (basketball) my whole life,” Jared said. “I am better at it too.”

Jared noted that he likes having his father as his coach because, “He pushes me more than other kids because he expects more and that helps me to become a better player.”

Having said that, Jared said he and Jamie make sure to keep their work on the court separate from their family life.

“He makes sure that everyone knows I am just another player on the team and we make sure that he is my coach on the basketball court, but when we leave there he becomes my dad again,” said Jared, who hopes to follow in Jamie’s footsteps by earning a spot on the U of L basketball roster next season.

But before any post-secondary aspirations can be realized, the father-son duo will first face a tough road to the 3A Provincial Championships in Medicine Hat March 18-20.

Jamie said that while the Rocky View basketball division is not as strong as last year — when Springbank and Chestermere finished one-two in the province — the south-central zone could be very tough, with the Cobras, Canmore and Springbank all contending. The south-central zone will be only granted two automatic berths to provincials, but teams can also qualify through one of two wild card spots.

Jamie, who is currently in his second season at the helm of the Cobras, said his team’s best asset lies in their depth.
“You look at the games we have won and invariably at least eight, nine kids are on the scoresheet and most games it’s more like 10 or 11,” he said.

The McLellan duo and the rest of the Cobras senior boys team, ranked third in Rocky View behind Springbank and the 4A squad from Airdrie’s Bert Church High School, kick off post-season play against the Bow Valley Bobcats March 3 at 7:45 p.m. at Cochrane High.

The Cochrane High senior girls team will also face Bow Valley in the opening round, with that game going at Cochrane High at 6 p.m. on March 3.

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