Edmonton’s naturist community welcomed new friends from down south to their naked swim, after the same event in Calgary was cancelled over a wave of online criticism.
The CottonTail Corner community hosts their naked swim four times a year at the Hardisty Fitness and Leisure Centre pool.
The event usually hosts around 100 people, but after the event in Calgary was cancelled, the community hired more lifeguards and welcomed an extra 60 people.
“We issued a formal invitation for the people from Calgary who couldn’t have an event down there to come and join us at ours,” CottonTail Corner administrator Kevin Boldt told CTV News. “In Edmonton we’ve been doing nude swims, in one form or another, for over 30 years now. Coincidentally, they’ve been doing them for more than 20 years in Calgary without incident.”
The community follows strict safety procedures to avoid sexual harassment, including asking for IDs at the door and taking a photo of them.
“Never in the past have we suspected that there was reason for controversy … there’s no public outcry against it, nor is there a reason for there to be a public outcry against it,” Boldt said.
Boldt says naturist communities enjoy spending time with each other without wearing clothes, but in a non-sexual way.
“It says right on our website, if you’re looking for a hook-up or somebody to go home with, this is not the place for you.”
