When Ian and Elaine Cope bought a riverside property on the old Smith highway, they believed they had bought paradise. Having spent the majority of their adult lives in large centres like Calgary, the new homestead was not just a place to breathe a little easier but also a place to raise a family.
“The appeal (of country living) is privacy, peace, and quiet,” says Elaine. “And it’s a good place to raise our children. We are very family oriented and like to spend quality time with our children. We enjoy an outdoor life on our property.”
The property affords the Copes an outdoor lifestyle many would envy. Located a few hundred feet off the Old Smith highway east of Slave Lake, the property has trees on both sides and backs onto the Lesser Slave River. The property does not extend down to the riverbank but there is an impressive view from the backyard.
The setting is idyllic. The Copes were looking forward to a summer of quiet evenings and contentment. What they got was certainly a mixed bag. According to Elaine, neighbours on both sides began some questionable construction projects that saw new buildings hurriedly assembled, new trails blazed, and dozens of campers descending on the area each weekend. The Copes are all for enjoying the outdoors and would encourage their neighbors to follow suit, but having a gaggle of strangers routinely buzzing the property is more than anyone should reasonably expect.
CR-1,” says Ian. “Country residential with one dwelling. The neighbours have built campgrounds. I’ve seen the new buildings and they are putting in new pads for more next year.”
Cedric Gerrard is the development officer for M.D. 124. He is aware of the Copes’ claims and defines what CR-1 means.
“Any development, whether it’s a dwelling or a garage or a shop, you have to get a development permit for it,” says Gerrard. “If there is a dwelling on a CR-1 lot and somebody applied for a second one, it would be refused. It is limited to one dwelling per lot.”
“Often, people put things on their property without applying for a permit,” Gerrard says, referring to the Copes’ allegations. “There are definitely things we can do and we are trying to address this (case) in particular.”
If Gerrard receives good information of illegal construction, his office sends a letter to the property owner along with an application. If the application is filled and sent back, only then is Gerrard allowed to go onto the land and investigate for illegal dwellings and structures. The Copes also claim that some of their neighbour’s activities are civil in nature and outside the M.D.’s realm. Alleged acts of illegal trespassing are occurring. According to Ian, he and his family returned home after a weekend getaway to find that an existing trail on their land was widened to facilitate the passage of quads.
Now quads are racing down the trail, on Cope property, to get to the river. The same trail skirts the rear of the property and quads roar through within a few yards of their home.
“They just fly right by me,” Elaine says. “They never stop or slow down. We’re out their in our pajamas (picking fresh raspberries for morning cereal) and feel that my privacy is being totally invaded and my property is being violated.”
In retaliation, Ian cut down a few trees and fell them across the trail. Angered by the disturbance, one of the neighbours allegedly threatened to report him to forestry officials for illegal harvesting. Some of the trees were on public land so Ian went to the authorities himself. A biologist came out, investigated the area, and found no fault as long as no more trees were cut.
“My neighbour stopped me on the road several times,” says Elaine. “The first time they made me quite uncomfortable. I was out walking with our littlest one when three quads pulled up beside me. They didn’t like that we had blocked the path.”
The Copes have even had to call the RCMP. One Saturday evening, Elaine counted six quads use the trail (which took them across Cope property), park near the back of her land, and rev their engines.
“After they sat there and stared at me,” she says. “Then they went and ran over my property stakes. I phoned the police and they said they would talk to them. That night when my husband came home, we decided to put up a fence and some no trespassing signs.
“We blocked the trail with a tree near the top of the hill where the land is still public. If we would have blocked it on our land, there is nowhere to turn around and it would be dangerous. They go fast and would have hit it.”
“When the neighbour (saw the sign) he went home, got his chainsaw, and tore the sign all to pieces. He threw it in the back of his truck and dumped it off at our door. Then he started doing donuts in our yard.”
Elaine says that after several trips up and down her driveway, the man began furiously pounding on her door. He hurled foul language and accused the Copes of trying to prevent him from using the river. They reassured him that it was only their intention to keep him, specifically his campers, off their land. He left but returned and repeated more of the same. Elaine called the police again.
“The police said they would talk to him,” Elaine says, and it looks like they did.
“By 8:00 the next morning, he was over there putting the fence back up. He called me three times and apologized for his behavior. He said he’d written a letter of apology but didn’t want to come on our property to deliver it because he knew he was in the wrong. He said he was very sorry and that he understands how much he’s been disturbing our peace.”
With everything that has happened since spring, the Copes are hoping that all parties can find a way to get along. They want to make sure that the neighbours understand that they are not being asked to keep off the land but rather the screaming quads being driven by strangers who have little or no regard for private property.
“We’re all neighbours,” she says. “We’re not hypocrites, we have quads. We just don’t want all these strangers from campers tearing through our place. It’s upsetting to have 12 to 15 quads doing circles around my house."

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