By Sheldon Spackman

West Country councils meet with Minister regarding Bighorn proposal

Dec 11, 2018 | 11:25 AM

Alberta’s Minister of Environment and Parks met with several municipal councils in the province’s western regions Monday to discuss the government’s Bighorn Country proposal.

On December 10, the councils of the Town of Rocky Mountain House, Clearwater County, the Village of Caroline and Summer Village of Burnstick Lake met with Shannon Phillips, along with Deputy Minister Bev Yee and Assistant Deputy Minister Dana Mackie to discuss the proposal announced in late November.

According to officials with the Town of Rocky Mountain House, local elected officials asked the Minister for clarification on the timeline and speed of the rollout, its impacts to industry, emergency services, policing and other enforcement.

In addition, inquiries were made about wastewater and garbage disposal, existing and future land uses within the proposal area and how adjacent municipalities will be involved with the future management direction of Parks, Provincial Recreation Areas (PRA) or Public Land Use Zones (PLUZ). 

“As municipal elected officials we are fielding a lot of questions from our constituents,” said Town of Rocky Mountain House Mayor Tammy Burke in a press release. “I’m very happy Minister Phillips came out for the conversation, and we look forward to further discussions.”

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“Since the Province of Alberta’s Bighorn Country Proposal announcement, council and administration have been busy gathering information on the proposal, reviewing against the County’s current municipal operations in order to assess potential impacts on the municipality and its taxpayers,” added Clearwater County Reeve Jim Duncan. “Our councils are educating themselves and urging local stakeholders and citizens to do so as well. Once the proposal is fully analyzed and local public information sessions take place, it is expected Council will provide the Province feedback in writing, by the end of January consultation deadline.”

Phillips says she was very pleased to meet with municipal leaders about the proposal.

“We know that growth in Alberta’s population has put pressure on the eastern slopes, with many more people seeking recreational experiences,” admits Phillips. “Mayor Burke, Reeve Duncan and all the local municipal leaders in attendance asked thoughtful questions and made helpful suggestions to our government. I am committed to consulting with all municipal leaders through the feedback period and beyond to ensure this beautiful region remains a place for everyone to enjoy.”

The Town and County are encouraging residents to review the province’s Bighorn Country proposal, attend and ask questions at upcoming open houses in December and January and provide feedback on the plan.

The proposal includes a $40 million investment over five years in operations and capital infrastructure with the hopes of conserving natural landscapes and boosting economic development, tourism and recreation in the province’s Bighorn Country. It would also establish Bighorn Wildland Provincial Park, in addition to three new provincial parks, including David Thompson Provincial Park, North Saskatchewan River Provincial Park and Ya-Ha-Tinda Provincial Park.

The goal, according to the province, is to conserve nature, allow low-impact back country recreation experiences provided by both the private and public sectors and offer front-country experiences that come with infrastructure investments such as campgrounds and staging areas for activities like hiking, paddling, horseback riding and more.

Also, three provincial recreation areas are being proposed, including Snow Creek, Bighorn Dam and Hummingbird to accommodate future demand for commercial development while offering areas for off-highway vehicles such as ATV’s and snowmobiles access to designated trails.

Rimbey-Rocky Mountain House-Sundre UCP MLA Jason Nixon opposes the proposal, saying it comes ahead of the interests of not only ordinary Albertans, but also the North Saskatchewan Regional Advisory Council and the legislated process for land use planning.

Love Your Trails, an awareness campaign aimed at ensuring the management of Alberta’s Public Lands are in Alberta’s best interests and balanced to provide positive outcomes respecting Environment, Social and Economic factors, says they are concerned over the process they say is now going ahead outside of the already established North Saskatchewan Regional Plan (NSRP) – Alberta’s formal Land Use Framework.

The Outdoor Recreation Council of Alberta (ORCA) lauds the proposal, saying the province has successfully addressed the outdoor recreation needs of thousands of campers, hikers, naturalists, equestrians, hunters, anglers and back-country hiking enthusiasts.

To learn more about the Bighorn Country proposal and to participant in the online feedback survey, visit https://talkaep.alberta.ca/bighorn-country.

The proposal is open to public comment until the end of January and the province plans for a number of meetings to gather input from stakeholder groups and municipalities.

Public information sessions will be held at the Lou Soppit Community Centre in Rocky Mountain House on December 12 from 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. and again on December 17 from 4:00 – 9:00 p.m.

Others will be held January 7 from 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. at the MacKenzie Conference Centre in Drayton Valley, January 9 at the German-Canadian Club in Red Deer from 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. and January 14 in Sundre from 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. at the Sundre Community Centre.

Printed copies of the proposal are available at the Town of Rocky Mountain House and Clearwater County Offices for residents who cannot access it online. 

(With files from the Town of Rocky Mountain House)