An inter-municipal squabble between Canmore and the MD of Bighorn will butt heads early in 2016.
The Municipal Government Board (MGB) gave notice to the MD that it has received Canmore’s declaration to oppose its Dead Man’s Flats (DMF) Area Structure Plan (ASP).
A preliminary hearing between the three parties is being tentatively scheduled for a date prior to Feb. 6, 2016. No date has been confirmed yet.
Canmore provided 10 reasons to the MGB as to why it has appealed the controversial ASP, ranging from environment and financial impacts, human/wildlife conflict and social impacts, among others.
“If implemented, the ASP will significantly reduce the functionality of the G-8 Legacy Wildlife Underpass and the adjacent wildlife corridor and would suffer significant environmental, economic and social detriment as a consequence,” stated Canmore’s MGB appeal, provided to the Outlook.
The MD is required to state why requested mediation was declined by Jan. 11 and be provided to Canmore and the MGB.
MD Reeve Dene Cooper said he respects the process as outlined in the MGB.
With much of the focus surrounding wildlife and a functioning corridor and underpass, Jerry Ward, Alberta Municipal Affairs public affairs officer, said wildlife has not been identified as a detrimental issue in any other inter-municipal dispute appeal adjudicated by the MGB.
“The MGB can only make decisions regarding the detrimental effect of a statutory plan or a land use bylaw or amendment to the plan or bylaw adopted by an adjacent municipality,” wrote Ward in an email.
He added in a recent appeal, the environment and the implications of the development were raised by a group of landowners in the area.
“Because the dispute was over the use of a road, the panel could not consider it,” Ward said.
The MD’s wheels are in motion for the proposed development of 29 hectares of land (recreation and light-commercial) in the north and east area of DMF.
The east area is connected to a wildlife underpass and updated 2012 Bow Corridor Ecosystem Advisory Group guidelines recognize it as a wildlife habitat patch. Although, it’s noted, it has never been recognized or accepted as such by the MD.
The MD gave final readings to the ASP in early November, declining a mediation request from Canmore.
Canmore has been on the forefront of opposition against the ASP.
After being declined mediation in November, Canmore did “the only thing we could do,” said Mayor John Borrowman in an interview with the Outlook, and appealed the ASP.
