Just say NO! to a Calgary VETO
Media coverage
Rocky View Weekly: Partnership hoping to entice rural municipalities back to CRP
Truper McBride, the chair of the Calgary Regional Partnership (CRP), says the organization is hoping to entice estranged rural municipalities to rejoin the alliance.
He said the organization is seeking dialogue and cooperation with several municipalities, including Rocky View County.
“The task is to re-engage with the rural communities with a dialogue,” said McBride. “There are some things that we would like to talk about. We hope we can bring the family back together.”
The statement came after a Jan. 20-21 CRP retreat, during which representatives of the 15 member municipalities discussed the Province’s recent response to the organization’s planning document, the Calgary Metropolitan Plan (CMP).
McBride reiterated that residential developments densities of between eight and 10 units per acre are non-negotiable.
“We are committed to the densities,” said McBride. “We can have conversation on how we phase-in over time, we don’t expect everyone to get to eight to 10 overnight.”
Rocky View County Reeve Rolly Ashdown said the County is willing to sit down and talk, as it does see advantages to regional planning. However, he said the CRP’s targets for residential densities are not compatible with development in the county, nor is the current voting structure, which gives Calgary a veto.
“We wouldn’t be able to join,” said Ashdown. “Rocky View wants to maintain its autonomy.”
According to Ashdown, the County will continue to work with neighbouring municipalities.
“We would still look forward to cooperating on a friendly basis,” he said.
In its response to the CMP, the Province directed the CRP to reach out to neighbouring non-member municipalities. McBride said he didn’t sense that the Province was looking to force the non-member rural municipalities into the Partnership, but it could happen.
Crossfield Mayor Nathan Anderson, who represents his community within the CRP, said he wouldn’t support the partnership if it became mandatory, such as happened in northern Alberta’s Capital Region.
“I don’t think (membership) should be forced on anybody,” said Anderson. “I think we should work together as opposed to having the Provincial government try to tell us what to do. If the CRP starts going in a direction, as far as morphing into another layer of government, I won’t be supporting it.”
However, Anderson said his original pessimism about his community being part of the CRP was unwarranted after attending the retreat.
“I am optimistic that the counties will rejoin the CRP,” he said. “Everyone is so close to seeing more or less eye-to-eye. I was very impressed with the way Mayor Truper McBride led the conversation, it was about building bridges with the rurals as opposed to any kind of strategy to get them back in.”
View original article here:
Western Wheel: Conservation plan for southern Alberta taking shape
View original article online at: http://www.westernwheel.com/2009/news/local-news/conservation-plan-for-southern-alberta-taking-shape-1038
by Don Patterson – Staff Reporter
Increased conservation efforts for southern Alberta are a good step forward but protecting water supplies and property rights are also crucial, said area residents at an open house on the South Saskatchewan Regional Plan last week.
MD of Foothills resident Jody MacPherson said the framework and process to date have not put enough emphasis on water supply.
“I want to see some kind of recognition that you can’t develop land without having water first,” she said.
MacPherson said conservation initiatives are important and needed, however, they should be based with on solid information.
Okotoks resident Laurie Hodson said there are positive elements emerging in the plan.
However, he said he would like to see more empirical data on how much water exists in the region.
“They have not to date engaged the best scientists in terms of an objective determination of how much water we have to divert as we proceed through a very dry cycle,” he said.
MD resident Rob Lake said he is pleased to see efforts at conservation, but he doesn’t want it to be too onerous on landowners.
“We want to find out the impact it’s going to have on our ranch and our style of life,” said Lake.
The plan will cover southern Alberta south of Calgary as far east as the Saskatchewan border and will include the foothills area.
Duncan MacDonnell, Alberta Sustainable Resources Development spokesperson, said the region is expected to see its population grow by two million people by 2076 with1.6 million people predicted to settle in the Calgary area. The regional plan has not been written yet, but he said it will balance the variety of land uses in the region while ensuring a healthy economy and environment.
“Population growth and water demand versus supply are the major drivers of change in the South Saskatchewan region,” he said.
MacDonnell said protecting the watershed will remain the priority land use in the eastern slopes, along with providing appropriate recreational opportunities.
Once the plan is in place municipalities will have the same authority to make land use decisions, but they will have to be consistent with the regional plans.
“They have to honour the parameters laid out in the regional plan… look at this as setting the goalposts,” he said.
The plan will include a vision for the region as well as identifying economic, environmental and social outcomes and strategies on how to achieve them.
“The final plan is going to explore relationships between urban and rural lands, watersheds, air sheds, conservation areas and tourism and recreation in the South Saskatchewan region,” said MacDonnell.
The Province has created seven regions and has mandated a plan will be created for each area. The Province has also called for the creation of plans for the Calgary and Edmonton areas.
The goal is to complete the regional plan by late 2010 and the Province is aiming to complete all seven by the end of 2012.
MacDonnell said each regional plan can be drafted to meet the unique needs of all areas.
“Each region will be a little different in how they approach things, but as long as they serve that original mandate they’re fine,” he said.
Key elements of the framework are calls to develop strategies for conservation on public and private lands and reducing the human footprint on the landscape.
As part of the Land Use Framework, the province is developing new legislative tools to encourage conservation.
MacDonnell noted a new policy created under the Alberta Land Stewardship Act is a conservation directive, which states, for any land identified to be set aside for conservation measures, compensation will be provided to landowners for any loss of market value.
“The land would stay in place and you’ll be compensated for it. It’s not like we’re taking the land away for you,” MacDonnell said. “The compensation is paid for any loss of market value.”
A second tool is transfer of development credits, which he said would allow landowners in areas identified for conservation to be able to sell the right to develop to other landowners.
The Province is holding open houses across the region to gather input from the public.
All information gathered will be given to regional advisory councils for review and consideration.
The councils will provide advice in a number of areas including future development, how provincial policies can work together, balancing competing land uses, impacts on aboriginal communities and location of major transportation and utility corridors.
Once the draft plan is completed, the councils will go back to the public for more input.
The provincial cabinet will review the final plan before it is ultimately approved.
For more information on the Land Use Framework see www.landuse.alberta.ca
dpatterson@okotoks.greatwest.ca
No agreement over growth plan
http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/agreement+over+growth+plan/1692476/story.html
By Jason Markusoff, Calgary Herald
Calgary’s regional alliance met Friday without resolving the major problems Calgary’s biggest rural neighbours have with the region’s growth plan, an impasse that may ultimately force the Stelmach government to step in.
Fifteen of the 17 member municipalities of the Calgary Regional Partnerships voted against making no fundamental changes on water sharing and land use–but several lesser, conciliatory ones–before the vote Friday on the 70-year plan.
The holdouts are the Municipal Districts of Foothills and Rocky View, whose councillors said the disagreements are relatively minor and a resolution is still possible.
Urban leaders in the group disagree, saying the rural districts’ demands to scrap density rules, alter planned growth areas and conditions for water sharing would render meaningless the long-awaited plan to concentrate future growth without building over too much farmland.
“The very principles of sustain-ability could not be met if we make those changes,” said Airdrie Mayor Linda Bruce, the group’s chairwoman.
Foothills council must follow the wishes of residents, Deputy Reeve Terry Waddock said. Hundreds of them voiced opposition to the plan this week, particularly to a voting structure that would give Calgary an effective veto on regional decisions, as well to a growth map that proposes more urban-style growth in the rural land just south of Calgary.
Although Rocky View and Foothills occupy much of the land in the alliance, the partnership has enough supportive voters to ratify the long-range plan without them.
The blueprint, dubbed the Calgary Metropolitan Plan, is mandated under Alberta’s new land-use framework.
Municipal Affairs Minister Ray Danyluk said he’s confident Calgary’s neighbours can agree among themselves, and that he doesn’t want to run interference if he doesn’t have to.
“This government cannot afford the duplication in regional planning.”
Cochrane Mayor Truper McBride said the urban-rural split doesn’t really exist anymore, since Friday’s “yes” vote included Wheatland County, the rural district surrounding Strathmore.
But the county’s Shirley Reinhardt said Wheatland still needs time to consider whether it will ultimately sign on–whether or not it can iron out its serious concerns afterwards.
Wheatland abruptly exited the regional group last fall, but came back to the table after a meeting with Ted Morton, the Sustainable Resource Development minister.
jmarkusoff@theherald.canwest.com
Rural Calgary communities demand ‘voice’ in city’s growth
http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/calgary/Rural+communities+demand+voice/1688832/story.html
By Jason Markusoff, Calgary Herald
CALGARY – The rural communities that occupy the vast majority of the 12,000 square kilometres in the Calgary area are demanding make-or-break changes to a proposed plan that would chart population growth and water servicing across the region.
Politicians from cities, towns, villages and rural districts around Calgary will meet today in Cochrane to address or at least ease concerns before a pivotal final vote next Friday on the legally binding Calgary Metropolitan Plan.
Calgary council and others from Strathmore to Canmore and Nanton to Crossfield have come out in favour of the plan as is or with small tweaks.
But the Municipal Districts of Foothills and Rocky View, along with Wheatland County, have sharp oppositions, including to the plan’s decision to hinge regional waterline access to the construction of urbanized, high-density neighbourhoods.
But the more emotion-provoking issue is a regional decision-making system that requires the City of Calgary’s approval for all votes to succeed.
The vote requires approval of members who host at least half the population of the Calgary area, but also 12 of 17 municipal members –which also means the region’s towns and cities can make decisions without the OK of any of the three rural governments.
“We have the land mass, but we don’t have the voice,” Rocky View Reeve Lois Habberfield said Thursday.
She said the voting structure is one of the council’s “hills to die on” –if the Calgary Regional Partnership doesn’t agree to changes, Rocky View won’t sign on.
The same goes for Wheatland and Foothills.
Hundreds of residents attended a meeting about Foothills reaction to the plan Wednesday in Okotoks.
“Every single person that stood at the mike was opposed,” said resident Jody McPherson, who organized a “No Calgary Veto!” tailgate protest before the meeting.
She and others have suggested the plan’s call for urban-style growth in the next 60 years south on Calgary’s south boundary amounts to endorsing more urban sprawl.
The plan’s advocates, including Airdrie mayor and alliance chairwoman Linda Bruce, say it’s designed to concentrate future growth in certain areas and corridors that will let the region co-operate on straightforward regional mass-transit lines, sewage and water systems.
jmarkusoff@theherald.canwest.com
CHQR AM 770: Protestors show up to fight Calgary Metropolitan Plan
CHQR Newsroom
6/11/2009
Hundreds of protestors packed an Okotoks hall Wednesday evening to voice their concerns on the Calgary Metropolitan Plan. The group says under the guise of the new Provincial Landuse Framework, the Calgary Regional Partnership project would be unfair to the areas surrounding the city. Group Spokesman Al Sacuta says it pretty much guarantees urban sprawl and would damage the area’s sensitive environment. Sacuta says the plan would far exceed the region’s water availability and could even damage agricultural lands. The group also complains the plan fails to incorporate public input meaningfully, and would allow the City of Calgary an ultimate veto over rural rights.
Eagle radio station: Rally to Support MD
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Residents of the MD of Foothills rallied outside the Foothills Centennial Centre Wednesday night.
MD council held a meeting regarding changes they would like to see in the Calgary Regional Partnership’s Metropolitan Plan. MD resident and rally spokesperson, Jody MacPherson says they are supporting the MD’s position on the plan, which is to ask for amendments to suit residents and the land. Rally goers boasted signs saying no to a Calgary veto, no to urban sprawl and concern over a lack of water. MacPherson says the June vote on the plan should be pushed back as there hasn’t been enough consultation between the CRP and residents.
Protest Backgrounder
Okotoks, June 9, 2009: Under the guise of the new Provincial Land Use Framework, the Calgary Regional Partnership has created the Calgary Metropolitan Plan (CMP). We believe the CMP is not aligned with the Land Use Framework or with overwhelming grassroots support for a sustainable future for Southern Alberta. The plan was formed without adequate public input and is opposed by the majority of the rural community.
The shortfalls of the plan are:
• it advocates regional population growth that exceeds water availability;
• it facilitates further urban sprawl outside Calgary’s city limits;
• there is no protection for agricultural and undeveloped land;
• it fails to incorporate public input in any meaningful way; and
• it includes a governance model that will allow an urban veto over rural rights.
These shortfalls will all but guarantee further urban sprawl, leading to unprecedented environmental damage to Southern Alberta and fiscal crisis for municipalities.
These concerns have been brought forward to the Calgary Regional Partnership during the public consultation open houses. However, there have not been any significant changes to the draft CMP as a result of public input.
The citizens of our communities will hold all elected officials accountable. We will consider both provincial and municipal politicians who either ratify this plan or do nothing to actively oppose it, directly responsible.
Citizen Groups United for Sustainable Development in Southern Alberta
Who we are:
Priddis-Millarville Residents Association http://www.priddis-millarville.ca
Bearspaw Sensible Development Group http://www.canadianguerilla.com
Central Springbank Task Force for Sustainable Development http://www.ourspringbank.ca
Highway 8 Sensible Development Group
Citizens for a Sustainable Okotoks
Just Say No to a Calgary Veto Petitioners http://www.nocalgaryveto.com
Springbank Community Planning Association
Media Advisory: Community groups protest Calgary Metropolitan Plan
Okotoks, June 9, 2009: The chairs of grassroots rural community development groups surrounding the City of Calgary will be holding a TAILGATE PROTEST to draw attention to serious shortfalls in the Calgary Metropolitan Plan (CMP). The groups believe the CMP needs major revisions before ratification on June 19.
WHEN: Wednesday, June 10, 2009 @ 6:30 p.m.
WHERE: Foothills Centennial Centre, 4, 204 Community Way (located behind the Okotoks RCMP detachment office) Google Location Here
WHAT: Community leaders will speak briefly about concerns, prior to a formal meeting organized by the MD of Foothills. Speakers on behalf of the protesters to include:
• Vice-President of the Priddis-Millarville Residents Association, Suzanne Oel;
• Chair of the Bearspaw Sensible Development Group, Al Sacuta;
• Co-founder of Citizens for a Sustainable Okotoks, Dr. Nancy Ginzer; and
• Former Okotoks Town Councillor, Laurie Hodson.
See the attached backgrounder for more information.
Parking is expected to be limited. Additional parking is available at the Centennial hockey arena adjacent to the Foothills Centennial Centre.
Also available for comment is J.C. Anderson, founder of Anderson Exploration, who opposes the CMP. He says, “to place the destiny of the MD landowners and residents completely in the hands of Calgary City Council forever is “simply madness.” More at: https://nocalgaryveto.wordpress.com/2009/06/06/anderson-speaks-out/
For interviews and contact information for all of the above community leaders:
Jody MacPherson
Organizer of the NoCalgaryVeto petition
Cell: 403-560-9369
http://www.nocalgaryveto.com
Rocky View Times: Rocky View demands changes to regional plan
By Enrique Massot
The MD of Rocky View will push for last minute changes to the Calgary Regional Partnership’s (CRP) proposed land-use plan, before it is presented to its members for approval on June 19.
“We want to know: can we have a water allocation from the Province of Alberta?” said Rocky View Reeve Lois Habberfield. “If we have three per cent growth, we want three per cent (water) allocation.”
A draft plan was presented to the CRP’s general assembly in June 2008, giving municipalities nearly a year to suggest changes. The fact that the MD waited so long to offer changes doesn’t sit well with CRP chair Linda Bruce.
“We extended the time to give councils time to work with the citizens,” said Bruce, who is the mayor of Airdrie. “At this point, we are ready to go.”
The first-ever land-use plan for the Calgary region will require municipalities to develop to urban densities as high as eight to 10 units per acre as a condition to be connected to servicing. However, Habberfield said the plan does not detail water provision for lower density areas of the MD.
“Elbow Valley for example — we should be servicing that area,” she said.
The MD has received several other concerns regarding the CRP’s plan.
At a May 19 special council meeting, several developers encouraged council not to endorse the draft plan, and to lobby for changes. Murray Fox, executive vice-president of Jayman MasterBuilt, asked Rocky View council to demand the CRP include the Big Hill Springs conceptual scheme in the regional plan. The development, slated to house as many as 10,000 people on 1,100 acres in northwest Rocky View, was approved by council in 2007, but has not been included in the metropolitan plan.
MD residents, on the other hand, have asked council to oppose the plan, but for different reasons. “We do not want sprawl,” said Kim Magnuson, who lives in Springbank. “We depend on you (council) now to say no to the Calgary Metropolitan Plan.” Bearspaw resident Al Sacuta said the plan’s urban nodes, once serviced, would inevitably spread out into the country. “These nodes will blow out like metastasizing tumors, allowing for urban sprawl in rural areas,” he said.
The three rural municipal members of the CRP have also expressed concern regarding the partnership’s decision making system. Under the super-majority vote system, all motions require the support of Calgary as well 12 of the 17 members municipalities.
Habberfield said there are deep differences between the MD and the CRP.
http://rockyviewweekly.awna.com/story1.html
Cochrane Times: Council approves regional plan
Another community is forced into line due to its dependence on water from Calgary. As Rick Butler of the CRP says: “Calgary will make it very clear that their condition on their water license is that you follow the plan and you don’t give water to any project that doesn’t follow the Calgary Metropolitan Plan.” The article goes on to quote Butler as saying that the CRP offers very little environmental protection–the hope is that this will come under the South Saskatchewan Regional Plan–remind me again, why we are even doing this regional plan, then!!???
Here’s the complete article as it appeared in the Cochrane Times:
Although Cochrane’s town council wanted stiffer environmental regulation in the Calgary Regional Partnership’s metropolitan plan, they unanimously endorsed the document at the May 25 regular meeting of council.
Rick Butler, executive director of the Calgary Regional Partnership (CRP) said Cochrane would be affected in three primary ways if the general assembly accepts the document June 19. If the plan passes, Butler said Cochrane would see big changes in water, public transportation and land-use.
As the plan currently sits, the City of Calgary will provide Cochrane with a portion of its water license to draw water from the Bow River and service the town and other outlying areas. Rapid bus transportation is still included in the CRP’s plan and Cochrane could see bus servicing in the near future. And all future growth in the area will be denser, preserving natural and agricultural areas and reducing infrastructure costs.
With Calgary providing part of its license to Cochrane, Coun. Tara McFadden asked Butler if Cochrane would retain autonomy over land-use decisions regarding water and if Cochrane’s present license would be controlled by the municipality.
Butler said, “it will be like the Town of Cochrane owning that water license capacity, but it will be the City of Calgary holding it. There will be locked-tight legal agreements.”
Butler said the City would offer Cochrane the license under the pretense that local land-use planning falls under CRP guidelines.
“Calgary will make it very clear that their condition on their water license is that you follow the plan and you don’t give water to any project that doesn’t follow the Calgary Metropolitan Plan,” Butler said.
Coun Miles Chester was concerned that the metropolitan plan did not include environmental protection provisions like setbacks from sensitive areas and wetlands.
“One of the fears that I have is that all the data that has produced by the Calgary Region goes to waste, because there is a great deal of data that actually says we should be protecting a lot of these areas,” Chester said.
But Butler said the CRP faced very stiff opposition from a number of municipalities in the region and made a very conscious decision not to act as an added layer of government and beaucracy.
He did add though, that he is holding out hope that the South Saskatchewan Region, which the CRP is a part of, will promote stronger environmental policies supported by the Alberta government.
Just say NO! to a Calgary VETO 