Alberta News

'Randomness and chaos': The invisible, unpredictable forces behind fatal rockfall

Unpredictable forces at play

Photo: The Canadian Press

Tourists walk around Bow Lake on Friday, June 20, 2025, near Bow Glacier Falls, seen in background, where a rock slide, light grey area on cliff face, killed two hikers and injured three more Thursday, north of Lake Louise, Alta., in Banff National Park. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

Scientist Daniel Shugar says images of the aftermath of Thursday's deadly rockslide in Banff National Park provide evidence of its cause — water flowing through the interior of the mountain.

“You can actually see some springs coming out of the cliff and actually coming out exactly from the scar itself,” said the University of Calgary professor of geomorphology.

He described how water from a lake above the cliff at Bow Glacier Falls had been seeping through rocks for decades before it eventually provided enough force to dislodge a boulder, triggering the rockfall.

“That lake has existed since 1955,” he said. “So over the last 70 years, the water from this lake (and the) glacier retreating has been trying to go downhill through the cracks. It essentially provided the pressure to dislodge the rock.”

While the forces may have been building for years, Shugar and other scientists agree it would have been impossible for Parks Canada to predict or prevent the massive rockfall.

"Yesterday was just a bad confluence of events where this chunk of rock essentially popped out of the cliff," he said. "And, you know, unfortunately, tragically, there were hikers down below.”

Experts agreed that while evidence of previous rockfalls is easy to see, predicting exactly when they will occur is impossible.

Davide Elmo, a mining engineering professor at the University of British Columbia, said that looking at a rock face from the outside doesn't show what's happening inside.

"Some people might ask Parks Canada, why didn't do you anything about it," said Elmo, who also has a degree in engineering geology and is an expert in rock mechanics.

"Well, that kind of rockfall cannot be stopped."

He said the only thing officials can do is to tell the public about the risks when they enter an area that might be prone to rockfalls.

"We know they will happen. We don't know when they will happen," said Elmo.

Witnesses reported rumblings and stones moving before a slab of mountain broke loose and rained boulders on hikers below.

The rockfall occurred in a scenic area close to a popular trail. Looking ahead, Elmo said officials should put up a notice in the area, warning hikers to "minimize the time" spent in that location.

"You can take photos from a distance, but don't stay under the slope. That's the worst place to be," said Elmo.

John J. Clague, an emeritus professor in Earth sciences at Simon Fraser University, said that when he looks at the Banff and Jasper landscapes, he sees lots of cones marking where rockfalls have occurred in the past.

"Predicting exactly where one is going to occur, unless you have some prior indication that something was going on, would be very tough." he said.

Clague said rockfalls are common in the southern Rocky Mountains, but most are never witnessed.

Thursday's slide involved "people being kind of in the wrong place at the wrong time," said Clague.

John Pomeroy, Canada Research Chair in water resources and climate change at the University of Saskatchewan, said there was no early indicator from water levels in Iceberg Lake, which feeds Bow Glacier Falls, that could have predicted the tragedy.

“There’s a lot of randomness and chaos in events like a rock slide, so the conditions were perhaps favourable to it, but that it happened was simply bad luck," he said.

"And particularly happening at that time of day when there were people there was extremely bad luck."

Pomeroy said that this year, the glacier started melting early, raising water levels in Iceberg Lake earlier than normal.

“It’s certainly more hazardous because of climate change, but it’s hard to say that climate change caused any particular event," he said.

Clague said all glaciers in Canada have undergone thinning and retreating amid the warming climate, and he thinks this incident is linked to climate change.

"Because rockfall in that place could not have happened until the face became totally free of ice."

Banff National Park rockfall victim identified as retired university educator

Rockfall victim identified

Photo: The Canadian Press

A rock slide, centre, is shown near Bow Glacier Falls north of Lake Louise, Alta. in Banff National Park on Thursday, June 19, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Larry MacDougal

UPDATE 1:15 p.m.

One of the two people killed in a rockfall in Banff National Park was identified Friday as 70-year-old Jutta Hinrichs of Calgary.

The University of Alberta, in a statement, said Hinrichs was an educator in the department of occupational therapy in the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine.

She retired last summer.

“She was integral to developing a southern Alberta satellite for the department,” said the statement from the Edmonton-based university.

“Jutta nurtured many students, preceptors and clinicians to flourish and grow. That her work continues to enrich the tapestry of occupational therapy in Alberta is her legacy."

Hinrichs was found deceased shortly after a slab of mountain suddenly gave way Thursday afternoon, collapsing on hikers at a popular trail near Bow Glacier Falls, which is north of Lake Louise and 200 kilometres northwest of Calgary.

Teams have been using aircraft with infrared sensors to search the debris field and a geotechnical engineer was brought in to check the stability of the mountainside.

Early Friday, crews recovered one more body, but no further details have been released.

Three people went to hospital Thursday -- two of them by air ambulance -- and are listed in stable condition.

Officials have said no one else is reported missing and there are no unidentified vehicles at the trailhead.

The slide happened at the Bow Glacier Falls hiking trail. It’s a nine-kilometre route running along the edges of Bow Lake and is considered a moderate challenge for hikers and is used by tourists and day-trippers, including families. It's a region with limited cellular service.

Niclas Brundell lives in nearby Canmore and works as a trail guide. He told The Canadian Press in an interview he was hiking in the area with his wife shortly after noon when they both started seeing concerning signs of rocks tumbling and boulders the size of tires starting to fall.

"This was unimaginable to me, that such a big piece of mountain would fall off," he said. As rocks started rolling at the top of the waterfall, he said, they didn't hit anyone, but he and his wife wondered why nobody seemed to be reacting.

"Then all of a sudden, I hear the start of another rockfall, and I turned around, and the whole mountainside is coming off."

He estimated the slab to be 50 metres wide and 20 metres deep, and he and his wife started sprinting to safety. When he turned around, he could see a group of between 15 and 30 people at the waterfall disappear under a cloud of dust.

"The only place I've ever seen something similar is like watching videos from 9-11, when you see New York being cast over,” he said.

Brundell said when they got far enough to feel safe, he sent a satellite message to Parks Canada, while his wife ran to a nearby lodge to call for help.

He said it's a popular trail because it's considered relatively easy, and on any given summer day there are 15 people or more hiking the trail.

Evidence of the rockfall was visible from across the lake. The side of the mountain near the waterfall was darkened and worn, except for a large patch that was significantly lighter, where a heap of debris lay below.

The Bow Lake area was closed during the search but has since reopened. Bow Glacier Falls remains closed, and drivers were told there could be possible delays on the nearby Icefields Parkway.

“Banff National Park remains open and safe to visit,” said the joint statement.

ORIGINAL 10:18 a.m.

Rescue teams searching for victims in a rockfall along a hiking trail in Banff National Park have found a second body.

Parks Canada and RCMP say the person was found this morning and officials are notifying family.

A 70-year-old woman from Calgary was first found dead at the site of Thursday's rock slide at Bow Glacier Falls, north of Lake Louise.

Three others were taken to hospital and are in stable condition.

Officials say no one else has been reported missing and there are no unidentified vehicles at the trailhead.

Teams have been using aircraft with infrared sensors to search debris at the site.

A geotechnical engineer has also been brought in to check the stability of the mountainside.

One dead, three hurt after rockfall hits hiking group at Banff National Park

1 dead, 3 hurt in rockfall

Photo: The Canadian Press

Castle Mountain in Banff National Park is shown in a June 2023 photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Colette Derworiz

UPDATE 9:50 p.m.

A rockfall at a popular hiking trail in Banff National Park killed one person and sent three to hospital Thursday, as rescue crews searched for others who might be missing.

Videos posted to social media of the rock slide at Bow Glacier Falls reportedly show massive rocks crashing down a mountainside, kicking up massive clouds of grey dust as people clambered to safety.

“RCMP have confirmed that one person was located deceased at the scene,” Alberta RCMP and Parks Canada said in a joint statement late Thursday.

“(The) search will continue tomorrow to confirm that no other hikers remain missing.”

Drones and dogs were helping with the search, and geotechnical tests would be done when assessors could get to the site, they said. Bow Lake was closed to visitors, and a no-fly zone was put in place.

Anyone missing a loved one was asked to call Parks Canada.

STARS air ambulance said two of the injured were airlifted to hospital in Calgary. A third person was taken by ground ambulance. Their conditions were not known.

The falls are part of the Bow Glacier Falls hiking trail, a nine-kilometre route open year-round, running along the edges of Bow Lake. It’s located about 200 kilometres west of Calgary, north of Lake Louise.

It is considered a moderate challenge for hikers and is used by tourists and day-trippers, including families.

Niclas Brundell of Canmore was hiking in the area with his wife and said the slide happened a little after noon.

Brundell, who said he was unable to immediately speak with The Canadian Press, told CBC that they heard rumbles and small rocks falling, prompting them to start leaving.

There were other hikers in the area, he said.

“People kept taking selfies and stuff, and both of us were taking it as a warning sign to at least keep further away from the mountainsides," he told CBC.

"All of a sudden, we heard this much louder noise, and I turned around and I see, basically, a whole shelf of a mountain come loose, like something I’ve never seen before.

"(It) almost looked like a slab avalanche but made of rock.”

He said there were at least 20 people in the area under the rockfall and, as it crashed down, it sent up the massive rolling dust cloud.

“The scariest part was that whole group underneath the waterfall just kind of disappeared into that cloud formation,” he said. “My wife thought the whole mountainside was coming loose."

They weren’t sure they could outrun the cloud, he said.

“I was just yelling at (my wife) to like, ‘Go, go, go! We need to run!’ And luckily, we got out.”

Evidence of the rockfall was visible from across the lake. The side of the mountain near a waterfall was darkened and worn, except for a large patch that was significantly lighter, where a heap of debris lay below.

Low-flying helicopters were seen scanning the area late Thursday, making several trips between the rockfall site and the Lodge at Bow Lake.

The parking lot to enter the lodge was closed to the public and media, and several ambulances were parked near the hotel.

On social media, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said she was deeply saddened.

"We are thinking of all those involved and wishing for their safety as we await further details," she said.

"On behalf of Alberta's government, I also want to offer my most sincere gratitude to the emergency crews, including search and rescue teams and STARS air ambulance for responding quickly."

Federal Emergency Management Minister Eleanor Olszewski, also in a social media post, said: "My heart is with everyone affected by the rock slide near Bow Glacier Falls in Banff."

"Grateful to Parks Canada, STARS air ambulance and all first responders supporting the emergency response."

RCMP and Parks Canada said snow was expected on Friday.

UPDATE 5:15 p.m.

Rescue crews, police and paramedics scrambled to a remote region of Banff National Park on Thursday amid reports that a group of hikers were hit by a rock slide, causing possible injuries and deaths.

“The initial report indicated there were multiple hikers and there may be serious injuries and/or fatalities,” RCMP Cpl. Gina Slaney said in a news release.

Parks Canada said in a statement it was it responding to a report of a serious rockfall near Bow Glacier Falls in the Alberta park.

The site is north of Lake Louise on the Icefields Parkway, about 200 kilometres northwest of Calgary.

Temporary road closures were expected on the Icefields Parkway near Bow Lake in order to allow responders to work. Parks Canada asked visitors to avoid the area.

STARS air ambulance spokeswoman Kate Langille said two units were deployed about 2 p.m. She said the organization would have more to say after crews returned to their bases in Edmonton and Calgary.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said she was deeply saddened.

"We are thinking of all those involved and wishing for their safety as we await further details," she said in a post on social media.

"On behalf of Alberta's government, I also want to offer my most sincere gratitude to the emergency crews, including search and rescue teams and STARS air ambulance for responding quickly."

Federal Emergency Management Minister Eleanor Olszewski, also in a social media post, said: "My heart is with everyone affected by the rock slide near Bow Glacier Falls in Banff."

"Grateful to Parks Canada, STARS air ambulance and all first responders supporting the emergency response."

The Bow Glacier Falls hiking trail is a nine-kilometre route open year-round, running along the edges of Bow Lake. It's considered a moderate challenge for hikers, and day-trippers include families.

ORIGINAL 3:30 p.m.

RCMP and parks officials say hikers have been caught up in a rock slide in Banff National Park.

The nature and number of injuries have not been determined. The disaster occurred in a remote area with limited cell service.

"Parks Canada is responding to a report of a serious rockfall incident with involvement near Bow Glacier Falls in Banff National Park," the agency said in a news release Thursday afternoon.

Police said they were notified around 1:30 p.m.

Parks Canada said it and other emergency crews were responding to the site, which is north of Lake Louise on the Icefields Parkway.

Temporary road closures are expected on the Icefields Parkway near Bow Lake in order to allow responders to work.

Parks Canada has asked visitors to avoid the area.

Police recover body of 17-year-old boy who drowned in southern Alberta river

Teen's body recovered

Photo: The Canadian Press

Lethbridge Police Headquarters is shown in Lethbridge, Alta., on Wednesday, March 10, 2021. Police say they have recovered the body of a teen boy who drowned in an area river. THE CANADIAN PRESS/David Rossiter

Police in southern Alberta say they have recovered the body of a teen boy who drowned in an area river.

Lethbridge police say the 17-year-old drowned Wednesday in the Oldman River, and that crews found the body in the area where he was last seen, near the High Level Bridge.

An autopsy will be conducted, but police say there is no evidence of foul play.

The boy was found with help from the Lethbridge Fire and Emergency Services Water Rescue Team and Lethbridge and Area Search and Rescue.

The investigation will remain active pending the results of the autopsy.

Police say no further information is to be released.

Company to pay $330K after Edmonton worker trapped in smokehouse, dies in 92 C heat

Fined for smokehouse death

Photo: The Canadian Press

A courtroom is seen at the Edmonton Law Courts building, in Edmonton on June 28, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson

A commercial food processing company has been ordered to pay $330,000 after one of its workers became trapped in a smokehouse and died.

Ontario-based Sofina Foods Inc. was directed by a judge Thursday to put the money toward a workplace training program.

Justice Michele Collinson told court it needed to be a significant penalty to match the gravity of what happened, but said, “There is no amount of money, or any sentence, that can make up for the loss of life.”

Collinson noted there were mitigating factors, including the company paying the mortgage for the victim’s family and arranging to continue their health and dental coverage.

Including other benefits, court heard the company spent $500,000 to help the family.

The decision comes a day after Sofina pleaded guilty to one workplace safety violation while the remaining 25 other charges against the company were withdrawn.

Sofina was charged after 32-year-old Samir Subedi died in March 2023.

Court heard he had gone to check the temperature of the gas-fired smokehouse, which had been loaded the night before with meat.

Due to problems with the door’s safety mechanisms, Subedi became trapped in the smokehouse as the temperature soared to 92 C, and he died of heat exposure.

Alberta lawyer resigns licence, admits to improper relationship with complainant

Lawyer out over relationship

Photo: The Canadian Press

A courtroom is seen at the Edmonton Law Courts building, in Edmonton on June 28, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson

A former Alberta Crown prosecutor has given up his law licence after he admitted to having an inappropriate relationship with a complainant in a criminal case he was prosecuting.

The Law Society of Alberta cited former Lethbridge Crown prosecutor Darwyn Ross for the inappropriate relationship earlier this year.

A panel of law society benchers accepted Ross's resignation at a hearing today, along with an agreed statement of facts that included his admission to engaging in the relationship.

The panel heard Ross was prosecuting a domestic violence matter in 2021 when he and the complainant shared meetings and communications that were of a "personal and sexual nature."

Ross had been a practising lawyer in Alberta for 20 years, but hasn't worked in law since taking medical leave in 2021 before leaving the Crown's office one year later.

As a prosecutor in Lethbridge, Ross tried a few high-profile cases, including one where a teacher in a Hutterite community admitted to abusing children with weapons for more than a decade.

Food processing company pleads guilty to workplace safety charge in smokehouse death

Guilty in smokehouse death

Photo: The Canadian Press

Judges bench at the Edmonton Law Courts building, in Edmonton on June 28, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson

A commercial food processing company has pleaded guilty to a workplace safety charge after an Edmonton worker became trapped in a smokehouse and died.

The Crown has asked for 25 other charges to be withdrawn against Ontario-based Sofina Foods Inc.

A judge has yet to rule on a sentence.

The company was charged after 33-year-old Samir Subedi died in March 2023.

Subedi had gone to check the temperature of the smokehouse and was trapped inside.

He was found by a co-worker and later died due to heat exposure.

Conservative MP resigns seat so Poilievre can run in Alberta byelection

Stepping aside for Poilievre

Photo: The Canadian Press

Conservative MP for Battle River-Crowfoot Damien Kurek rises in the House of Commons on Wednesday, May 28, 2025 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

Alberta Conservative Damien Kurek says he has officially resigned as an MP.

Kurek promised just after the April election that he would vacate his seat in the Battle River—Crowfoot riding to allow Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre to run in a byelection.

Poilievre represented the Ottawa seat of Carleton for 20 years but lost it in April's general election to rookie Liberal Bruce Fanjoy.

Prime Minister Mark Carney has said he will call a byelection in the riding as soon as possible with "no games."

The byelection can be called no earlier than 11 days after the Speaker of the House of Commons formally informs the chief electoral officer of the vacancy.

With Kurek's resignation today that puts the first possible date for the byelection to happen into early August.

Alberta doctors association raises concerns over premier limiting free COVID vaccines

Doctors push back on plan

Photo: The Canadian Press

Medical tools are pictured in an exam room at a health clinic in Calgary, Friday, July 14, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

The organization representing Alberta doctors is joining health-care unions in raising concerns over Premier Danielle Smith’s decision to charge most Albertans for a COVID-19 vaccination this fall.

Dr. Shelley Duggan, president of the Alberta Medical Association, says the policy leaves behind many seniors and health-care workers, and doesn’t even mention pregnant individuals, First Nations, Inuit, Métis or members of other racialized groups.

The association head noted that goes against recommendations from Canada's National Advisory Committee on Immunization.

"Being unclear about policy and creating barriers to vaccination for the most high-need groups are counterproductive measures," Duggan said in a statement.

"We need a structured, substantial strategy, one that makes it as easy as possible for those who need vaccine the most to get it."

Smith has said the policy is about preventing wastage, recovering costs, and targeting COVID vaccinations to those who need them the most.

Her United Conservative Party government will still pay for some to get the shot, including those who have compromised immune systems or are on social programs. Seniors in a congregate setting will also be covered, but those 65 years or older who are living independently will need to pay.

The government has said it hasn't yet determined how much Albertans would pay, but it has estimated the cost to procure each shot is $110.

Local pharmacies will no longer be given a supply of COVID-19 shots, which will only be available through public health clinics through a phased delivery in the fall. The government has said the new approach will help it better know what to order in coming years.

On Monday, the United Nurses of Alberta and the Health Sciences Association of Alberta called for the government to reverse course and ensure vaccines are widely available, including for health-care workers.

They said staff should not be expected to put themselves in harm's way without protection, and said barriers to vaccination will put patients and the health-care system at risk.

Last week, Smith said $135 million got "flushed down the drain" last year with doses wasted in part because Albertans are increasingly choosing to not take them.

"I think it's because it doesn't work particularly well, if you want the truth," Smith said.

Just under 14 per cent of Alberta’s 4.8 million residents got vaccinated for the virus last season.

"It's those that are healthy, that choose to do it because they've talked to their doctors, those are the ones that will have a little bit lesser priority," she said.

She has pointed to higher influenza vaccination rates, pegged at 21 per cent last year, and has suggested that COVID vaccines don't match the effectiveness of others, including for the measles.

Duggan said she appreciates that the premier and Primary and Preventative Health Services Minister Adriana LaGrange have made recent comments encouraging measles vaccination.

"They should be saying so every time they stand up in front of Albertans. With every new infection, it’s more apparent that we need strong, structured and unwavering support for public health measures," said Duggan.

"Right now, we need everyone to receive the same simple message: measles vaccine is safe and it works to prevent measles."

Opposition NDP health critic Sarah Hoffman has accused Smith's government of undermining its own public vaccination efforts, and has called the new COVID vaccine policy dangerous, callous, and anti-science.

Public health-care experts say the province's new COVID-19 policy will create more barriers to getting vaccinated and also lead to higher costs as more people develop severe complications.

Lethbridge police chief accused of breaking COVID rules has complaint dismissed

Police complaint tossed

Photo: The Canadian Press

Lethbridge Police Chief Shahin Mehdizadeh speaks during a news conference in Lethbridge, Alta., on Wednesday, March 10, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/David Rossiter

A police oversight board says it has dismissed a complaint that a southern Alberta police chief allegedly broke public health restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

It comes after a former deputy chief with the Lethbridge Police Service had claimed Chief Shahin Mehdizadeh violated a public health order by taking a chaplain out for lunch in March 2021.

A disciplinary hearing by the Lethbridge Police Commission concluded Monday and dismissed the allegations.

An agreed statement of facts says Mehdizadeh and the chaplain were masked and properly socially distanced throughout the luncheon.

In his decision, Presiding Officer Brett Carlson concluded the chief did not mean to break the rules, apologized and didn't do it again, and Carlson said the chief's actions were a "moment of carelessness or error in judgment."

Mehdizadeh, in a statement sent by Lethbridge police, accused the former deputy chief of making numerous complaints about him, and that some have been dismissed as "frivolous and vexatious."