Western Canada Sweats in Renewed Heat Wave, Rivergoers Told to Avoid Cheap Floaties

People raft in the Bow River trying to beat the heat in Calgary, Alta., on June 30, 2021. The Canadian Press/Jeff McIntosh

As Western Canadians sweat under a renewed heat wave, crews in Calgary are scrambling to bail out rivergoers trying to stay cool on dime-store pink flamingo floaties.

The Calgary Fire Department says most of the 50 calls it has responded to this month have been to rescue people stranded on the Bow River because their plastic rafts, designed for pools, are deflating in the swift current.