Albertan Campers In BC Just Got Threatened With Arrest & Booted From The Province
A camping trip didn't go as planned for some Albertans in B.C. A group of campers were asked to leave a B.C. provincial park last week. One of the campers said that an RCMP officer reportedly threatened to arrest them if they didn't pack up and leave.
According to CityNews, Alexey Gorozhalov and his camp crew were set up at the White Swan Provincial Park. The park is quite close to the B.C. and Alberta border and is just a four-hour drive from downtown Calgary.
The camper said he and his friends were allowed in by the park's operator. Within the next day, the operator and an RCMP officer visited the group and told them to leave.
The park official apparently told the camping crew that they were being kicked out for "causing a disturbance."
The group was allegedly told that they would get arrested if they didn't pack up their belongings and leave the park right away.
Narcity has reached out to both BC Parks and BC RCMP for information and we will update this article when we receive a response.
In video clips provided by the outlet, a female RCMP officer appears to tell one of them, "you're going to be arrested very soon. And I'm going to take you somewhere."
She asks the group to get back in their trailer and head somewhere else. Someone is heard saying, "I'm a Canadian citizen."
BC Parks announced on May 24 that B.C. residents will get preferential access to booking campsites in the province this summer.
"New reservations made after May 25th found to be made by non-BC residents will be subject to immediate cancellation without refund," said BC Parks.
Narcity spoke to David Karn, a media representative for BC Parks, who directed us to the BC Parks website that reiterates only B.C. residents are allowed to be on provincial campgrounds this summer.
He also told us regarding this camping crew, "Looks like they went to a campground without reservations so wouldn’t have been notified had they tried to pre-book."
No reservations are reportedly needed at White Swan Provincial Park campgrounds.
One of the campers told CityNews that they weren't able to spot any restrictions written anywhere in the park premises and that they don't think the website was informative enough.
He added that he and his group go down to B.C. about three to four times a year. Due to getting kicked out of the park, he's disheartened and said he believes, "they don’t like Albertans."
The article's cover photo was used for illustrative purposes only.