Body Found in Bow River Identified as 52-Year-Old Canmore Man, RCMP Investigating

A 52-year-old Canmore man was found dead in the Bow River on Sunday morning after a rafter spotted a person in the water and called emergency services.

Emergency Health Services was called at about 9:40 a.m. on Aug. 16 to a section of the Bow River between the Town of Canmore and the Highway 1 overpass, according to Stuart Brideaux, public education officer with Emergency Health Services Alberta.

“A rafter had spotted a person and called emergency services,” Brideaux said in a statement to Bow Valley Insider. “With the assistance of Canmore Fire, paramedics confirmed the person was deceased and have since left the scene in care of RCMP.”

Canmore RCMP said police were advised of a body in the Bow River at approximately 9:50 a.m. Officers identified the deceased as a 52-year-old Canmore resident.

Police have not released the man's name or said how he came to be in the river.

Cpl. Mathew Howell, public information officer with the Alberta RCMP Media Group, told Bow Valley Insider on Sunday evening that investigators did not yet know the circumstances leading up to the man's death or the cause of death.

“We have no idea of circumstances leading up to the death, nor cause of death or anything else right now.” Howell said.

An autopsy is expected to take place sometime this week, Howell said. Police expect the results of the investigation and autopsy will help determine whether the death is considered suspicious.

RCMP expressed condolences to the man's family and friends.

Police are asking anyone who may have information about the incident to contact Canmore RCMP at 403-678-5519. Anonymous tips can be provided through Crime Stoppers.

Recent Water Incidents

The death follows several recent incidents on waterways around Canmore, though RCMP have not said the man's death was a drowning or connected to recreational activity.

On Aug. 1, a 33-year-old Rocky View County man drowned while swimming at Quarry Lake. In July, eight people required assistance in Bow River incidents over a 24-hour period, prompting Alberta Parks to warn about changing river conditions, unreliable inflatable devices and the importance of wearing life jackets.