Wetlands throughout Red Deer to see half million dollars in upgrades
Red Deer’s volume of wetlands will see a surge in the coming years.
On Monday, city council carried a resolution that will see The City keep $504,000 it would otherwise owe to Alberta Environment & Parks.
In accordance with the Alberta Water Act and Alberta Wetland Policy, municipalities must pay up every time they develop over wetlands, which The City did in the Queen’s Business Park area in 2017. Those funds, which have historically also gone to Ducks Unlimited, would fund future wetland replacement.
However, there is a provision The City is taking advantage of — and only recently found out about — which allows it to keep the money to spend on wetland development within its own boundaries.