The Goat River

"It depends on the situation - and this appears to be one of those strange situations."

So came the response from a natural resources officer with the Ministry of Agriculture and Lands in Cranbrook, (at the oddly named Front Counter BC office in Cranbrook) when questioned about public access to the dikes along the Goat River near Highway 21. BC office in Cranbrook)

"It's one of those tricky ones," said Nicole Mckechinie, who explained that under normal circumstances the public has access to the fore-shore of and B.C. waterway.

Normal circumstances, however, mean that the river, in this case, stays in its same channel and that private property does not actually include the foreshore, which must be kept clear for public access.

But the Goat River doesn't stay in one spot. Or at least it hasn't in many years and won't unless even more diking is undertaken.

Where a river changes its course, McKechnie said, property survey pins may end up in the water and the original property description remains unless a new survey is undertaken. Because a new survey would only be done at the initiation and expense of the property owner, she agreed, it is unlikely that many would bother.

McKechnie suggested that owners of such property who don't mind people on the dikes could post a "Use at your own risk" sign to absolve them of liability concerns. But owners who don't want uninvited visitors on their land, in cases where their property really does now extend into the water, appear to be fully within their rights to close access.