MD of Bighorn

"The fact the funding was cut was a bit of a surprise and really unfortunate."

Following an appeal filed to the MD of Bighorn subdivision and development appeal board, the committee heard mixed reactions Tuesday (Feb. 18) night from Stoney Nakoda elders and residents to whether the McDougall Church should be restored or not.

Communication, cooperation, decision-making and dispute resolution – Those are some of the key policies outlined in the recently approved Intermunicipal Development Plan (IDP) between the MD of Bighorn and Town of Canmore that has been two years in the making.

With the cost of processing building permits coming in higher than the revenues they bring in, the MD of Bighorn has chosen to stop delivering the service altogether and landowners looking for building permits will now have to go through an accredited agency instead

Several companies trash have turned into a valley treasure as the Bow Valley Waste Commission will be banking more than $1 million surplus for the 2019 fiscal year.

The Stoney Nakoda band has been trying to convey its position that the provincial historic site designation should only be renewed if the historic significance of the site is recognized from the viewpoint of the Stoney Nakoda people and not just from the viewpoint of settler society, the Christian church and the McDougall Stoney Mission Society – with letters of concern sent as early as March 2019.

Suggestions to remove the pool and exercise portion to reduce height, designate at least one to two rooms for staff accommodations and ensure proper fencing is installed were part of the discussion residents said they were grateful to have with the developers before the final design goes through.

The past year was a busy year for residents of the Stoney Nakoda First Nation, the MD of Bighorn and Kananaskis Country

Taxpayers in the MD of Bighorn have historically not been paying for police services, but that is about to change after the province announced 300 new RCMP members for rural communities and changes to the funding formula to pay for those new positions

Of the concerns, the Bow Valley Clean Air society noted increased greenhouse gas emissions, nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particulate matter emissions, and decreased overall air quality