Balance key to workable plan

Times Contributor 

 

Proponents of the draft South Saskatchewan Regional Plan (SSRP) hope to find a balance in complex factors that affect the future needs of area residents. 

The final plan is important if accepted by legislature, as it forms a 50 year framework for policy decision making for this area. It will be referenced in provincial departments, regional management partnerships, municipal governments, business and industry enterprises, community interest groups and residents’ lives. The plan proposes reviews every five years to create a living policy process.

“The regional plans are about balance and finding the balance between economic, environmental and social issues,” said Neal Watson, a public affairs officer with Environment and Sustainable Resource Development. “Do we have the right balance? It is very complex. These can be competing interests, so we are trying to find that balance.”

Redesigning regional frameworks started in 2008, when a booming Alberta economy started placing pressures on existing resources. Seven regional districts were set with northern regional draft plans developed first, to address the fast growing changes occurring through resource development there. The process continues to other regions and Wheatland County is part of the SSRP. 

“It has taken a lot to get to this point,” said Watson. “The main focus is to manage and relieve multiple pressures on the land, taking into consideration industry, agriculture, residential development, expanding transportation and utility service alleys that all affect the landscape; so we need find a way to manage those pressures and the fast growth in Alberta.” 

Protection against fragmented agricultural lands and support for the agricultural industry was tagged as important for this area, with a suggestion of standardizing province-wide guidelines. Response to measures would be monitored and updated in the five-year reviews. The draft indicates 43 per cent of approximately $10.5 billion provincial dollars are generated by the agricultural industry in this area, and close to 12 billion in food sales and beverage manufacturing occurs here; any measures adopted in this region will have a significant economic impact to the province. 

The protection of headwaters, developing water storage and implementing water conservation measures were also suggested by the plan, considering the already evident strain on water resources in this area. The protection and management of ground water resources, water licensing, and irrigation management measures were also included. The plan still provides for provincial trans-border water management agreements and the Montana/Alberta agreement remains in place. Flood management was also addressed.

This plan is not to be confused with the South Saskatchewan River Basin Watershed Plan, which deals with watershed issues of the South Saskatchewan water sources, from both Saskatchewan and Alberta. The SSRP does utilize information from various watershed studies, like the Saskatchewan Watershed Basin and Water for Life, in its considerations of the critical issue of water supply. 

Water and air quality limits are proposed in the plan and monitoring will be done by an agency that is arm’s length from the government, with mitigation and collaborative regulation measures developed. Greenhouse emissions, industrial emissions and residential traffic emissions proposals were put forth.

Significant alterations to present energy resource development strategies are not mentioned in the plan, and the multistage fracturing technology and gas injection methods used by the oil and gas industry remain in place, which for some area residents is a contentious issue. The plan does suggest implementing surface disturbance measures with ongoing monitoring of environmental impacts. The Interconnected Electric system development was maintained within the plan  It also sets the stage for provincial development of bio-energy and renewable energy resources development, with 13 more wind based projects predicted for this area in the future. Coal-based energy developments were also suggested. There is speculation that future mineral mining developments on the Alberta/BC border areas could be explored. Ecological development of forestry resources were proposed with attention to ecosystem protection and reforestation. 

Improvements to transportation corridors and road, rail and air systems were encouraged. 

Tourism and recreational opportunities were significantly expanded, opening up wilderness access and monitored camping opportunities for parkland, public and crown owned lands.  Development funding for new tourism opportunities would be marketed and supported.

In 2007, residents along the Eastern slopes hotly contested oil and gas development and expanded public access to the area’s sensitive species and species-at-risk locations. Subsequently, some conservation concessions were made in the SSRP, to address some of those areas. A four stage evaluation status would guide decisions on land use activity in targeted areas. The SSRP supports species-at-risk protection, restricted access to sensitive areas, improvement for Grizzly bear populations and improved riparian recovery measures. The Castle area will have commercial forestry permits, but management priority is for biodiversity and headwater protection. 

The natural areas of Mount Livingstone and Beehive will be designated as part of the Wildland Provincial Park, which will see expanded areas for public use. Many of the existing provincial parks will be targeted for expansion. Trail restrictions and monitoring of hunting, fishing, equestrian, off-road and motorized vehicle use is suggested. There are nine new public recreation areas suggested for development. The Pekisko area will come under the Environment and Sustainable Resource Development. They encourage public monitoring and private stewardship programs where applicable, as an acceptable solution to protect environmental areas.

The SSRP suggests voluntary management of competing interests for landowner property to achieve bio-diversity, even though previous feedback indicated a preference for protected landowner property rights and provincial-regional frameworks. 

With population growth expanding by 93 percent in the last ten years, and continued growth expected, attention to educational resource collaborations, business innovation and municipal planning will be necessary. The plan states that decision makers in the region will need to deliberately cooperate and coordinate their planning to meet the physical and social infrastructure needs of their communities, to ensure the quality of life for all residents is enhanced in thriving urban and rural communities.

To that end, the plan is encouraging the support of regional plans with suggested measures to strengthen rural and small town populations. Cooperative utility services plans supported by government grants, incentives and start up programs for young farmers, and support for community agricultural societies are suggested. Supporting First Nation initiatives and including them in regional planning is part of the framework. Education programs, emergency services programs and volunteer support through legislation, collaborative interagency cooperation and planning is suggested. Continued grant programs for sport and recreation opportunities and heritage development are suggested in plans to support Albertan’s social development. 

For complete details of the plan see www.landuse.alberta.ca. Workbooks for submitting feedback for the third and final phase of public consultation and summaries of Phase one and two feedback sessions are also posted on the site.