Our Grievances with The City of Calgary

Despite our achievements, the City of Calgary maintains that criminal public nudity has occurred if we are "open to public viewing" despite the existence of Hidden Beach and Weaselhead. The City of Calgary refuses to explain how Hidden Beach and Weaselhead can exist with their legal interpretation. Both the Calgary Police Service and City of Calgary are well aware of Calgary's clothing-optional areas. Weaselhead has been used for nude recreation for over 25 years and is now next to a major highway. We marked Weaselhead and Hidden Beach on Google Maps in 2020. We notified the City of Calgary and the Calgary Police Service when we began using Hidden Beach in 2020. Alberta Parks also received a courtesy notification since Hidden Beach is in a Provincial Park. The use of these areas for nude recreation is no secret, yet the City of Calgary maintains that nude recreation is a criminal offence.

In maintaining their position, the City of Calgary is offending our 2(b) Charter rights by effectively maintaining that our values and expression are not worthy of any Charter protections. Instead, we are treated as "tolerated" as long as its convenient for the City of Calgary.

City of Calgary Permit Rejection

The following are two emails from the City of Calgary where they make statements such as "public nudity is illegal, and therefore, the City of Calgary is only able to offer private bookings for clothing optional events that are not open to public viewing". Accordingly, our permit applications were summarily denied and the City of Calgary is not willing to revisit their incorrect assertion. The City of Calgary has made five categorical claims that nude recreation is always criminal. Calgary even denied us a permit for an activity at Weaselhead by claiming that public nudity is criminal. Calgary's interpretation of the law does not survive contact with reality.

The City of Calgary's interpretation of the law is inconsistent with the Calgary Police Service, Alberta Parks, Parks Canada, the Lake Louise RCMP, the Banff RCMP, the Attorney General of Canada, and the Alberta Crown Prosecution Service.

Additionally, the City of Calgary suggested Clearwater park for us to use in email 2, and as of March 2025 we have still been unable to complete that booking because the City of Calgary appears to be worried that we'll be "open to public viewing". Why doesn't this standard apply to Hidden Beach or Weaselhead?

1 - City of Calgary Email About "Not open to public viewing".

2 - City of Calgary Permit Rejection & "Public nudity is illegal".

The City of Calgary is Flat Wrong:

There are clothing-optional beaches all across Canada. The World Naked Bike Rides (WNBR) happen all over Canada, even as close as Edmonton. The Edmonton WNBR has had police escorts in years past, who followed them for the entire route without any arrests. There is clearly no ban on public nudity as the City of Calgary maintains.

The City of Calgary's interpretation of the law is contrary to the Attorney General of Canada, the Alberta Crown Prosecution Service, The Calgary Police Service Chief Constable Mark Neufeld, the Lake Louise RCMP and the town of Banff RCMP.

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