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In 1st event after 6 horses died, Stampede chuckwagons return with new safety measures | CBC News

In 1st event after 6 horses died, Stampede chuckwagons return with new safety measures | CBC News

Chuckwagon races are well underway at the “Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth,” and organizers say they’ve implemented new measures intended to boost the safety of the event.

Calgary Stampede spokesperson Kristina Barnes said the most obvious change will be on the track in the number of wagons. 

In previous years, four wagons would compete in each heat — that’s been decreased to three wagons this year.

“That’s the one thing people will notice as they’re watching from the stands and on television,” Barnes said.

Custom-built delineator arms have also been added to the track to create a buffer between the wagons and the rails.

“In the past, people would’ve seen some pylons out on the track. So we’ve replaced those with these arms that slide out for the races,” Barnes said.

“If there is contact between them and a wagon, they are made to swing back and break on the side of the rail. So not a trip hazard, but just to create that extra space on the track.”

Ferrier Nolan Cameron shoes a chuckwagon horse in the barns at the Calgary Stampede in 2019. The Stampede has introduced new measures it says will promote safety in its chuckwagon races. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press)

The Rangeland Derby chuckwagon races return to this year’s Stampede after missing the past two years — in 2020, after the entire Stampede was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and in 2021, as organizers cited safety issues.

The chuckwagons have long been controversial among animal rights groups in Canada and the United States.

In 2019, the last time the derby was held, six horses died. That matched the second deadliest toll in the Stampede’s history.

The return of the event led some animal rights groups to push back.

Stampede spokesperson Kristina Barnes stands next to new custom-built delineator arms, intended to create a safety zone on the track. (Marc-Antoine Leblanc/Radio-Canada)

When Kevin Costner was announced as parade marshal for this year’s Stampede, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA, called on him to step away, citing the event’s history that reportedly includes the deaths of more than 70 horses over the years. 

“Reducing a few of the dangerous aspects of the race is like cutting only one ear off a dog instead of two. It’s better than nothing but not good enough,” PETA said in an emailed statement on Tuesday. 

“The only way to stop horses from being hurt and from dying is to stop using them, and PETA joins every animal protection organization under the sun, and kind people across Canada, who want these reckless, barbaric races simply to end.”

The Stampede has repeatedly said the safety of animals and people is its No. 1 priority.

“As always, we welcome PETA for a direct discussion regarding our animal care practices,” it previously told CBC News in an email.

Drivers happy to be back

Kris Molle, a professional chuckwagon driver, said he’s excited to be back at the Calgary Stampede, even despite the changes.

“It’s definitely more exciting with four wagons, but it’s definitely going to be more room on the track to manoeuvre,” Molle said. “For safety reasons is the reason why they did it. So try it this year is all we can do.”

Molle said that in his view, chuckwagon races are no different than any sport when it comes to safety.

“You have your incidents. We have to take the precautions necessary to continue to improve to get better and safer. That’s with any sport,” he said.

Professional chuckwagon driver Kris Molle says he expects the Rangeland Derby will still be a good show even with recent changes intended to increase the safety of the event. (Marc-Antoine Leblanc/Radio-Canada)

The Stampede said it is undertaking an effort to do enhanced veterinary inspections, and pointed to ongoing studies at the University of Calgary focused on chuckwagon races.

Researchers at the university are trying to find ways to reduce the chance of horse injuries by studying track conditions and how they impact the hooves and bones of horses while galloping at full speed. Sensors were placed on horses’ hooves, cannon bones and radiuses using saddles fitted with devices to measure data.

Dr. Renaud Léguillette, a veterinary medicine professor at the university, told CBC’s The Homestretch that harder dirt is tougher on bones and joints while softer tracks are harder on tendons and ligaments.

Calgary’s weather changes on a frequent basis, Léguillette said, and that will change conditions. 

“I’m really confident that even by next year they will probably do some changes and at least monitor, you know, the hardness of the track and apply some changes on the track as needed,” Léguillette said.

The races this year are scheduled to take place over nine heats per night. Twenty-seven drivers are competing for prize money, along with their 162 horses.

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Numerous events planned to honour airmen who died in 1946 plane crash near Estevan

Numerous events planned to honour airmen who died in 1946 plane crash near Estevan

Activities will happen from July 7-9 to pay tribute to the 21 members of the Royal Canadian Air Force – 20 pilots and one crew member – who died in a plane crash south of the city on Sept. 15, 1946. The event was to happen last year for the 75th anniversary of the tragedy, but plans had to be shelved due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

ESTEVAN – Local residents are encouraged to attend events that will take place next month in honour of a grim moment in Estevan’s history.

Activities will happen from July 7-9 to pay tribute to the 21 members of the Royal Canadian Air Force – 20 pilots and one crew member – who died in a plane crash south of the city on Sept. 15, 1946. The event was to happen last year for the 75th anniversary of the tragedy, but plans had to be shelved due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Committee member Marie Calder said the efforts are coming together nicely. There is a committee of four people, with Calder joined by Allison Holzer, Lois Wilson and Wayne Younghusband. Additional people from the community are helping out. 

“I’m really hoping that the community, not just Estevan, but anyone who is interested in honouring those who served [will attend],” said Calder.

She cited men and women of the Canadian Forces, police officers and so many others as people who served. 

“Our safety and our freedom isn’t free, and we really have this opportunity now to show our gratitude through the 21 airmen. We’re hoping that people will come on out.”

The crash will be commemorated in Regina and Estevan. Family members of the crash victims will gather with Lieutenant Governor Russ Mirasty at Government House in Regina on July 7. Then the focus will shift to Estevan.

On July 8 at 9:30 a.m. and 2 p.m., there will be tours of Lester Hinzman’s carved wooden monument and aviation collection. The tours will depart the Estevan Court House at 9:15 a.m. or 1:45 p.m. and are expected to take about an hour.

There will also be presentations at 9:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. by Craig Bird at the Estevan branch of the Royal Canadian Legion. Bird, who is the founder of the South East Military Museums, will speak on the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan.

Rides on a Tiger Moth, Cornell and Harvard aircraft from the Brandon Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum will be available from 11:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Rides must be pre-brooked by emailing lbarwil@yahoo.com.

Payment can be by credit card, cash or cheque on the day of the flight. Pilots and passengers must be fully vaccinated against COVID, including boosters where eligible.

A memorial dedication will occur at the crash site at 10 a.m. on July 9. It is located on the access road for the Woodlawn Regional Park’s Boundary Dam site. SaskPower, the City of Estevan and the Rural Municipality of Estevan provided support for the monument.

There will also be a community social with family and friends, plus the Estevan Flying Club’s annual fly-in. Lunch will be available. 

Banners for each of the airmen will be hanging up around the city, thanks to the support of Bird, who has had banners completed of veterans in the community. 

Calder noted that after the crash in 1946, there was tremendous support for a mass funeral for the 21 airmen.

“Literally, the people stepped right up to the plate. They hosted families. Often it was the wives, the newly-widowed women, who were trying to understand what had happened, and trying to deal with the change in their lives, and Estevan opened the doors to them,” said Calder.

Estevan didn’t have enough hotel rooms at the time to accommodate everyone coming to the community.

Thousands of people turned out to see the funeral procession for the airmen.

She also hopes that local residents are very welcoming to the families who are coming for the commemoration. 

While they won’t have families of all of the victims, there will be children of four people who died, along with grandchildren, nieces and nephews.

They hoped to have siblings of the airmen present, but age and travel costs kept them from coming. 

“We can’t put it off anymore. This has to be it,” said Calder. “In spite of all of the challenges, we are excited to have people coming out from the United States, and of course from all across Canada,” said Calder. 

Calder is the author of Together Forever in the Clouds, which was released last year and has profiles of each of the 21 airmen who died in the crash. She spent four years searching for their families. She was also on the committee for the Forever in the Clouds monument, carved by Darren Jones, that honours the victims of the crash. 

The organizers hope these men will never be forgotten, and that closure may come to families who thought their loved ones’ service to country had been forgotten.