Following amendments to the Municipal Government Act, the Town of Canmore has moved forward with changes to its overarching planning document.
The changes are meant to bring the Municipal Development Plan in line with the MGA subdivision and development regulations amended in December by the provincial minister of municipal affairs.
Manager of planning Gary Buxton said the MDP includes references to the Sustainability Screening Report process and one change is necessary for it to comply with provincial legislation-.
“As you are aware, the province has made some amendments with respect to council’s role in that process for development permits,” Buxton said. “For us to be consistent with changes to the legislation, there is one change listed here.”
The change passed first reading unanimously and without any debate by council. A public hearing is set for April 19 at 6 p.m. in the Civic Centre.
The revised text in the MDP refers to the SSR policy to dictate when and if an SSR is required for development applications. Currently, the policy requires an SSR as part of a complete development permit application.
The SSR, which has been a contention for local developers since it was adopted in 2007, requires development proposals to demonstrate how they are socially, economically and environmentally sustainable for the community.
The MGA regulation states: A development authority may not require, as a condition of a completed development permit application, the submission to and approval by council of a report regarding the development.
