Compliance means extra work for Wheatland County

Times Contributor      

 

Steps taken to integrate the South Saskatchewan Regional Plan (SSRP) into Wheatland County policy may not be as straightforward as representatives of the Land Secretariat hope. 

The Secretariat’s representatives presented a six step plan in Wheatland Council on Jan. 7 that was hoped to speed municipalities on their way to meeting the goals of the plan. The SSRP has been under development since 2006 and will be given final approval in the spring of 2014. 

“This doesn’t change a lot of processes that are already in effect,” said Johannes Wong, spokesman for the group. “This is not all new policy; it is probably something you have used in the past. For those areas, it is just a matter of moving what’s in place to coincide with the regional plan.”

Wong encouraged council to keep in mind the SSRP when they are going through the county’s Municipal Development Plan and their review of the Land Use bylaws, because there are regulated areas of the SSRP plan that will need to be enforced and affect both areas. Where regulated areas of the SSRP seem in conflict with the Municipal Government Act, the SSRP prevails by law. Wong gave council and staff contact information, in case they needed more clarification on portions of the 157 page plan.

“This is not only a planning and development issue. It goes beyond to other decisions,” said Wong.

The first step of the implementation process, outlined by Wong, was to identify areas where the plan affects the municipality. The second will require county council to direct documentation of their regulatory instruments. 

Third, they will direct staff to compare the plan to all existing bylaws and regulations approved in the past and currently in use. This task will be incredibly time consuming. As yet, no money has been advanced by the province for additional staff or man hour payments required to complete the work. It remains to be seen if money for implementation of initiatives will be forthcoming after final approval for the plan from cabinet.

The fourth step of the plan will require any areas of Wheatland County governance or land use bylaws that are not in compliance with the regulated areas of the SSRP to be changed; so, all those areas will have to come through council processes for discussion and acceptance. Fifth, council has to show acceptance of those changes with accompanying paperwork; and finally, the CAO will sign a declaration that all the appropriate work has been completed.

There were several areas of conflict that would circumvent a smooth transition of the six step process. Councillors pointed out just a few shortfalls. 

One was a strong objection to the assumptions surrounding the Calgary Municipal, and subsequently Regional, plan. Sections of the SSRP assume that all municipalities are in agreement with all portions of those regional programs. Wheatland County has opted out of participation in the Calgary Municipal Plan, due to the voting structure and issues with water rights. Several other rural municipalities have raised their objections as well.

“This is a fairly good document, but there is one piece of this that scares the hell out of me,” said Councillor Ben Armstrong about the sections that may mandate all municipalities to participate in the regional plans.

Councillor Alice Booth stated she resented being massaged by the SSRP into giving compliance to enforced regional initiatives that the municipality doesn’t support. She also felt the plan did not represent agricultural concerns adequately and wanted defined oil and gas pipeline installation corridors along section markers. Councillor Brenda Knight objected to the plan restricting recreational trails to utility corridors, as it wasn’t as applicable in Wheatland County as it was to western forested regions. 

Water supply and population expansion concerns within the next two decades were also brought up, and councillors indicated their concerns aren’t being heard. Secretariat representatives assured council that all the indicated concerns would be brought before appropriate channels and the CRP objections placed on an upcoming agenda of senior management. They encouraged council to once again write letters to the secretariat, appropriate ministries and cabinet officials. Council directed that staff contact other municipalities with similar interests to coordinate efforts on a letter campaign. 

Secretariat representatives also indicated there might still be time for developing solutions to some of the plans shortfalls, before provincial implementation, as the finalization process still involved passage through committees and cabinet approval.

However, in Wong’s summation, he continued to stress that all efforts of compliance to regional interests would not go unrecognized.

“At the end of the day, we recognize the work various partnerships have done and consider there is value in the inter-cooperation between municipalities and support for a collaboration of efforts,” said Wong.