MEDIA    &  SOCIAL  MEDIA  REPORT  Re:  Calgary  Metropolitan  Plan  

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Metro  Plan  mediation  continues  

Wednesday,  April  10,  2013  10:49:01  MDT  AM  

The  Calgary  Regional  Partnership  (CRP)  and  counties  of  Rocky  View  and  Foothills  are  sitting  down  to  officially  discuss  the  Calgary  Metro  Plan  for  the  first  time  since  February  2012.  Mayor  Truper  McBride,  also  CRP  chairman,  told  town  council  the  parties  will  be  meeting  at  the  Cochrane  RancheHouse,  Apr.  16,  with  a  mediator  as  they  try  to  resolve  their  differences.  The  counties  left  the  CRP  in  2009  because  of  objections  to  some  components  of  the  plan.  McBride  told  council  mediation  is  expected  to  wrap  up  by  June.

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Councilors  trade  barbs  over  Calgary  Metropolitan  Plan  

By  Marco  Vigliotti,  High  River  Times  Tuesday,  April  9,  2013  1:34:11  MDT  PM  

 

High  River  town  council  voted  to  postpone  debate  Monday  on  a  ceremonial  motion  endorsing  the  Calgary  Metropolitan  Plan  (CMP)  after  councilors  grinded  to  a  stalemate  over  the  expansive  regional  plan.  

The  motion  was  brought  forward  by  Coun.  Tim  Whitford  –an  opponent  of  the  plan-­‐  who  said  he  was  doing  so  to  provide  an  opportunity  for  councilors  to  publicly  share  their  views  on  the  subject.  

But  Coun.  Don  Moore  said  the  motion  was  puzzling,  adding  he  did  not  see  the  purpose  of  endorsing  or  opposing  the  CMP,  especially  with  the  provincial  government  still  actively  pursuing  mediated  talks  over  the  plan  with  three  objecting  rural  municipalities,  including  the  MD  of  Foothills.  

All  councilors,  including  Whitford,  eventually  sided  with  Moore  on  tabling  the  motion  but  not  before  they  took  turns  arguing  for  and  against  the  plan–which  is  supposed  to  govern  the  future  of  growth,  water  and  transit  for  the  wider  Calgary  region.  

One  of  the  fiercest  opponents  on  council,  Whitford  charged  that  the  CMP  would  eventually  grow  into  another  bloated  layer  of  government  that  will  sap  away  finances  from  the  town.  

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“The  costs  are  of  significant  concerns  (with)  our  share  of  the  contribution  at  $0.42  per  person,”  he  said,  noting  these  costs  will  continue  to  grow  over  the  years.  

Whitford  also  argued  one  of  the  biggest  potential  fiscal  burdens  in  the  plan  is  a  proposed  regional  transit  system  aiming  to  connect  members  of  the  Calgary  Regional  Partnership  (CRP)  –the  group  designing  the  CMP.  

This  system  intends  to  link  municipalities  from  as  far  away  as  Nanton  with  the  Calgary  transit  system  through  an  express  bus  service  that  will  transport  commuters  to  their  nearest  C-­‐train  stations.  

However  some  CRP  members,  including  High  River,  want  to  delay  their  participation  in  the  program,  because  they  do  not  think  it  is  economical  right  now  to  finance  their  own  bus  line,  which  is  a  requirement  of  the  system.  

Whitford  said  the  town  would  be  forced  to  contribute  considerable  funding  to  the  system  immediately  regardless  of  when  they  plan  on  joining  up.  

“(I  feel)  the  town  will  lose  control  (to  the  CRP),  particularly  in  transportation,”  he  said.  “At  the  start  of  a  transit  line,  (an  average  municipality)  subsidizes  75-­‐80  per  cent  of  the  costs.”  

“I  feel  we  would  be  sucked  in  early  (into  this  system)  and  lose  the  ability  to  control  costs.”  

Yet,  Moore  rebutted  these  claims,  arguing  the  town  would  not  be  forced  to  contribute  to  the  system  until  they  are  linked  up.  He  also  stressed  the  CRP  plans  to  remain  a  volunteer  organization  and  in  fact,  is  supporting  the  mediated  discussions.  

“(The  minister)  said  he  did  not  want  to  legislate  the  plan  (over  the  objections  of  the  rural  municipalities)  and  is  pursuing  arbitration  (talks),”said  Moore.  “The  CRP  has  said  they  want  to  be  a  volunteer  organization.”  

Despite  this  talk  of  volunteer  association,  Moore  did  say  the  government  has  signaled  they  will  use  their  power  of  the  purse  to  win  over  objectors  to  the  CMP.    

He  said  municipal  affairs  minister  Doug  Griffiths  has  already  pledged  to  connect  support  for  the  CMP  with  the  main  source  of  infrastructure  funding  for  any  municipality  in  the  province  -­‐the  Municipal  Sustainability  Initiative  (MSI)  

“(The  minister  also)  said  he  plans  on  using  a  carrot  and  stick  approach  (to  get  municipalities  to  sign  on  to  the  CMP)  by  (adjusting)  funding  from  the  MSI,”  said  Moore.  

Proponents  of  the  plan  noted  these  efforts  by  the  provincial  government,  warning  opposition  to  the  CMP  could  harm  the  town  finances.  

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But  those  opposing  the  plan  said  the  key  issue  is  the  threat  posed  by  handing  over  a  big  share  of  municipal  authority  to  the  City  of  Calgary,  which  they  claim  essentially  controls  the  CRP  because  of  their  significant  clout.  

“I  am  very  much  against  the  CMP,”  said  Coun.  Betty  Hiebert.  “I  do  not  like  the  veto  (that  Calgary  would  have)  and  developing  another  layer  of  government.”  

“It  will  cost  High  River  for  decades.”  

The  question  of  authority  and  power  within  the  CRP  has  consistently  stalled  the  completion  of  the  plan,  which  has  been  in  development  for  the  past  15  years.  

The  three  rural  municipalities  dropped  out  of  the  CRP  in  2009  over  these  concerns,  saying  they  will  lose  their  authority  to  sanction  development  in  their  own  jurisdictions.  

However  supporters  maintain  the  CMP  is  an  ambitious  and  necessary  plan  crafting  a  shared  vision  for  the  future  of  a  diverse  and  heavily  populated  region.  

“I  support  (an)  effort  to  try  and  affect  change  within,”  said  Coun.  Jamie  Kinghorn  of  the  CMP.  

“It  benefits  all  communities  in  the  area,”  added  Coun.  Al  Brander.    

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Anderson  addresses  CRP  

Wednesday,  March  27,  2013  11:30:19  MDT  AM  

 

Airdrie  MLA  Rob  Anderson  doesn’t  believe  communities  should  be  forced  to  follow  the  ‘stack  ‘em  and  pack  ‘em’  model  of  the  Calgary  Metropolitan  Plan  (CMP)  nor  should  they  be  held  for  ransom  by  threatening  to  limit  access  to  safe  and  stable  water.  

The  Wildrose  opposition  house  leader  questioned  Municipal  Affairs  minister  Doug  Griffiths  on  whether  jurisdictions  objecting  to  endorsing  the  plan  will  legislated  to  join  the  Calgary  Regional  Partnership  (CRP)  during  the  Mar.  20  question  period,  but  said  he  didn’t  receive  a  commitment.  

Anderson  asked,  “Will  you  commit  that  you  will  not  legislatively  compel  any  community  to  join  the  CRP,  nor  force  them  to  build  to  the  CRP’s  minimum  density  requirement  of  eight  units  per  acre?”  

Anderson’s  question  hit  the  Legislature  floor  just  as  the  mediation  process  began  between  the  CRP  and  two  municipalities  who  take  issue  with  the  metro  plan.  Both  the  Rocky  View  County  and  Municipal  District  of  Foothills  opted  out  of  the  CRP  in  2009  because  of  their  objections  to  the  CMP.  They  believe  the  plan  limits  their  authority  on  development  issues  and  constrains  water  licensing.  

“Rocky  View  has  been  very  clear  that  until  the  density  requirements  are  relaxed  and  the  

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whole  structure  is  changed  that  they  have  issues  with  it,”  said  Anderson.  He  said  people  are  starting  to  get  fed  up  with  the  direction  being  taken.  

“I  know  the  people  of  Airdrie  are  starting  to  get  tired  of  developments  in  our  community  that  are  trying  to  turn  us  into  something  we’re  not.  If  we  wanted  to  live  in  Calgary,  a  great  city,  then  we  would  live  in  Calgary.  

“But  we  have  chosen  to  live  in  Airdrie  or  Cochrane  or  Chestermere  and  so  forth  because  we  want  a  little  more  space.  I  think  a  lot  of  people  are  getting  tired  of  having  these  ‘stack  ‘em  and  pack  ‘em’  communities  being  wedged  into  our  rural  communities.”  

Anderson  recognizes  there  is  a  demand  for  smaller  homes  and  lots  for  low  and  middle-­‐income  families.  What  he  believes  is  each  jurisdiction  should  have  autonomy  when  it  comes  to  making  these  decisions.  

But  this  autonomy  has  been  given  to  members  of  the  CRP  in  the  metro  plan,  said  CRP  chairman  Truper  McBride,  who  is  also  mayor  of  Cochrane.  

The  plan  is  designed  to  allow  municipalities  control  over  their  own  development  and  isn’t  intended  to  create  another  level  of  government.  Areas  earmarked  for  development  in  the  future,  as  identified  by  individual  municipalities,  will  not  be  affected  by  the  plan.  

McBride  said  the  voting  formula  also  ensures  the  smaller  municipalities  have  a  voice  to  put  them  on  par  with  Calgary.  

Making  changes  to  the  plan  requires  the  agreement  of  two-­‐thirds  majority  of  municipalities  representing  50  per  cent  of  the  region’s  population.  By  doing  so,  only  decisions  widely  agreed  upon  will  pass.  

Anderson  takes  issue  with  using  the  assurance  of  a  water  supply  as  a  bargaining  chip  to  force  a  consensus  on  the  plan.  

“It’s  wrong  for  the  province  to  say  communities  like  Cochrane,  Airdrie,  Chestermere  and  Rocky  View  have  to  join  against  their  will  a  partnership  that  says  if  you  want  access  to  water  you  have  to  build  the  way  that  we  want  you  to  build.  That  takes  away  autonomy  from  local  residents  and  it’s  a  little  bit  like  having  a  gun  put  to  your  head  and  saying  if  you  want  to  develop,  you  have  to  do  it  our  way  or  you  just  won’t  develop.”  

McBride  said  the  plan  is  essential  to  guide  growth  in  the  region  and  is  anxious  to  get  it  into  place  after  all  these  years.  Work  on  the  plan  was  initiated  in  2006  and  a  draft  was  finalized  in  2009.  

“It  is  absolutely  vital  that  we  have  a  region  plan  and  vision  in  place  to  guide  development  going  into  the  future,”  said  McBride.  “We  know  that  the  status  quo  has  presented  problems.  It’s  very  expensive  to  service  from  a  taxpayer  standpoint.  We  have  to  put  something  in  place  and  the  metro  plan  does  it.”  

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McBride  is  optimistic  the  mediation  between  the  two  holdouts  and  the  CRP  will  bear  fruit.  Last  week,  McBride  and  the  CRP  board  had  an  initial  meeting  with  the  mediator.  He  expects  talks  will  be  in  full  swing  by  mid-­‐April.  

County  officials  have  also  had  initial  meetings  with  the  mediator.  Prior  to  initial  meetings,  Rocky  View  County  reeve  Rolly  Ashdown  said  he  looked  forward  to  the  discussions.  

Municipal  Affairs  minister  Doug  Griffiths  wants  to  see  the  long-­‐standing  impasse  resolved  and  last  month  his  department  stepped  in  to  help  with  the  process.  

“The  intent  will  be  to  have  this  mediation  wrapped  up  by  June  and  the  minister  has  told  me  failure  is  not  an  option,”  said  McBride.  “So,  they’re  quite  serious  about  this  and  I  think  it  is  a  good  thing.  We’re  receiving  some  leadership  on  this  from  the  province  and  I  commend  them  for  that.”  

Anderson,  too,  favours  regional  partnerships  but  doesn’t  like  the  methods  being  used.  

“I  like  the  idea  of  regional  partnerships  but  not  when  someone  has  a  gun  to  your  head,  that’s  not  a  partnership,  that’s  a  shake  down  and  it’s  time  for  the  province  to  step  up  and  solve  this  problem,  not  by  forcing  regionalization  but  by  making  sure  that  all  communities  in  the  Calgary  region  have  access  to  water  and  not  just  Calgary.”  

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Anderson  questions  minister's  intentions  with  CRP    Mar  25,  2013  02:33  pm  |  By  Sylvia  Cole  

 

Municipal  Affairs  Minister  Doug  Griffiths  said  forcing  rural  municipalities  into  an  agreement  with  the  Calgary  Regional  Partnership  (CRP)  won’t  work.  

That  was  his  response  to  Wildrose  Airdrie  MLA  Rob  Anderson  who  asked  Griffiths  during  Question  Period  March  20  not  to  force  any  community  to  join  the  CRP,  nor  force  them  to  build  to  the  CRP’s  minimum  density  standard.  

The  CRP  is  currently  in  mediation  between  the  rural  municipalities  of  Rocky  View  County  and  the  MD  of  Foothills  pertaining  to  the  partnerships  governing  document,  the  Calgary  Metropolitan  Plan  (CMP).  

Mediation  began  as  proposed  by  Griffiths  and  is  expected  to  be  complete  by  the  end  of  June.  

During  the  Question  Period  in  Edmonton,  Anderson  said  there  is  concern  about  the  South  Saskatchewan  Regional  Plan  (SSRP),  and  added  that  a  legislated  CMP  as  part  of  the  regional  plan  will  “rob  communities  like  Airdrie  and  Rocky  View  of  their  autonomy  to  grow  in  the  way  they  feel  is  best  for  their  citizens.”  

He  said  restrictions  in  both  the  SSRP  and  CRP  would  turn  the  communities  into  “cookie-­‐cutter  stack  ‘em  and  pack  ‘em  growth  nodes  as  the  CRP  calls  them.”  

Griffiths  responded  to  Anderson  and  said  mediation  is  being  undertaken  to  get  all  of  the  partners  at  the  table  to  discuss  a  solution.  

“I’ve  said  many  times  ...  That  forcing  people  to  work  together  does  not  get  good  relationships,  but  allowing  them  not  to  talk  to  each  other  does  not  get  good  relationships  either,”  he  said.  

“It’s  imperative  for  the  success  of  this  province  going  forward  that  these  municipalities  

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work  together  to  make  sure  we  have  smart  building  so  we  don’t  have  environmental  conflicts  and  agricultural  conflicts  and  industrial  conflicts,”  he  said.  

Anderson  agreed  and  then  asked  if  the  minister  of  environment  would  provide  access-­‐to-­‐water  license  for  these  communities  without  “forcing  them  to  join  the  CRP.”  

He  said  southern  Alberta  communities  have  concerns  over  water  access  and  fear  water  for  new  businesses  and  residents  is  going  to  be  used  as  a  pressure  point  to  enter  into  the  CMP.  

Diana  McQueen,  minister  of  environment,  said  she  is  in  the  midst  of  consultation  on  water  discussions  and  said  “we’re  hearing  from  everybody  with  regard  to  the  need  to  share  water,  water  management,  waste  water,  healthy  lakes,  hydraulic  fracturing  and  water  use.”  

She  said  it’s  an  “important  discussion”  and  invites  all  Albertans  to  provide  input  before  there  are  any  policy  changes.  

The  South  Saskatchewan  region  includes  about  45  per  cent  of  Albertans  living  in  the  cities  of  Calgary,  Airdrie  and  Lethbridge,  as  well  as  a  number  of  municipalities  including  Rocky  View  County.  

The  region  comprises  about  12  per  cent  of  Alberta’s  land  base  -­‐  83,774  square  kilometres.  

The  SSRP  is  the  second  of  seven  regional  plans  that  will  be  developed  based  on  Alberta’s  major  watersheds.  

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 Premier  meets  with  Calgary,  Edmonton  mayors  on  civic  charters  

Meeting  follows  public  spat  between  Calgary's  mayor  and  Alberta's  municipal  affairs  minister  

CBC  News  Posted:  Mar  23,  2013  11:45  AM  MT    

Premier  Alison  Redford  met  with  the  mayors  of  Calgary  and  Edmonton  Friday  to  discuss  civic  charters  for  Alberta's  two  big  cities.  

Charters  for  Edmonton  and  Calgary,  agreed  to  in  principle  in  2012,  would  provide  the  cities  more  powers.  

The  meeting  follows  a  growing  rift  between  Mayor  Naheed  Nenshi  and  the  Redford  government  since  Municipal  Affairs  Minister  Doug  Griffiths  suggested  Nenshi  was  playing  politics  and  acting  like  a  peacock.  

Nenshi  had  called  for  the  premier  to  get  personally  involved  in  the  talks,  as  they  weren't  progressing  as  quickly  as  had  been  expected.  He  also  wanted  to  address  negotiations  that  have  been  dragging  on  the  ratification  of  the  Calgary  Metropolitan  Plan.  

Redford  called  the  Calgary  session  a  productive  one.  She  said  the  work  will  continue  on  developing  a  new  partnership  between  the  two  cities  and  the  provincial  government.  

'Productive  discussion'  

"The  premier  had  a  very  productive  discussion  with  Mayor  Nenshi  and  Mayor  [Stephen]  Mandel  —  all  three  committed  to  continuing  work  toward  a  new  partnership  that  recognizes  Calgary  and  Edmonton's  unique  circumstances,"  said  premier  spokeswoman  Neala  Barton.  

"Today's  meeting  was  a  chance  for  the  premier  to  touch  base  with  both  mayors  and,  ensure  work  was  proceeding  well.  It  was  also  an  opportunity  for  her  to  reiterate  her  commitment  to  creating  a  civic  charter  that  serves  all  Albertans'  interests."  

Barton  said  ensuring  Alberta's  largest  urban  centres  continue  on  a  path  of  growth  and  prosperity  only  adds  to  the  province's  already  strong  economy.  

"Ultimately,  a  civic  charter  is  about  creating  a  renewed  relationship  that  will  better  serve  the  residents  of  both  Edmonton  and  Calgary,"  she  said.  

"By  continuing  our  work  together,  we'll  be  able  to  deliver  higher  quality  services  more  seamlessly  and  efficiently  and  create  even  better  conditions  for  economic  growth."  

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Forcing  compliance  isn't  answer  

Thursday,  March  21,  2013  4:27:56  MDT  PM  

 

Wildrose  Airdrie  MLA  Rob  Anderson  doesn’t  believe  communities  should  be  forced  to  build  ‘stack  ‘em  and  pack  ‘em’  model  of  the  Calgary  Metropolitan  Plan  (CMP)  and  shouldn’t  be  held  for  ransom  by  threatening  safe  and  stable  access  to  water.    

The  Wildrose  official  opposition  house  leader  questioned  Municipal  Affairs  minister  Doug  Griffiths  on  whether  jurisdictions  objecting  to  endorsing  the  plan  will  legislated  to  join  the  Calgary  Regional  Partnership  (CRP)  during  the  Mar.  20  question  period,  but  said  he  didn’t  receive  a  commitment.  

Anderson  asked,  “Will  you  commit  that  you  will  not  legislatively  compel  any  community  to  join  the  CRP,  nor  force  them  to  build  to  the  CRP’s  minimum  density  requirement  of  eight  units  per  acre?”  Anderson’s  question  hit  the  Legislature  floor  just  as  the  mediation  process  has  begun  between  the  CRP  and  two  municipalities  who  take  issue  with  the  metro  plan.  Both  the  Rocky  View  County  and  Municipal  District  of  Foothills  opted  out  of  the  CRP  in  2009,  largely  based  upon  their  objections  to  the  CMP.  They  believe  the  plan  limits  their  authority  on  development  issues  and  constrains  water  licensing.  Anderson  agrees  with  the  stance  being  taken  by  Rocky  View  and  concurs  with  their  reluctance  to  bend  to  a  requirement  to  build  eight  units  per  acre.  He  also  believes  water  shouldn’t  be  used  as  a  bargaining  chip.    

“Rocky  View  has  been  very  clear  that  until  the  density  requirements  are  relaxed  and  the  whole  structure  is  changed  that  they  have  issues  with  it.”  Anderson  told  The  Times.    

Anderson  agrees  and  believes  people  are  getting  fed  up.  “I  know  the  people  of  Airdrie  are  starting  to  get  tired  of  developments  in  our  community  that  are  trying  to  turn  us  

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into  something  we’re  not.  If  we  wanted  to  live  in  Calgary,  great  city,  then  we  would  live  in  Calgary.  But  we  have  chosen  to  live  in  Airdrie  or  Cochrane  or  Chestermere  and  so  forth  because  we  want  a  little  more  space.  I  think  a  lot  of  people  are  getting  tired  of  having  these  ‘stack  ‘em  and  pack  ‘em’  communities  being  wedged  into  our  rural  communities.”  Anderson  recognizes  there  is  a  demand  for  smaller  homes  and  lots  for  low  and  middle-­‐income  families.  What  he  believes  is  each  jurisdiction  should  have  autonomy  when  it  comes  to  making  these  decisions.    

“It’s  not  to  say  you  don’t  any  low  income  housing  or  you  don’t  want  any  middle  income  housing,  of  course  you  want  those  things,  but  you  also  want  a  supply  of  middle  income  housing  that  actually  allows  you  to  move  around  a  little  bit,”  said  Anderson.  “The  reasons  you  move  to  a  small  town  are  being  taken  away  because  of  these  silly  requirements  that  places  like  Airdrie  and  Cochrane  now  have  to  build  to  eight  units  per  acre,  which  is  something  you  would  see  in  mid-­‐town  Calgary.”  It  irks  Anderson  to  hear  water  is  being  used  as  a  bargaining  chip  to  force  a  consensus  on  the  plan.    “It’s  wrong  for  the  province  to  say  communities  like  Cochrane,  Airdrie,  Chestermere  and  Rocky  View  have  to  join  against  their  will  a  partnership  that  says  if  you  want  access  to  water  you  have  to  build  the  way  that  we  want  you  to  build.  That  takes  away  autonomy  from  local  residents  and  it’s  a  little  bit  like  having  a  gun  put  to  your  head  and  saying  if  you  want  to  develop,  you  have  to  do  it  our  way  or  you  just  won’t  develop.  You  don’t  have  to  join  us,  but  if  you  don’t  you  won’t  be  able  to  develop.  That  to  me  is  wrong.  Water  is  not  a  bargaining  chip,  water  is  a  right  of  all  citizens.”  Anderson  says  he’s  not  opposed  to  regional  partnerships  but  forcing  issues  important  to  jurisdictions  like  Rocky  View  County  isn’t  the  answer.    

“I  like  the  idea  of  regional  partnerships  but  not  when  someone  has  a  gun  to  your  head,  that’s  not  a  partnership,  that’s  a  shake  down  and  it’s  time  for  the  province  to  step  up  and  solve  this  problem,  not  by  forcing  regionalization  but  making  sure  that  all  communities  in  the  Calgary  region  have  access  to  water  and  not  just  Calgary.”  The  mediator  started  discussions  with  the  parties  this  week.  They  met  with  CRP  chairman  Truper  McBride  twice  this  week  and  are  scheduled  to  meet  with  the  CRP  board  on  Friday.  The  mediator  is  also  speaking  with  county  officials.  

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Irricana  in  line  for  potential  CRP  transit  study    Mar  11,  2013  03:03  pm  |  By  Thomas  Miller  |  Rocky  View  Weekly  The  Calgary  Regional  Partnership  (CRP)  is  working  out  the  feasibility  of  regional  transportation  including  a  potential  bus  loop  running  from  Irricana  to  Airdrie.  

Irricana  Councillor  Josh  Taylor  reported  the  potential  for  such  a  bus  loop  during  the  March  4  Town  council  meeting.  

Taylor  stated  in  his  report  that  certain  economic  factors  would  have  to  improve  in  order  for  the  bus  loop  to  become  a  reality,  but  said  it’s  great  that  Irricana  is  being  considered.  

“Since  we’ve  become  a  member  of  the  CRP,  which  is  about  three  years,  there  has  been  no  thought  of  Irricana  being  helped  by  the  CRP  at  all,”  said  Taylor.  

“It’s  very  good  that  Irricana  is  being  taken  seriously  at  CRP  as  a  vital  player  in  this  game.”  

Taylor  said  that  the  CRP  could  perform  a  feasibility  study  on  Irricana  within  the  next  few  years.  

According  to  Ettore  Iannacito,  the  CRP’s  regional  transportation  manager,  Cochrane  recently  completed  its  feasibility  study,  while  Chestermere  and  Okotoks  are  currently  in  the  process  of  doing  so.  

Iannacito  says  they’re  trying  to  look  at  transportation  from  a  regional  perspective  as  opposed  to  individual  municipalities.  

“If  the  CRP  had  to  do  it,  how  could  it  be  done  differently?”  said  Iannacito.  

“Within  that  context  we  went  and  visited  all  the  municipalities,  the  smaller  municipalities,  because  we  consider  them  all  very  important  and  basically  said  to  them,  if  we  were  able  to  implement  transit  within  the  next  five  to  10  years  or  even  10  to  20  years,  what  would  your  transit  needs  be?”  

Iannacito  explained  that  it’s  only  a  hypothetical  scenario  at  the  moment,  but  if  it’s  something  wanted  by  the  people  of  Irricana,  it’s  possible.  

However,  Taylor  isn’t  so  sure  Irricana  residents  want  such  a  transportation  system.  

He  explained  a  few  years  ago  he  discussed  the  possibility  of  such  a  bus  loop  with  residents  and  the  idea  never  got  off  the  table.  

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“I  grew  up  in  a  small  town  …  as  soon  as  you  turn  16  and  you  get  your  driver’s  licence,  that’s  it,  you  don’t  have  to  wait  for  the  bus,”  said  Taylor.  

Taylor  expressed  the  town  is  changing  with  more  people  coming  to  Irricana  who  grew  up  in  urban  settings  and  might  be  more  accustomed  to  taking  the  bus.  

“If  you  grew  up  in  a  small  town,  your  car  is  a  symbol  of  freedom,”  said  Taylor.  

“But  now  with  gas  prices  going  up,  etc.  …  that  will  affect  a  lot  of  people  who  were  not  specifically  raised  in  small  towns  or  rural  Alberta.  They  are  more  used  to  the  convenience  of  taking  the  bus.”  

Once  reports  are  completed  in  Chestermere  and  Okotoks,  Irricana  will  be  considered.  

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It's  rural  vs.  Calgary  in  regional  plan  

Districts  say  they'll  lose  autonomy  if  city  has  its  way  Published  March  7,  2013    by  Suzy  Thompson  in  News    

     

Three  municipal  districts  surrounding  Calgary  are  afraid  Mayor  Naheed  Nenshi  will  succeed  in  forcing  them  to  join  the  Calgary  Regional  Partnership  (CRP).  The  MDs  of  Wheatland,  Rocky  View  and  Foothills  are  digging  in  their  collective  heels  and  refusing  to  sign  on  to  the  CRP  or  its  governing  document,  the  Calgary  Metropolitan  Plan  (CMP).    

 In  February,  mayor  Nenshi  scored  headlines  with  his  efforts  to  convince  the  provincial  government  to  create  legislation  that  would  force  the  MDs  to  join,  and  the  ensuing  personal  jabs  between  him  and  Municipal  Affairs  Minister  Doug  Griffiths.    Now,  the  CRP  and  the  resistant  MDs  are  awaiting  a  provincially  appointed  mediator  to  see  if  the  CMP  can  be  altered  enough  to  entice  them  to  join.      

“I  totally  understand  why  he  is  trying  to  pressure  the  provincial  government  into  legislating  the  plan  with  the  three  rurals,  because  Calgary  has  everything  to  gain,  basically,  and  the  rural  municipalities  have  everything  to  lose,”  says  MD  of  Foothills  Reeve  Larry  Spilak.  “Sure,  I  can  understand  his  position,  but  I’m  really  grateful  to  minister  Griffiths  and  the  PC  government  for  defending  the  smaller  rural  municipalities  and  our  autonomy.”        

The  Calgary  Regional  Partnership  was  formed  in  1999  as  a  way  for  Calgary  and  surrounding  communities  to  collaborate  on  development  and  infrastructure.  Today  there  are  14  members:  Airdrie,  Banff,  Black  Diamond,  Calgary,  Canmore,  Chestermere,  Cochrane,  High  River,  Irricana,  Nanton,  Okotoks,  Redwood  Meadows,  Strathmore  and  

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Turner  Valley.    While  all  its  members  agree  it  is  in  everyone’s  best  interests  to  take  the  entire  region  into  account  when  writing  development  plans,  Calgary’s  overwhelming  size  and  clout  is  a  common  sore  spot.    The  CMP  was  approved  in  the  summer  of  2012  after  several  years  of  contentious  negotiations  which  included  the  participation  and  then  withdrawal  of  Rocky  View  and  Foothills  MDs.  Wheatland  did  not  participate,  but  Calgary  wants  all  three  MDs  included.  The  situation  is  still  tense,  as  Nenshi  and  city  council  hold  that  Calgary’s  development  is  hindered  as  long  as  the  MDs  in  question  do  not  sign  onto  the  CMP,  which  is  why  Nenshi  ultimately  asked  the  provincial  government  to  force  their  membership  —  something  Premier  Alison  Redford  says  will  not  happen.      

The  MDs  encompass  huge  swaths  of  mainly  rural  land  surrounding  Calgary,  and  include  nearly  every  member  town  in  the  CRP.  Their  main  issue  with  the  partnership  is  what  they  consider  a  guaranteed  loss  of  autonomy.    The  CMP  contains  a  provision  to  force  final  votes  weighted  by  population.  A  decision  made  by  member  communities  accounting  for  50  per  cent  of  the  region’s  population  is  absolute.  With  87  per  cent  of  the  region’s  population,  that  voting  model  gives  Calgary  a  de  facto  veto  on  every  vote.    Resistant  reeves  like  Spilak  and  Rocky  View’s  Rolly  Ashdown  claim  Calgary  is  pushing  the  CMP  because  it  is  intent  on  controlling  the  entire  region’s  infrastructure  and  development  to  the  city’s  advantage.    In  2011,  the  three  MDs  asked  the  Alberta  Association  of  Municipal  Districts  and  Counties  (AAMDC)  to  review  the  CMP  and  come  up  with  recommendations  to  change  it  in  the  MDs’  favour.    

Those  recommendations  were  ignored,  as  were  34  amendments  the  MDs  suggested  to  the  CMP  while  it  was  still  being  written  in  2009.    AAMDC  president  Bob  Barss  says  Calgary  is  now  using  its  water  licence  as  leverage  to  compel  communities  to  submit  to  the  CMP.  Calgary  is  licensed  to  draw  enough  water  from  the  Bow  River  to  service  an  estimated  three  million  people.  Surrounding  municipalities  are  capped  at  their  current  allocation  and  need  to  tap  into  Calgary’s  overabundant  supply  in  order  to  grow.      

“It  stops  the  growth  of  a  rural  municipality.  [Calgary  has]  enough  water  allocation  just  about  for  all  the  people  in  Alberta,”  says  Barss.  “You  can’t  use  water  as  a  lever,  and  with  that  much  allocation  that’s  what  Calgary  is  doing.  We  know  that  because  of  what  happened  with  Cross  Iron  Mills  and  we  know  that  with  CN  moving  their  offices  and  shops  out  of  Calgary  and  into  the  outskirts  so  they  could  get  into  a  different  water  line.”      

Rocky  View  County  had  asked  Calgary  to  connect  the  new  CN  rail  yard  to  the  city’s  supply,  but  the  request  was  denied  and  the  rail  yard  has  since  arranged  to  source  its  water  from  an  irrigation  district.    Whether  water  allocation  is  seen  as  an  incentive  to  join  the  partnership  or  as  punishment  for  failing  to,  it  is  a  real  condition  of  the  CMP.    The  plan  states  “the  City  of  Calgary  is  willing  to  provide  bulk  potable  water  and  wastewater  services  to  members  of  the  CRP  in  order  to  support  the  growth  identified  under  the  auspices  of  the  CMP.”  However,  water  won’t  be  provided  unless  specific  development  conditions  are  accepted,  and  that’s  where  the  MDs  believe  they  are  sacrificing  their  

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governance  powers  to  Calgary.      

Ashdown  says  the  reason  there  are  no  rural  MDs  in  the  plan  is  because  it  calls  for  cramming  eight  to  10  houses  into  an  acre  in  order  to  receive  services.  “We  don’t  have  40-­‐foot  lots  in  the  country,”  he  says.    

 In  order  to  qualify  for  Calgary’s  water  under  the  CMP,  member  communities,  even  mainly  rural  districts  like  the  three  MDs  would  be,  must  build  much  denser  residential  communities.      

“If  development  continues  at  its  current  pace,  without  co-­‐ordinated  regional  planning,  our  region’s  urban  development  footprint  is  sure  to  increase  dramatically,”  warns  the  CMP.  “By  implementing  the  goals  in  the  Plan,  we  can  expect  to  see  a  70  per  cent  reduction  in  land  used  for  urban  development  in  the  future....  Member  municipalities  will  ensure  that  all  new  development  in  priority  growth  areas  is  compact,  mixed-­‐use;  walkable....  Calgary  Regional  Partnership  (CRP)  acknowledges  the  unique  low-­‐density  lifestyle  choice  that  existing  and  new  hamlets  and  villages  provide  in  our  region,  where  they  can  thrive  without  regional  servicing,”  i.e.  without  tying  in  to  Calgary’s  water  supply.    Calgary’s  offer  of  water-­‐for-­‐compliance  may  eventually  work  with  Rocky  View.  But  because  it  draws  from  the  Sheep  and  Highwood  rivers,  Spilak  says  the  MD  of  Foothills  doesn’t  need  Calgary’s  water  or  its  partnership.  Instead,  Spilak  says  the  MD  will  happily  sign  on  to  the  South  Saskatchewan  Regional  Plan,  which  he  believes  addresses  growth  issues  much  more  appropriately.      

“Calgary  does  not  have  us  over  a  barrel  because  we  don’t  require  their  water….  The  CMP  is  an  urban  plan.  It’s  for  urban  planning  and  we’re  a  rural  jurisdiction.  We  do  grow,  of  course,  and  we  develop,  but  on  a  much  different  scale  and  a  much  different  way  than  the  cities  and  towns  do,”  he  explains.      

“If  you  can  control  your  municipality,  and  you  can  control  all  the  municipalities  around  you,  you  decide  where  the  growth  goes,  you  decide  where  industry  goes,  you  make  all  the  decisions.  So  it’s  strictly  a  control  issue,”  says  Barss.  “They  definitely  are  not  going  to  get  anywhere  without  a  mediator.”    Redford  and  Griffiths  have  both  promised  the  MDs  they  will  not  be  forced  into  any  agreement  with  Calgary.  Redford  also  told  the  MDs  during  a  tour  of  the  region  in  February  that  Environment  Minister  Diana  McQueen  will  be  visiting  southern  Alberta  in  March  to  discuss  water  supply  issues.  

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Rocky  View  County  headed  to  mediation  over  Calgary  Metropolitan  Plan  

Wednesday,  March  6,  2013  11:47:26  MST  AM  

 

The  Calgary  Regional  Partnership  (CRP)  is  headed  into  mediation  with  Rocky  View  County  and  the  Municipal  District  of  Foothills  after  again  failing  to  come  to  an  agreement  yet  again  over  the  Calgary  Metropolitan  Plan  (CMP).  

Doug  Griffiths,  Minister  of  Municipal  Affairs,  presented  the  mediation  option  to  the  CRP  and  the  rural  communities  near  the  end  of  February  with  a  no  fail  mandate.  

Developed  and  approved  in  2009,  the  CMP  looks  to  address  regional  issues  such  as  infrastructure,  environment,  growth,  local  economy  and  governance.  Rocky  View  and  Foothills  left  after  the  Plan  was  approved  due  to  concerns  about  density,  governance  and  water  and  things  have  come  to  standstill  since.  

The  plan  is  basically  a  document  the  province  sees  as  essential  to  long-­‐term  growth  for  the  Calgary  region;  protecting  ecological  systems,  preventing  urban  sprawl  and  building  wise  infrastructure  projects  in  the  area,  for  example.  

According  to  Truper  McBride,  chair  of  the  CPR  and  Mayor  of  Cochrane,  the  CRP  has  gone  back  several  times  to  the  communities  to  try  and  come  to  a  compromise.  

He  listed  examples  of  rewording  about  density  policies,  servicing  for  public  institutions  and  use  of  the  super-­‐majority  governance  system  as  areas  they  improved  to  get  the  districts  back  on  board,  but  with  no  luck.  

“We  think  that  we  did  our  best  attempt  at  trying  to  resolve  the  issues  that  the  rural  municipalities  have  with  the  plan,  it  didn’t  go  far  enough  with  them,”  he  stated,  hence  why  the  provincial  government  has  now  stepped  in.  

Rolly  Ashdown,  Reeve  of  Rocky  View  County,  said  while  he  doesn’t  think  eliminating  this  

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is  a  goal  of  any  parties  involved,  he  wants  to  ensure  that  each  municipality’s  autonomy  remains  intact  and  that  no  one  is  forced  into  regionalization.  

“If  we  want  to  do  a  planning  thing,  we  want  to  make  sure  that  if  it’s  considered  regional  in  nature  that  we  get  to  make  decisions  on  our  county  for  our  taxpayers  the  same  as  everybody  else,  without  anybody  interfering  with  the  ability  or  non-­‐ability  to  do  that.”  

McBride  said  the  CRP  wants  to  keep  planning  local  and  that  the  only  regional  function  of  that  would  come  into  effect  when  looking  at  regional  servicing  and  transportation  —  if  an  area  needs  access  to  regional  servicing,  there  has  to  be  in  place  certain  densities  to  achieve  that.  

But  that’s  the  sticking  point,  according  to  Ashdown.  While  Rocky  View  has  successful  inter-­‐municipal  committees  with  their  neighbours  in  the  CRP,  he  said  urban  planning  is  different  than  rural  planning  and  that  he’s  still  concerned  his  smaller  municipality  could  be  outvoted  on  governance  issues  by  larger  ones  like  Calgary.  

Despite  differences,  both  parties  said  they’re  looking  forward  to  sitting  down  with  the  province  to  reach  an  agreement  and  hearing  what  the  other  has  to  say.  

The  CRP  is  currently  made  up  of  14  municipalities,  including  Airdrie.  The  mediation  process  is  set  to  begin  in  early  March,  but  dates  have  yet  to  be  set  by  the  province.  A  resolution  is  expected  by  June.  

 

 

 

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CRP,  County,  Province  mediation  promising    Mar  04,  2013  01:33  pm  We  are  cautiously  optimistic  about  the  Province’s  proposed  mediation  solution  inviting  Rocky  View  County  to  become  a  part  of  the  Calgary  Regional  Partnership  (CRP).  (See  story  on  page  1).  

As  Rocky  View  County  Reeve  Rolly  Ashdown  pointed  out,  in  the  past,  the  CRP  has  tried  to  bully  the  County  into  joining  the  cooperative.  

The  County  voted  to  leave  the  CRP  in  2009  because  of  concerns  about  governance,  density  and  water.  The  council  of  the  day  felt  the  governance  mandate  of  the  CRP,  or  voting  structure,  threatened  municipal  autonomy;  residential  development  densities  of  between  eight  and  10  units  per  acre  did  not  fit  into  a  rural  lifestyle  and  wanted  to  explore  the  opportunity  of  being  a  part  of  a  regional  water  and  wastewater  service.  

We  are  glad  to  see  the  groups  entering  into  talks  again  with  the  Province  as  a  mediator  and  hope  they  are  more  productive  and  fair  than  they  have  been  in  the  past.  

The  one  thing  that  has  us  worried  is  the  fact  the  CRP  chair  claims  the  minister  of  municipal  affairs  has  said  the  “process  will  not  be  allowed  to  fail.”  

We  can  only  hope  this  doesn’t  mean  the  Province  plans  to  force  the  municipality  to  join  the  partnership  even  if  it  is  not  in  its  residents’  best  interest.  

We  agree  the  Calgary  Region  needs  an  over  arching  plan  that  will  guide  growth  into  the  future.  

However,  we  feel  it  is  imperative  that  the  plan  works  for  all  parties  involved.  

Rocky  View  County  and  the  Municipal  District  of  Foothills  contain  a  large  majority  of  the  residents  in  the  Calgary  area.  

This  plan  will  guide  how  their  land,  resources  and  government  works  and  will  indirectly  shape  how  they  live.  

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Province  offers  mediation  to  CRP,  rural  municipalities    Mar  04,  2013  01:28  pm  |  By  Dawn  Smith  |  Rocky  View  Weekly    Rocky  View  County  has  been  invited  to  accept  the  mediation  solution  to  become  part  of  the  Calgary  Regional  Partnership  (CRP)  presented  by  Doug  Griffiths,  the  minister  of  municipal  affairs.  

Griffiths  penned  a  letter  in  late  January,  outlining  the  terms  in  a  bid  to  bring  the  rural  municipalities  of  Rocky  View  and  Foothills  back  into  the  CRP  fold.  

Pending  agreement  by  the  rurals,  mediation  is  set  to  begin  in  March  and  is  expected  to  be  completed  by  the  end  of  June,  according  to  a  CRP  blog  post  dated  Feb.  22.  

When  Rocky  View  voted  to  leave  the  CRP  in  2009,  it  was  over  concerns  about  governance,  density  and  water.  

Reeve  Rolly  Ashdown  said  the  County  is  looking  forward  to  the  mediation  process.  

“Usually  what  happens  when  we  get  together  with  the  CRP  is  they  have  already  decided  what  will  work  for  Rocky  View,”  he  said.  

“This  is  the  first  time  we  will  actually  sit  down  with  them.  We  don’t  have  a  problem  getting  together  with  people,  it’s  great.”  

CRP  Chair  and  Cochrane  Mayor  Truper  McBride  is  also  optimistic  about  the  process.  

“We  have  tried  to  resolve  the  outstanding  issues  with  the  rurals  in  the  past,  (but)  we  weren’t  able  to  come  up  with  a  resolution  ourselves,”  he  said.  

“What  has  changed  is  the  Province  has  decided  to  take  a  lead  on  this.We  are  very  pleased  the  minister  has  stepped  forward.”  

McBride  said  the  CRP  is  waiting  to  hear  from  the  rural  municipalities,  but  said  he  suspects  all  the  parties  will  want  to  take  part  in  the  process  to  ensure  the  success  of  the  CRP’s  long-­‐range  growth  plan  for  the  Calgary  region,  entitled  the  Calgary  Metropolitan  Plan  (CMP).  

He  added  the  minister  told  him  the  “process  will  not  be  allowed  to  fail.”  

Jerry  Ward,  public  affairs  officer  for  Alberta’s  municipal  affairs  department,  confirmed  the  letters  had  been  sent  to  all  CRP  partner  municipalities,  as  well  as  Rocky  View  County  

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and  the  Municipal  District  of  Foothills.  

“It  was  basically  to  move  the  process  forward,”  he  said,  adding  the  letters  were  penned  Jan.  28.  “The  (CMP)  is  a  priority  of  our  government  and  the  Province  has  supported  the  partnership  in  developing  the  plan.  

“Failure  to  include  the  rurals,  which  represent  a  large  majority  of  the  residents  in  the  Calgary  area,  is  a  big  concern  for  the  effectiveness  of  the  plan.”  

The  CMP  was  approved  by  the  CRP  in  2009,  and  has  been  awaiting  the  Province’s  approval  for  nearly  four  years.  

“We  need  everyone  working  together  to  prepare  for  the  more  than  three  million  people  (double  the  current  population)  expected  to  live  in  the  Calgary  Region  over  the  next  60  years,”  stated  the  blog  post,  located  online  at  www.calgaryregion.ca  

 

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TV  show  puts  Chestermere  in  the  limelight    Mar  04,  2013  01:33  pm  |  By  Thomas  Miller  |  Rocky  View  Weekly  Chestermere  is  getting  cross-­‐continent  exposure.  

The  Today  in  America  TV  program  recently  featured  Chestermere  in  a  hidden  gems  segment.  

Terry  Bradshaw,  a  television  personality  famous  for  leading  the  Pittsburgh  Steelers  to  four  Super  Bowls  in  the  1970s  and  1980s,  is  the  host  of  the  program,  which  airs  on  a  number  of  different  networks  including  BNN,  CNN  and  Discovery.  

Chestermere  Mayor  Patricia  Matthews  said  she  worked  with  the  Chestermere  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  the  Calgary  Regional  Partnership  to  find  the  right  people  to  speak  about  Chestermere  as  a  destination  for  viewers.  

Even  Olympic  gold  medallist  John  Morris  pitched  in  as  a  spokesperson  for  Chestermere  in  the  segment.  

Morris  is  occupied  at  the  moment  by  the  Tim  Hortons  Brier,  where  he’s  competing  as  the  third  on  Team  Martin.  

But  Matthews  says  Morris  has  always  been  the  perfect  spokesperson  for  Chestermere.  

“He  is  a  fantastic  community  supporter,”  said  the  mayor  of  the  Olympian.  “John  works  with  our  Big  Brothers  Big  Sisters  program,  he  comes  out  and  mentors  some  of  the  kids  with  the  youth  curling,  he’s  at  every  event  we’ve  ever  asked  to  be  at.  

“He  sacrifices  a  lot  for  our  community,  we  couldn’t  ask  for  a  better  spokesman.”  

Along  with  Matthews  and  Morris,  Andrew  Marriott,  owner  of  a  Tim  Hortons  franchise  in  Chestermere,  Graeme  Melton,  land  development  manager  for  Melcor  Developments,  and  Kyle  Wilson  of  Wilson  Master  Media  participated  in  the  video  to  champion  Chestermere.  

Wilson  has  been  a  Chestermere  resident  since  1989  and  he’s  seen  the  town  grow,  especially  in  the  business  sector.  

“One  of  the  reasons  I  decided  to  start  a  business  out  there  within  the  marketing  industry  is  that  I’ve  seen  a  lot  of  businesses  come  and  go  throughout  the  years  and  that  was  really  my  initiative  to  put  programs  together  where  I  can  help  contribute  to  get  

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these  businesses  names  out  there,”  said  Wilson.  

“In  recent  years,  it’s  been  very  successful  …  businesses  are  sticking  around.  It’s  growing  a  lot  and  that’s  what  I  like  to  see.  

“Chestermere  is  definitely  expanding  and  now  that  we  have  a  lot  of  foundational  things  in  place  such  as  the  schools,  the  banks,  the  gas  stations,  I’m  really  hoping  to  see  a  lot  more  retail  come  in  there  and  I  believe  that  it’s  a  great,  absolutely  amazing  community  to  be  able  to  start  a  business,  especially  with  all  the  future  initiatives  the  Town  has  in  place.”  

Matthews  says  the  Town  was  able  to  work  with  the  TV  program  on  where  it  would  air  –  they  wanted  particular  airings  in  Texas,  Vancouver  and  Victoria.  

“Texas  is  a  big  supporter  of  Alberta  and  vice  versa,”  said  Matthews.  “So  we  thought  that  would  provide  us  with  the  most  potential.  

“This  will  bring  more  opportunity  not  only  for  our  current  businesses,  but  bring  future  business  to  town,  too.  The  chance  to  get  out  there  and  get  people  to  get  a  better  understanding  of  who  we  are  as  a  community  on  a  continent-­‐wide  scale  is  not  something  that  comes  along  very  often.”  

To  view  the  segment  online,  visit  www.chestermere.ca  

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February  28,  2013  Updated:  February  28,  2013  |  8:08  pm  Calgary  regional  mediation  won’t  include  Wheatland  County  

By  Robson  Fletcher  Metro  Calgary  

Wheatland  County  is  refusing  to  take  part  in  mediation  over  the  Calgary  Metropolitan  Plan,  but  the  province  plans  to  press  ahead  with  the  process  regardless.  

“We  don’t  want  to  participate,”  Reeve  Glenn  Koester  told  Metro.  “There’s  nothing  the  city  has  to  offer  us.  So  why  would  we  want  to  be  in  the  mediation?”  

Wheatland  County,  along  with  Rocky  View  County  and  the  Municipal  District  of  Foothills,  are  not  part  of  the  plan  and  don’t  currently  sit  on  the  Calgary  Regional  Partnership,  which  voted  last  week  to  participate  in  the  mediation.  

Both  Rocky  View  Reeve  Rolly  Ashdown  and  Foothills  Reeve  Larry  Spilak  told  Metro  this  week  their  municipalities  are  willing  to  take  part  in  mediation,  although  their  concerns  remain  the  same  over  an  effective  “veto”  they  say  the  plan  gives  Calgary  over  regional  decisions.  

Municipal  Affairs  Minister  Doug  Griffiths  announced  the  mediation  process  in  February,  saying  he  hoped  it  would  “help  resolve  this  once  and  for  all.”  

Municipal  Affairs  spokesman  Jerry  Wary  said  Thursday  Wheatland  County  need  not  necessarily  be  involved.  

“The  minister  has  been  contemplating  whether  Wheatland  needs  to  be  included  in  the  mediation,  given  its  relative  distance  from  the  city,”  he  said.  

Details  on  the  mediation  are  still  being  sorted  out  but  Ward  said  it  should  “get  underway  pretty  soon”  as  Griffiths  hopes  to  have  a  report  on  the  process  by  June.  

Background:  

• The  Calgary  Metropolitian  Plan  led  the  recent,  public  spat  between  Mayor  Naheed  Nenshi  and  Municipal  Affairs  Minister  Doug  Griffiths.  

• Nenshi  wants  the  province  to  legislate  holdout  municipalities  into  the  regional  plan,  but  the  province  has  said  it  won’t  do  that.  

• Members  of  Calgary  City  Council  believe  the  lack  of  agreement  is  hindering  the  city’s  own  development  plans.  

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•  • CRP  agrees  to  mediation  with  surrounding  municipalities  •  • By:  Derek  Clouthier  •    |    Posted:  Wednesday,  Feb  27,  2013  11:33  am  • The  Calgary  Regional  Partnership  (CRP)  has  agreed  to  enter  into  a  mediation  

process  in  an  attempt  to  bring  surrounding  municipalities  to  the  table  and  reach  an  agreement  on  the  Calgary  Metropolitan  Plan  (CMP).  

• The  CRP  developed  the  CMP,  which  was  approved  in  2009,  to  establish  a  framework  to  guide  the  region  forward  to  ensure  growth  occurs  in  a  sustainable  manner.  

• Some  regions,  however,  including  Rocky  View  County  (RVC)  and  the  M.D.  of  Foothills,  chose  not  to  join  the  collaborative  network,  sitting  now  at  14  members  and  includes  the  municipalities  of  Cochrane,  Canmore,  Redwood  Meadows  and  Airdrie,  among  others.  

• Rolly  Ashdown,  RVC  reeve,  said  the  county  elected  to  remain  on  the  sidelines  because  of  two  main  factors:  densities  and  governance.  

• Ashdown  said  density  suggestions  by  the  CRP  –  eight  to  10  units  per  acre  –  do  not  mesh  with  the  rural  setting  of  the  county.  

• The  CRP’s  method  of  governance,  which  for  a  vote  to  pass  requires  the  majority  of  its  members  and  50  per  cent  of  the  population,  is  another  point  of  contention  for  Ashdown,  who  pointed  out  that  Calgary  alone  holds  over  50  per  cent  of  the  CRP’s  population,  leaving  all  other  member  communities  on  the  outside  looking  in.  

• Truper  McBride,  Cochrane  mayor  and  CRP  chair,  said  he  hopes  an  agreement  will  be  reached  on  the  plan.  

• “We  all  certainly  want  to  have  the  rural  municipalities  come  back  to  the  partnership,”  he  said.  

• McBride  added  that  the  CMP  does  not  dictate  levels  of  growth  to  any  specific  municipality,  and  that  each  identifies  its  own  growth  centres,  and  that  is  then  reflected  in  the  plan.  

• McBride  also  said  that  if  mediation  fails,  the  provincial  government  will  then  take  it  upon  itself  to  find  a  solution.  

• Density  and  governance  aside,  Ashdown  is  optimistic  about  the  upcoming  mediation  process.  

• “This  is  a  very  good  thing,”  he  said.  “This  would  be  our  first  opportunity  to  sit  at  the  table.”  

• The  suggestion  to  enter  into  mediation  was  presented  to  the  CRP  by  Alberta’s  minister  of  municipal  affairs,  Doug  Griffiths.  

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• Rural  municipalities  must  also  agree  to  enter  into  the  mediation  process,  which  is  set  to  commence  in  March  and  conclude  by  June.  

• The  CRP  said  in  a  media  release  that  it  hopes  RVC  and  the  M.D.  of  Foothills  can  reach  an  agreement  on  the  CMP.  

• “We  need  everyone  working  together  to  prepare  for  the  more  than  three  million  people  expected  to  live  in  the  Calgary  region  over  the  next  60  years,”  the  release  indicated.  “This  mediation  should  be  the  end  of  a  long  process  of  negotiations.”  

• The  CRP  pointed  toward  what  it  called  ‘several  efforts’  to  bring  rural  municipalities  to  the  discussion  table  over  the  years,  but  said  none  of  the  offers  or  proposed  amendments  to  the  CMP  were  accepted  by  RVC  or  the  M.D.  

 

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Ashdown  details  county  ambitions  

 By  James  Emery,  Airdrie  Echo  Wednesday,  February  27,  2013  11:27:01  MST  AM  

 

Complex  growth  issues,  major  transportation  routes  and  access  to  large  labour  pools  to  fish  from  to  support  local  businesses  are  all  things  Airdrie  and  Rocky  View  County  (RVC)  have  in  common.  

That  was  the  message  Rolly  Ashdown,  reeve  of  RVC,  brought  to  the  podium  when  he  gave  his  first-­‐ever  State  of  the  County  address  at  the  Woodside  Golf  Course  in  Airdrie  last  Wednesday.  

“It’s  a  great  way  to  let  people  know  the  realities  (in  the  county),”  Ashdown  explained.  “A  lot  of  people  speculate  on  what  the  county  is  doing  and  what  they’re  not  doing.”  

Ashdown  addressed  the  Airdrie  Chamber  of  Commerce  during  their  most  recent  networking  luncheon.  

He  touched  on  a  variety  of  regional  projects,  a  large  portion  of  which  directly  involved  Airdrie  or  neighbouring  communities.  

In  Balzac,  Ashdown  gushed  about  the  1.3-­‐million  sq.-­‐ft  Target  Distribution  Centre  that  recently  opened  and  how  it’s  increasing  job  opportunities  in  the  region.  

He  said  the  centre  currently  has  250  employees  and  that  is  expected  to  double  in  the  coming  years.  

“Then  they  can  come  back  here  and  spend  money  on  all  of  the  things  you  had  in  mind  for  people  spending  money  on,”  he  said.  “I  hope  that  works  out  really  well  for  Airdrie,  because  it’s  worked  so  great  for  Rocky  View  County.”  

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Meanwhile,  he  brought  everyone  up  to  speed  on  a  few  other  projects,  including  the  Balzac  Fire  Station,  which  became  operational  last  year  near  the  CrossIron  Mills  mall.  

As  well,  he  was  excited  for  a  new  project  in  Madden  that  will  see  an  18-­‐hole  golf  course,  21  room  hotel  and  banquet  facility  as  well  as  15  individual  cabins  constructed  in  the  hamlet  northwest  of  Airdrie.  

Ashdown  also  took  the  time  to  quell  what  he  said  was  misinformation  regarding  the  construction  of  a  county  municipal  building.  

Currently,  RVC  headquarters  is  off  32nd  avenue  in  Calgary  in  a  1970s  building  that  is  “tired  and  small,”  Ashdown  said.  

He  wanted  to  make  clear  that  RVC  had  not  approved  a  municipal  building  and  that  the  county  had  not  thought  about  it  “too  deeply.”  

He  said  the  county  does  have  a  $30  million  budget  in  mind  if  they  do  eventually  move.  

And  if  the  county  sold  their  headquarters  now,  they  would  get  roughly  $20  million,  Ashdown  noted.  

“It’s  not  a  bad  deal  for  us  to  spend  some  money,  get  something  that  actually  fits  for  us,  relocate  in  Rocky  View  County,  which  reduces  costs  of  fuel  and  gives  us  the  ability  not  to  have  to  lease  extra  space,”  Ashdown  said.  

Ashdown  also  spoke  of  the  completed  road  project  at  Range  Road  292,  part  of  an  annexation  agreement  that  saw  Airdrie  grow  by  approximately  12,000  acres,  Ashdown  noted,  saying  he  hoped  it  was  enough  for  the  city  to  expand  further.  

“Hopefully  it  does,  but  if  it  doesn’t,  we  have  about  1,000,000  acres  —  you  can  have  some  more,”  he  laughed.  

The  reeve  also  addressed  why  the  county  pays  Airdrie  $170,000  per  year  for  recreation  through  a  cost  sharing  agreement.  

“We  recognize  that  our  people  use  your  facilities,”  he  explained,  citing  Genesis  Place  as  a  key  example.  “It  gives  us  the  ability  to  not  build  multi-­‐million  dollar  facilities  for  only  a  few  hundred  thousand  dollars  and  gives  our  people  the  same  benefit.  I  can’t  imagine  changing  that.”  

Ashdown  was  also  hopeful  the  proposed  casino  and  racetrack  in  Balzac  would  be  approved  and  be  opened  by  2014.  

He  also  updated  those  in  attendance  with  status  of  the  County  Plan.  

The  planning  document,  perhaps  better  known  as  a  Municipal  Development  Plan,  is  set  

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to  be  put  before  council  in  early  June  and  approved  by  June  11  following  months  of  public  consultations  across  the  county  to  solicit  feedback  on  what  issues  residents  are  most  concerned  about.  

It  details  policies,  programs  and  projects  to  guide  county  development  and  services  over  the  next  decade,  Ashdown  said.  

“We’re  going  to  show  the  residents  of  Rocky  View  County  what  we’ve  discovered  came  from  them  so  we  make  sure  we  got  it  right,”  he  said.  

Ashdown  also  fielded  questions  and  was  asked  about  why  the  county  isn’t  participating  in  the  Calgary  Regional  Partnership  (CRP)  and  the  future  of  water  in  RVC.  

“The  CRP  is  a  great  idea,  it’s  going  to  end  up  being  legislation  some  day,”  he  responded.  “Regional  planning  is  coming  —  we’re  not  going  to  be  able  to  avoid  it.  It’s  a  good  thing.”  

But  he  said  for  now,  servicing  and  government  issues  continue  to  be  the  two  main  sticking  points  as  to  why  they’re  resistant  to  return  to  the  CRP.  

As  for  water,  Ashdown  said  “there’s  water  everywhere.”  

“What  we  have  now  is  way  more  than  what  we  need,”  he  said.  “It’s  enough  to  service  water  in  Rocky  View  County’s  area  to  cover  debt  of  infrastructure  that  brought  us  this  business.”  

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Mediation  for  the  CRP  

 By  Marco  Vigliotti,  High  River  Times  Friday,  March  1,  2013  1:44:17  MST  PM  

Municipal  Affairs  Minister  Doug  Griffiths  says  he’s  confident  an  independent  mediator  will  be  able  to  broker  a  solution  to  a  longstanding  dispute  over  an  expansive  50-­‐year  plan  for  the  Calgary  region.    He  said  the  dispute  between  three  rural  municipalities  -­‐including  the  MD  of  Foothills-­‐  and  ostensibly  the  City  of  Calgary  over  the  Calgary  Metropolitan  Plan  (CMP)  will  be  solved  by  the  end  of  the  mediation  process,  as  the  provincial  government  will  not  allow  the  feuding  communities  to  come  up  short.    “There  will  be  cooperation”  between  the  municipalities  and  mediation  will  resolve  the  dispute,  he  told  a  Feb  14.  conference  of  municipal  politicians.  Griffiths  said  last  month  the  government  would  hold  mediated  talks  over  the  contentious  plan  -­‐which  is  supposed  to  govern  the  future  of  growth,  water  and  transit  for  a  wide  spanning  area  stretching  from  Banff  to  Nanton-­‐  rejecting  pleas  from  Calgary  Mayor  Naheed  Nenshi  to  legislate  the  plan  without  the  consent  of  the  objecting  municipalities.    The  Calgary  Regional  Partnership  (CRP)  -­‐the  group  designing  the  CMP-­‐  voted  at  their  Feb.  22  meeting  to  accept  Griffiths’  plans  for  mediation,  posting  a  message  on  their  website  that  talks  will  begin  this  March  and  wrap  up  by  June.  The  CRP  is  made  up  of  every  major  urban  municipality  in  the  broader  region  including  the  City  of  Calgary,  the  Town  of  Okotoks  and  The  Town  of  High  River.  The  MD  of  Foothills,  Rocky  View  County  and  Wheatland  County  left  the  group  back  in  2009  over  concerns  about  the  control  the  City  of  Calgary  will  have  over  future  development  in  their  jurisdictions  under  the  CMP.  The  rural  municipalities  say  Calgary  overwhelming  dictates  the  CRP  and  worry  the  City  will  be  able  to  veto  any  future  development  that  goes  against  their  plans  to  limit  growth  to  already  developed  areas  in  the  region.  Calgary  representatives  say  limiting  growth  to  densely  populated  corridors  will  allow  for  better  regional  integration  and  ultimately  save  money,  as  communities  won’t  have  to  fund  costly  infrastructure  projects-­‐including  new  roads-­‐  to  service  disparate  areas.  

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Nenshi  to  meet  Redford  over  city  powers  in  March  

CBC  News  Posted:  Feb  22,  2013  4:11  PM  MT  Last  Updated:  Feb  22,  2013  3:59  PM  MT  

Mayor  Naheed  Nenshi  says  he  has  secured  a  meeting  with  the  premier  to  discuss  greater  powers  for  Calgary,  to  help  pay  for  infrastructure.  

Nenshi  has  been  asking  for  what  he  calls  political  leadership  from  the  province,  as  negotiations  drag  on  related  to  the  drafting  of  a  city  charter  for  Calgary  and  the  ratification  of  the  Calgary  Metropolitan  Plan.  

There  has  been  a  growing  rift  between  the  mayor  and  the  Redford  government  since  Municipal  Affairs  Minister  Doug  Griffiths  suggested  Nenshi  was  playing  politics  and  acting  like  a  peacock.  

Nenshi  was  asked  if  there's  still  tension.  "I'm  not  really  interested  in  the  politics  of  this,  or  the  who  likes  who,  or  all  the  junior  high  school  drama.  I'm  really  interested  in  getting  the  work  done,”  he  said.  

“So,  insofar  as  the  work  needs  to  get  done,  sure  there's  some  tension  because  we  gotta  get  the  work  done,”  he  added.  

Nenshi  said  he  has  not  had  a  formal  sit  down  meeting  with  Redford  since  her  election.  

“The  bureaucracy  can't  be  sitting  down  and  negotiating  this  all  on  their  own  in  the  absence  of  political  leaders,  so  it's  time,”  he  said.  

The  meeting  will  take  place  in  late  March.  

The  Calgary  Metropolitan  Plan  would  see  municipalities  in  the  Calgary  area  work  together  on  decisions  about  future  roads,  transit  and  water  in  the  region.  Fourteen  municipalities  are  on  board  with  the  plan  but  three  districts  do  not  support  it.  

City  charters  for  Edmonton  and  Calgary,agreed  to  in  principle  in  2012,  would  provide  Alberta’s  big  cities  more  powers.  But  the  negotiations  are  not  where  they  should  be  after  months  of  talking,  Nenshi  has  argued.  

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   Metro  plan  impasse  leads  to  water  supply  issues      Rural  projects  tap  distant  reservoirs      By  Jason  Markusoff,  Calgary  Herald  February  18,  2013    

   CALGARY  —  Calgary  has  ample  water  from  its  state-­‐of-­‐the-­‐art  treatment  plants  that  it’s  willing  to  share  with  neighbours,  provided  they  agree  to  a  few  rules.  

But  they  won’t  agree,  and  they’re  looking  for  water  elsewhere  in  a  swath  of  Alberta  with  small  rivers  and  a  tight  water  supply.  

Which  means  that  a  1,700-­‐house  development  just  five  kilometres  east  of  city  limits  will  get  water  at  far  greater  cost  from  a  small  reservoir  25  clicks  away  in  Kathyrn  —  and  Rocky  View  County  could  tap  the  project  into  a  source  farther  afield  in  Drumheller,  116  kilometres  away,  from  the  Red  Deer  River.  

That  strikes  a  nerve  with  water  conservationists,  who  raged  against  plans  (later  

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abandoned)  to  supply  the  Balzac  megamall  project  with  Red  Deer  River  water  from  Drumheller  after  the  province  closed  the  Bow  River  to  new  applications  for  bulk  withdrawals.  

Rolly  Ashdown,  Rocky  View’s  reeve,  has  more  absurd  examples  of  ways  his  municipality  must  work  around  the  long-­‐standing  Calgary-­‐rural  impasse  over  utility  servicing.  

A  Balzac-­‐area  commercial  developer  has  a  Calgary-­‐to-­‐Airdrie  water  main  running  underneath  its  land,  but  it  may  not  be  able  to  tap  that  source.  

A  development  in  Elbow  Valley  has  a  sewage  pipe  ready  but  unconnected  to  Calgary’s  system,  and  thanks  to  the  dispute  the  wastewater  is  trucked  into  the  treatment  plant.  

Then  there’s  Prince  of  Peace  church,  school  and  retirement  village,  a  two-­‐minute  drive  east  of  Calgary  along  the  Trans-­‐Canada  Highway.  

“There’s  a  pipe  they  can  throw  a  rock  and  hit.  And  we’re  piping  in  water  from  Kathyrn.  And  it  costs  a  fortune,”  Ashdown  said.  

Neither  city  nor  county  think  it  should  be  this  way.  Calgary  is  offering  rural  municipalities  its  water  for  projects  if  they  agree  to  the  Calgary  Metropolitan  Plan  for  future  growth  that  the  city,  Cochrane,  Airdrie  and  all  other  towns  and  villages  have  signed  on  to.  

“It’s  not  an  option  because  we’re  not  in  the  club,”  Ashdown  said.  

The  surrounding  counties’  refusal  to  sign  onto  the  plan  and  its  long-­‐range,  urban-­‐suburb-­‐level  density  targets  —  and  the  provincial  government’s  reluctance  to  force  the  counties  to  join  by  legislating  the  plan  —  triggered  Mayor  Naheed  Nenshi’s  name-­‐calling  spat  with  Municipal  Affairs  Minister  Doug  Griffiths  last  week.  

Counties  like  Rocky  View,  over  some  protest  among  existing  acreage  residents,  have  begun  approving  developments  at  much  greater  concentrations  than  the  patch  of  two-­‐acre  lots  that  places  like  Elbow  Valley  and  Springbank  are  best  known  for.  

Meeting  the  density  demands  of  the  Metropolitan  Plan,  even  not  until  decades  from  now,  would  be  a  greater  leap  that  demands  tinier  home  lots  and  probably  apartments  that  just  wouldn’t  work  in  the  countryside,  the  reeve  said.  

The  developer  of  Buffalo  Hills,  whose  1,700-­‐unit  project  could  begin  selling  lots  this  year  in  the  hamlet  of  Conrich,  said  customers  are  looking  for  something  they  can  no  longer  get  in  Calgary.  

“And  that’s  a  larger  lot,  which  means  a  lower  density,”  said  Jim  Kuz,  general  manager  of  Buffalo  Hills  Development  Ltd.  

“I  don’t  think  they’re  looking  for  ...  an  acreage  development,  but  they’re  looking  for  

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more  than  the  32-­‐  or  34-­‐foot-­‐wide  lot  in  the  city  of  Calgary.”  

Earlier  in  his  project’s  life,  Kuz  said,  he  had  spend  60  per  cent  of  his  time  trying  to  figure  out  the  water  source  for  his  development.  

It  was  largely  solved  for  him  when  CN  Rail  decided  to  locate  its  $200-­‐million  logistics  yard  near  Conrich  but  was  unable  to  tap  into  Calgary  water  because  of  Rocky  View’s  refusal  to  join  the  regional  plan.  So  CN  Rail  agreed  to  spend  $25  million  to  pipe  in  water  from  Kathyrn  in  the  county’s  northeast  corner.  

Buffalo  Hills  sacrificed,  too,  ceding  five  acres  of  its  property  for  a  reservoir  and  distribution  hub  for  that  water  system.  

Kuz  is  all  too  aware  of  the  easier  solution  five  kilometres  west.  

“It  would  be  a  very  significant  cost  savings  for  those  involved,  but  to  a  degree,  it’s  moot  because  the  arrangement  just  could  not  be  made,  and  this  was  the  only  viable  arrangement  that  brought  potable  water  to  the  Conrich  area,”  he  said.  “And  thank  goodness  for  CN  locating  there.”  

With  Calgary  not  sharing,  and  the  Bow  River  still  capped,  CN’s  water  is  coming  from  the  Western  Irrigation  District,  which  also  provided  water  to  Balzac.  For  future  water  needs  for  Conrich,  the  county  has  secured  rights  to  water  from  Drumheller,  after  its  town  council  voted  last  year  to  permit  its  water  being  used  much  deeper  into  Rocky  View  than  it  had  agreed  to  previously.  

“If  we’re  piping  water  out  of  the  Red  Deer  to  provide  growth  around  the  Calgary  area,  that  undermines  the  whole  purpose  of  the  Water  for  Life  strategy  and  capping  of  the  licences  in  the  South  Saskatchewan  River  basin,”  said  Bill  Donahue,  an  environmental  scientist  and  director  for  Water  Matters.  

He  also  criticized  the  province  for  letting  cities  like  Calgary  hold  water  licences  that  far  exceed  their  own  population  needs,  and  they  can  in  turn  use  to  influence  any  projects  that  might  need  that  affordable  and  well-­‐treated  water.  

The  province  is  hiring  a  mediator  to  bring  the  counties  and  the  regional  plan  members  to  the  table,  in  hopes  of  creating  a  plan  all  can  agree  on.  

But  just  as  the  county  doesn’t  want  to  bend  on  conditions  it  dislikes,  Calgary  Ald.  Jim  Stevenson  said  the  rules  by  which  the  city  will  share  its  water  shouldn’t  change.  

“There  has  to  be  some  plan  for  density,  some  plan  for  long-­‐term  sustainable  development,”  he  said.  “You  can’t  just  take  a  piece  of  it.”  

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   The  Calgary  Regional  Partnership:  A  vision  waiting  for  leadership  02/17/2013    In  January  2006,  the  Calgary  Regional  Partnership  (CRP)  began  to  establish  a  framework  for  what  would  eventually  become  the  Calgary  Metropolitan  Plan  (CMP).    To  build  the  framework,  the  Calgary  Regional  Partnership  initiated  an  extensive  consultation  and  began  to  formalize  a  governance  structure  for  its  activities  and  purpose.    Despite  membership  in  the  CRP  being  voluntary,  at  that  time  each  of  the  key  stakeholders  in  the  Calgary  Region  (and  some  beyond)  participated.    The  17  members  pursued  a  regional  plan  which  would  determine  the  implementation  of  key  principles.    Those  principles  eventually  became:    Protecting  the  natural  environment  &  watershed,  fostering  the  region’s  economic  vitality,  accommodating  growth,  integrating  efficient  regional  infrastructure  systems,  and  a  supportive  regional  governance  approach.    Clearly,  regional  planning  across  Alberta  plays  a  significant  role  in  efficiently  connecting  communities  across  the  Province.    With  the  micro  focus  of  planning  being  within  municipalities,  the  CMP  focuses  on  a  macro  planning  perspective.    It  focuses  on  regional  communities  as  being  organs  of  a  larger  system  with  shared  resources,  shared  constraints,  and  a  common  fate  based  on  that  decisions  each  community  makes.    As  the  framework  progressed  and  the  plan  began  to  take  shape,  several  of  the  key  members  to  the  Calgary  Regional  Partnership  began  to  grow  concerned.      The  concerns  continued  to  grow  and  on  September  23,  2009  crippled  the  Calgary  Regional  Partnership.      The  Calgary  Regional  Dictatorship  

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 Then  Mayor  Bronconnier,  at  the  opening  of  the  Crowfoot  LRT  in  NW  Calgary.  

 1995  saw  the  death  of  a  foregone  instrument  of  regional  planning:  The  Calgary  Regional  Planning  Commission.    Since  1951  the  Calgary  Regional  Planning  Commission  stewarded  regional  land  use  items;  however,  the  introduction  of  the  Municipal  Government  Act  dissolved  various  regional  statutes,  and  mandatory  planning  commissions  with  binding  statutory  plans  was  one  of  them  (David  J.  Climenhaga,  The  Death  and  Life  of  Regional  Planning  in  the  Calgary  Area,  1997;  4).        While  the  reasons  were  given  as  being  related  to  the  introduction  of  cuts  from  then  Premier,  Ralph  Klein’s  government,  it  appeared  difficult  to  deny  that  the  true  reasons  ran  deeper.    As  a  former  Reeve  of  the  Municipal  District  of  Rocky  View  stated  when  speaking  to  the  structure  of  the  Calgary  Regional  Planning  Commission  and  its  tendency  to  favour  the  needs  of  the  urban  centers  over  the  rural  ones:  “This  was  completely  unfair,  given  that  it  was  our  land  they  were  dealing  with.”    The  same  Reeve  went  on  to  state  that  “I  was  the  architect  of  the  [Calgary  Regional  Planning  Commission]’s  demise”.  (David  J.  Climenhaga,  The  Death  and  Life  of  Regional  Planning  in  the  Calgary  Area,  1997;  9).      Then  Alderman,  David  Bronconnier  stated  that:  “Rural  areas  have  the  ear  of  the  government,  and  definitely  have  more  influence  than  some  of  the  urban  municipalities.”    (David  J.  Climenhaga,  The  Death  and  Life  of  Regional  Planning  in  the  Calgary  Area,  1997;  13)    And  so  on  May  17,  1995  the  Calgary  Regional  Planning  Commission  ended  its  tenure  when  the  Municipal  Government  Act  received  Royal  Assent.    In  2006  and  rebirth  of  regional  planning  in  the  Calgary  area  gained  new  momentum,  

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with  some  familiar  faces  such  a  then  Calgary  Mayor,  David  Bronconnier  strongly  influencing  it.    Mayor  Bronconnier  was  not  a  delicate  flower  when  it  came  to  politics,  especially  of  the  Provincial  variety.    As  publicly  stated  on  several  occasions,  he  long  believed  that  regional  planning  was  an  instrument  used  by  the  Progressive  Conservative  government  to  secure  votes  in  rural  areas,  while  neglecting  the  growing  urban  needs  brought  on  by  significant  growth.    So  it  is  no  surprise  that  on  September  23,  2009,  three  years  after  the  Calgary  Regional  Partnership  began  pursuing  the  development  of  the  Calgary  Metropolitan  Plan,  history  repeated  itself  with  less  grace.    For  the  MD  of  Foothills,  Rocky  View  County,  and  Wheatland  County  the  Calgary  Metropolitan  Plan  was  just  too  much  about  Calgary  and  not  enough  about  the  needs  of  rural  communities.        Former  Bearspaw  Area  Councillor  Norman  Kent  stated  that  “Rocky  View  needs  to  be  viewed  as  a  viable  entity  unto  itself  and  the  [Calgary  Metropolitan  Plan]  denies  that.    The  counties  are  not  seen  as  equals  with  the  City.”  (Sun  Media,  County  leaves  Calgary  Regional  Partnership,  September  23,  2009)    The  primary  concern  was  over  the  veto  power  that  Calgary  would  have  regarding  regional  planning  matters.    It  essentially  gave  the  City  of  Calgary  the  authority  to  subordinate  other  participating  municipalities  by  centralizing  power  over  rural  property  rights  into  an  urban  government.        Putting  the  Partnership  back  in  the  Calgary  Region  

   

   

On  January  28,  2013,  seven  years  after  the  Calgary  Regional  Partnership  began  its  work  on  a  regional  framework  and  eighteen  years  after  the  demise  of  the  Calgary  Regional  Planning  Commission,  the  Calgary  Region  has  no  functioning  regional  plan  to  govern  stewardship  of  constrained  resources  and  to  coordinate  planning  matters.    Minister  of  Municipal  Affairs,  Doug  Griffiths  has  indicated  that  it’s  time  to  get  things  back  on  track.    In  a  letter  to  the  CRP  dated  January  28,  2013,  Griffiths  states:  

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“the  Government  of  Alberta  continues    to  believe  that  any  meaningful  plan  for  the  region  must  include  rural  and  urban  municipalities  alike,  and  must  achieve  a  reasonable  balance  between  the  needs  and  aspiration  of  all  parties.    Despite  significant  efforts  to  date,  the  [Calgary  Metropolitan  Plan]  still  does  not  meet  this  critical  test.”    Griffiths  goes  on  to  indicate  that  his  intention  is  to  consider  the  use  of  a  mediator  to  achieve  an  agreeable  outcome  on  the  Calgary  Regional  Partnership  and  participation  in  it.    Mayor  Nenshi  of  Calgary  differs  with  the  Minister,  stating  that  “I’m  not  sure  that  a  new  government-­‐appointed  mediator  is  really  going  to  make  a  difference,  given  that  the  government  has  already  signaled  that  they  will  give  the  rural  municipalities  whatever  they  want.”    (It  should  not  be  lost  on  the  reader  that  former  Alderman  and  Mayor  David  Bronconnier  made  a  similar  statement  regarding  rural  municipalities  having  the  “ear”  of  the  Province.    See  previous  section.)        As  the  dialogue  between  the  parties  is  observed,  it  becomes  clear  that  the  issues  that  plagued  the  Calgary  Regional  Planning  Commission,  crippled  the  Calgary  Regional  Partnership  in  2009,  and  face  the  Calgary  Regional  Partnership  today  are  the  same.    Calgary  wants  the  regional  partnership  to  be  about…  well,  Calgary.    Until  it  is  acknowledged  that  the  Calgary  Regional  Partnership  is  about  a  “region”  and  not  just  “Calgary”,  it  is  likely  that  the  Partnership  will  continue  to  exist  only  in  the  title,  and  never  be  a  reality.    My  Personal  Thoughts  Hopefully  that  history  lesson  was  valuable!        Below  are  some  thoughts  I  have  on  the  Calgary  Regional  Partnership  situation.    I’ll  leave  the  technical  details  to  the  professional  planners  and  policy  folks;  however,  I  think  the  suggestions  below  would  affect  the  entire  process  positively:  • Mediation  first.    I  agree  with  the  Minister  on  this.    Mandating  participation  does  not  a  

partnership  make  and  legislating  partnership  will  never  result  in  a  true  collaboration.    Disagreements  will  occur  regardless;  however,  the  strength  to  navigate  them  is  based  on  the  strength  of  the  relationship  between  the  parties  and  not  the  language  in  the  legislation  that  forces  them  to  sit  in  front  of  one  another.  

• Start  getting  serious.    It’s  starting  to  sound  like  the  Calgary  Regional  Partnership  isn’t  the  only  entity  with  a  relationship  problem.    The  Province  and  municipalities  need  to  work  together  to  get  things  done.    Start  doing  that.    No  more  media  low  blows.    We're  all  big  kids  now  and  can  have  adult  conversations.  

• Be  ready  to  compromise.    Not  everyone  is  going  to  get  what  they  want  out  of  the  Calgary  Regional  Partnership.    With  competing  interests,  everyone  will  need  to  compromise;  and  yes,  that  even  includes  Calgary.    Is  it  an  easy  compromise?    No.    As  long  as  the  parties  keep  thinking  it's  about  winners  and  losers,  everyone's  a  loser.    

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•  • Minister  turns  to  mediation  to  settle  Calgary  Metropolitan  Plan  •  • BY  RENATO  GANDIA  ,CALGARY  SUN  THURSDAY,  FEBRUARY  14,  2013  11:27  AM  MST  

•  • The  province  is  poised  to  call  a  mediator  on  a  contentious  regional  plan  which  

sparked  a  spat  between  Calgary’s  mayor  and  a  provincial  minister.  • Minister  Doug  Griffiths  says  he’s  going  to  contact  a  mediator  to  settle  the  issues  

between  municipalities  that  support  the  Calgary  Metropolitan  Plan  (CMP)  and  those  that  oppose  it.  

• “I’ve  already  dealt  with  the  Calgary  Metropolitan  Plan  and  the  partnership  there  to  contact  a  mediator  who’s  going  to  help  resolve  this  once  and  for  all,”  Griffiths  told  reporters  Thursday.  

• Last  Monday,  Mayor  Naheed  Nenshi  took  offence  over  personal  comments  lodged  by  Griffiths,  who  said  the  mayor  was  puffing  up  like  a  “peacock”  and  acting  tough  before  this  year’s  civic  vote.  

• Speaking  to  media  after  the  Alberta  Urban  Municipalities  Association’s  Mayor’s  Caucus  and  MLA  breakfast  Thursday,  Griffiths  said  he  “didn’t  actually  think  it  was  much  of  an  issue.”  

• The  tension  between  Griffiths  and  Nenshi  revolves  around  the  drafting  of  a  city  charter  as  well  as  the  CMP,  a  long-­‐term  blueprint  that  aims  to  see  municipalities  work  together  on  residential,  commercial  and  industrial  growth  in  the  area.  

• Three  rural  districts  haven’t  signed  on  to  the  CMP  while  14  other  municipalities  including  Calgary  have.  

• Nenshi,  who  wasn’t  available  for  comment  on  Thursday,  said  last  Monday  the  

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province  is  dragging  its  feet  on  legislating  the  plan  and  that  the  city  is  “being  marginalized  and  frankly  abused.”  

• The  mayor  was  also  surprised  to  hear  about  the  province-­‐led  mediation  which  “presumably  the  city  needs  to  participate  in.”  

• “I  need  to  see  some  details  on  the  mediation  process  and  certainly  council  needs  to  determine  whether  or  not  we’ll  be  part  of  that.”  

• “The  conversations  with  the  rural  partners  have  been  going  on  for  many,  many,  many  years  with  lots  of  different  facilitators.  

• “I’m  not  sure  that  a  new  government-­‐appointed  mediator  is  really  going  to  make  a  difference  given  that  the  government  has  already  signalled  that  they  will  give  rural  municipalities  whatever  they  want.”  

• Griffiths  clarified  Thursday  that  the  civic  charter  that  the  province  has  been  negotiating  with  Edmonton  and  Calgary  has  been  going  well  and  could  be  signed  as  early  as  this  May,  five  months  ahead  of  schedule.  

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   Relationship  between  Calgary  mayor  Nenshi  and  Alberta  premier  Alison  Redford  increasingly  strained      Minister  likens  mayor  to  ‘peacock’  after  critique  of  Calgary  regional  growth  plan      By  Jason  Markusoff,  Calgary  Herald  February  12,  2013    

   Mayor  Naheed  Nenshi,  bristling  after  a  minister  called  him  a  politicking  “peacock,”  accused  the  province  of  favouring  its  rural  neighbours  over  the  city  it  was  supposed  to  empower.  

Nenshi  formerly  had  high  hopes  of  gaining  new  clout  for  Calgary  in  charter  talks  with  the  government  of  Premier  Alison  Redford,  a  fellow  Calgarian.  

But  he’s  fretted  lately  that  the  charter  talks  are  flagging  and  the  door  has  closed  on  his  wish  for  civic  revenue-­‐generating  powers.  

Even  news  that  Municipal  Affairs  Minister  Doug  Griffiths  will  hire  a  mediator  to  try  bringing  counties  back  onside  with  the  regional  growth  plan  drew  the  mayor’s  skepticism.  

“I’m  not  sure  that  a  new  government-­‐appointed  mediator  is  really  going  to  make  any  difference,  given  that  the  government  has  already  signalled  that  they  will  give  the  rural  municipalities  whatever  they  want,”  Nenshi  said.  

His  words  came  hours  after  a  Herald  report  came  out  —  in  response  to  the  mayor’s  own  sharply  worded  Herald  column  —  that  quoted  Griffiths  saying  that  with  a  civic  election  

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coming,  Nenshi  was  going  to  “puff  up  like  a  peacock  and  be  tough.”  

The  mayor  replied  with  more  criticism.  

“Rather  than  concern,  on  a  file  that  he  is  mishandling,  what  we  get  is  personal  insults,”  Nenshi  told  reporters  Monday.  

The  mayor  also  beefed  that  he  wasn’t  invited  to  last  weekend’s  Alberta  economic  summit.  

Although  the  mayor  insisted  city-­‐province  relations  remain  strong,  this  is  proving  to  become  the  biggest  hissing  match  between  the  two  since  2007  —  another  election  year  —  when  then-­‐mayor  Dave  Bronconnier  feuded  with  the  Stelmach  Tories  over  a  massive  provincial  grant  program.  Both  Griffiths  and  Nenshi  complain  the  other  isn’t  picking  up  or  answering  the  phone.  Nenshi  and  the  premier  are  supposed  to  meet  later  this  month,  the  mayor  said.  

At  stake  in  this  feud  is  the  provincial  mandate  for  Calgary  and  surrounding  municipalities  to  combine  on  the  Calgary  Metropolitan  Plan,  which  conserves  water  and  concentrates  residential,  commercial  and  industrial  growth  in  certain  areas.  Calgary,  which  secured  licence  to  draw  enough  Bow  River  water  for  three  million  people  before  water  draws  were  capped,  is  willing  to  provide  water  service  to  neighbours  —  but  only  if  they  sign  onto  the  plan,  and  only  developments  with  densities  that  rival  Calgary’s  new  suburbs.  

The  counties  of  Rocky  View,  Wheatland  and  Foothills  have  refused  to  agree  to  the  density  targets,  and  have  withdrawn  from  the  Calgary  Regional  Partnership.  

“You  have  a  bunch  of  urban-­‐style  development  people  trying  to  bring  the  rural  in,”  said  Rocky  View  Reeve  Rolly  Ashdown.  He’s  willing  to  sit  down  with  a  mediator,  but  said  his  rural  council  won’t  introduce  a  plan  that  effectively  requires  apartment-­‐style  housing  in  areas  used  to  acreages  and  farms.  

The  mayor  wants  the  province  to  force  the  counties  into  the  plan  through  legislation,  something  a  premier’s  spokesman  said  Redford  does  not  wish  to  do.  

Rocky  View  had  asked  for  a  city  water  tie-­‐in  for  a  new  CN  Rail  yard  going  up  in  just  outside  northeast  Calgary,  but  instead  will  have  to  bring  in  water  from  an  irrigation  district,  at  greater  cost.  

Unlike  Nenshi,  the  Tory-­‐friendly  chair  of  the  partnership  group  sees  promise  in  the  proposed  mediator  the  province  will  hire.  “For  my  part,  I’m  committed  to  making  this  process  work  and  happy  to  now  have  the  province  at  the  table  and  supporting  the  process,”  said  Cochrane  Mayor  Truper  McBride,  who  vied  for  a  Tory  nomination  in  the  last  election.  

Two  years  ago,  council  voted  to  create  a  subsidiary  to  handle  regional  water  and  

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wastewater  servicing.  Alberta  Municipal  Affairs  confirmed  Monday  that  it’s  rejected  the  utility  corporation  as  proposed.  

“There  were  a  number  of  conditions  placed  on  it  that  were  impossible  for  the  city  to  meet,”  Nenshi  said.  

 

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 Nenshi  calls  out  provincial  minister  over  'personal  insults'  

Calgary  mayor  says  Doug  Griffiths  mishandling  the  process  for  a  new  metropolitan  plan  CBC  News  Posted:  Feb  11,  2013  3:12  PM  MT    [VIDEO]    Calgary's  mayor  is  firing  back  at  a  provincial  cabinet  minister  who  likened  him  to  a  peacock.  

After  Naheed  Nenshi  said  on  the  weekend  that  the  province  treats  Calgary's  city  council  like  it's  the  junior  league  of  politics,  Minister  of  Municipal  Affairs  Doug  Griffiths  shot  back  Monday.  

In  an  interview  with  the  Calgary  Herald,  the  minister  said  Nenshi  thinks  he's  always  right  and  is  puffing  up  like  a  peacock  because  it's  an  election  year.  

The  war  of  words  is  related  to  the  drafting  of  a  city  charter  for  Calgary  and  the  ratification  of  the  Calgary  Metropolitan  Plan.  

That  plan  would  see  municipalities  in  the  Calgary  area  work  together  on  decisions  about  future  roads,  transit  and  water  in  the  region.  Fourteen  municipalities  are  on  board  with  the  plan  but  three  districts  do  not  support  it.  

Nenshi  has  complained  the  province  has  been  slow  to  get  the  municipal  plan  ready  to  be  legislated.  

But  Griffiths  claims  Calgary’s  mayor  hasn’t  called  him  in  months.  

“One  of  the  challenges  that  the  city  has  on  this  is  that  we're  being  marginalized  and  frankly  abused  in  a  lot  of  this  and  I  think  the  minister's  comments  today  are  simply  proof  of  that,”  Nenshi  said.  

“You  know,  rather  than  responding  to  a  legitimate  concern  raised  about  a  file  that  he's  mishandling,  what  we  get  are  personal  insults.”  

For  months,  Nenshi  has  been  calling  for  a  meeting  with  the  premier  but,  so  far,  nothing  

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has  been  arranged.  

Nenshi  said  he  was  surprised  to  hear  Griffiths  say  the  province  would  now  lead  a  mediation  process.  

"It's  the  first  I've  heard  of  that,"  he  said.  

"The  conversations  with  the  rural  partners  have  been  going  on  for  many,  many,  many  years,  with  lots  of  different  facilitators.  And  I'm  not  sure  that  a  new  government  appointed  mediator  is  really  going  to  make  any  difference,  given  that  the  government  has  already  signalled  that  they  will  give  the  rural  municipalities  whatever  they  want."  

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   Calgary  mayor  and  municipal  affairs  minister  exchange  barbs  over  growth  plan    By  Richard  Cuthbertson,  Calgary  Herald  February  11,  2013        

   CALGARY  —  A  war  of  words  has  broken  out  between  Mayor  Naheed  Nenshi  and  Municipal  Affairs  Minister  Doug  Griffiths  over  the  province’s  handling  of  a  multi-­‐decade  growth  plan  for  the  Calgary  region.  

On  Sunday,  Nenshi  accused  the  province  of  treating  city  government  like  a  “farm  team,”  and  harshly  criticized  it  for  not  moving  faster  to  legislate  the  Calgary  Metropolitan  Plan.  

Griffiths  shot  back  in  an  interview,  saying  the  mayor  hasn’t  called  him  months,  thinks  he’s  always  right  and  is  puffing  “up  like  a  peacock”  in  the  lead-­‐up  to  next  fall’s  civic  election.  

The  Calgary  Metropolitan  Plan  is  supposed  to  govern  the  next  60  years  of  transit,  growth,  and  water  and  wastewater  use  in  the  region  stretching  from  Banff  to  Strathmore,  and  from  Irricana  to  Nanton.  

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The  plan  has  been  forged  by  the  Calgary  Regional  Partnership,  a  group  of  municipalities  that  includes  Calgary.  Fourteen  municipalities  have  signed  on,  however  three  rural  districts  are  holding  out.  

The  problem,  Nenshi  said,  is  the  Alberta  government  is  dragging  its  feet  on  legislating  the  metropolitan  plan  (which  would  include  the  holdouts),  even  though  amendments  asked  for  by  the  province  were  made  in  June.  

“Instead,  we  have  received  mixed  messages  at  best  and  outright  abuse  at  worst,”  Nenshi  writes  in  a  column  in  the  Herald,  adding  the  city  is  being  wrongly  accused  of  using  size  and  power  to  force  its  view  on  neighbours.  

Griffiths  fired  back  Sunday,  saying  he’s  worked  behind  the  scenes  to  bring  the  three  rural  municipalities  back  to  the  table  and  has  told  the  Calgary  Regional  Partnership  the  province  will  pay  for  a  mediator  to  help  sort  out  the  issues.  

Griffiths  said  the  metropolitan  plan  is  so  important  that  “failure’s  not  an  option.”  But  he  said  Nenshi  hasn’t  called  him  in  months  and  instead  goes  to  the  media  with  his  complaints.  

“He’s  got  an  election  coming  up,  he’s  going  to  puff  up  like  a  peacock  and  be  tough.  So  be  it;  we’re  just  going  to  carry  on,”  Griffiths  said.  

He  said  everyone,  be  it  the  mayor  of  Calgary  or  the  reeve  of  a  rural  municipal  district,  deserves  respect,  and  a  strong  partnership  is  not  made  by  legislating  people  into  it.  

“It’s  really  unfortunate  that  (Nenshi)’s  so  determined  that  everything  he’s  going  to  do  is  right,  he  doesn’t  need  to  consult,  he  doesn’t  need  to  build  consensus,  he  doesn’t  need  to  pull  a  team  together,”  Griffiths  said.  

“He  just  needs  to  get  it  done  because  he’s  never  wrong.  We  don’t  operate  that  way.”  

In  an  interview  Sunday,  Nenshi  said  he’s  being  told  by  some  in  the  provincial  government  that  people  view  the  city  as  a  “bully”  for  trying  to  enforce  policies  for  responsible  development  and  water  use.  

But  Nenshi  said  it  makes  no  sense  to  have  a  plan  for  smart  growth  in  the  region  if  it’s  then  ignored.  The  province,  he  said,  needs  to  push  ahead  and  legislate  the  plan.  

“One  thing  that  we’re  starting  to  see  consistently  with  the  provincial  government  is  a  real  sidelining  of  issues  for  the  cities,”  Nenshi  said  in  an  interview  Sunday.  

“If  we’re  a  low  priority,  that’s  fine,  you’ve  got  a  lot  of  stuff  to  worry  about.  All  I  ask  is  give  us  real  answers  rather  than  stringing  us  along  and  giving  us  half-­‐baked  solutions.”  

But  Griffiths  said  there’s  been  no  accusation  of  Calgary  being  a  bully.  And  he  said  the  metropolitan  plan  is  important  to  the  future  of  the  province.  

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He  said  he’s  warned  the  rural  municipalities  who  aren’t  in  that  they  shouldn’t  expect  good  water  service  if  they  refuse  to  sign  the  metropolitan  plan.  

“It’s  important  for  the  success  of  the  province  that  the  Calgary  Metropolitan  Plan  be  followed.  It’s  critical  to  have  intelligent  growth,”  he  said.  

There  are  three  municipal  districts  that  refuse  to  get  on  board  —  the  MDs  of  Foothills,  Rocky  View  and  Wheatland  —  saying  the  plan  gives  Calgary  too  much  power  over  future  development  in  rural  areas.  

The  fear  of  rural  areas  is  the  plan,  and  in  particular  Calgary,  will  dictate  what  rural  landowners  can  and  can’t  do  with  their  properties,  according  to  Larry  Spilak,  the  reeve  of  the  Municipal  District  of  Foothills.  

For  instance,  Spilak  said  the  metropolitan  plan  could  “freeze”  development  in  certain  rural  areas  because  Calgary  has  sights  decades  down  the  road  on  annexing  the  land.  

“I  can  understand  the  mayor  (Nenshi)  trying  to  influence  the  province  to  legislate  this  plan,  simply  because  the  mayor  and  Calgary  have  everything  to  gain  from  it,”  Spilak  said.  

“But  in  the  case  of  rural  municipalities  that  are  surrounding  Calgary,  we  have  everything  to  lose.”  

Nenshi  said  that’s  not  the  case.  The  purpose  of  the  metropolitan  plan,  he  said,  is  to  make  sure  significant  new  developments  are  built  where  roads,  transit  links  and  water  lines  are  planned.  

“It’s  saying  if  you  grow  thoughtfully  in  a  regional  way,  the  city  doesn’t  need  to  annex  that  way,”  he  said.  

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   Nenshi:  Calgary  is  being  treated  like  a  farm  team  by  Premier  Redford      BY  NAHEED  NENSHI,  FOR  THE  CALGARY  HERALD  FEBRUARY  11,  2013    

   I  often  speak  of  the  relationship  that  the  City  of  Calgary  has  with  the  provincial  government,  which  tends  to  work  pretty  well.  

But  we  can  do  better.  We  are  currently  working  on  two  important  files  to  improve  our  relationship.  I  know  that  when  I  start  talking  about  the  creation  of  city  charters  for  Calgary  and  Edmonton  and  the  ratification  of  the  Calgary  Metropolitan  Plan,  people  start  nodding  off.  

But  both  issues  are  vital  to  the  future  of  our  city  and  our  region.  Both  deserve  strong  political  leadership  from  the  province.  

On  the  charters,  the  cities  of  Calgary  and  Edmonton  signed  an  agreement  with  the  province  last  June,  agreeing  to  work  together  on  legislation  to  re-­‐draft  the  relationship  between  the  province  and  our  two  largest  cities.  Since  then,  our  respective  civil  servants  have  been  working  well  on  negotiating  the  details  and  moving  this  file  forward.  

Despite  the  agreement  talking  about  the  equality  of  the  three  governments  and  the  need  for  collaboration,  the  Premier  and  her  Minister  of  Municipal  Affairs,  Doug  Griffiths,  have  made  many  statements  to  the  media  and  in  the  legislature  about  what  will  and  will  not  be  in  the  charters,  somewhat  surprising  those  of  us  who  thought  we  were  still  negotiating.  

Most  recently,  the  Minister  made  a  speech  to  a  group  of  local  land  developers  in  which  

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he  told  them  what  would  be  in  the  charters.  News  to  me,  since  he  hasn't  mentioned  any  of  this  to  any  of  the  parties  actually  in  the  discussion.  

Nonetheless,  when  the  political  drama  is  stripped  away,  the  work  seems  to  be  going  well,  and  I  think  Calgarians  will  be  pleased  with  the  results.  I'm  looking  forward  to  sitting  down  with  the  Premier  and  the  Mayor  of  Edmonton  soon  in  order  to  move  this  forward.  

The  bigger  issue  is  the  complete  lack  of  action  on  the  Calgary  Metropolitan  Plan.  Briefly,  the  municipalities  in  the  region  have  been  working  together  for  many  years  to  craft  a  master  plan  for  the  region  to  help  guide  decisions  around  future  roads,  transit,  and,  critically,  water  throughout  the  region.  

In  essence,  the  plan  calls  for  development  to  occur  in  a  logical  manner  so  that  infrastructure,  particularly  water  infrastructure,  is  not  built  in  a  haphazard  and  needlessly  expensive  fashion.  

The  vast  majority  of  the  region  (some  14  municipalities  representing  94  per  cent  of  the  population)  endorsed  a  plan  before  I  was  elected,  and  forwarded  it  to  the  province  (who  were  the  ones  who  asked  for  it  in  the  first  place).  The  province,  concerned  about  the  remaining  six  per  cent,  asked  for  some  amendments,  which  were  done  and  filed  last  June.  

Calgary  City  Council,  at  that  time,  reaffirmed  its  commitment  to  that  Plan,  and  that  we  would  not  provide  water  servicing  to  areas  that  did  not  sign  on.  Remember  that  the  City  is  an  excellent  steward  of  water,  recognized  internationally,  but  that  this  system  has  cost  Calgarians  more  than  a  billion  dollars  in  the  last  decade.  

Since  then,  the  province  has  done  nothing.  

Instead,  we  have  received  mixed  messages  at  best  and  outright  abuse  at  worst.  

Calgary  has  been  accused  of  being  a  "bully"  for  trying  to  actually  enforce  our  policies  (based  on  the  province's  own  Water  for  Life  strategy)  for  responsible  water  development.  

The  best  example  of  this  occurred  in  2011  when  the  City  was  asked  to  provide  water  and  water  servicing  for  a  large  industrial  development  outside  the  city,  in  Rocky  View  County.  This  is  precisely  the  kind  of  development  the  Plan  envisions,  but  since  the  County  has  not  signed  onto  the  Plan,  the  City's  policy  doesn't  allow  for  it.  

But  the  province,  without  telling  anyone,  decided  to  pay  for  the  water  connection  itself.  The  details  are  unclear,  as  the  province  has  never  publicly  released  them,  but  it's  almost  certainly  true  that  their  solution  cost  taxpayers  millions  of  dollars  more  than  if  they  had  legislated  the  Plan,  and  it's  not  at  all  certain  they  will  ever  be  able  to  recoup  the  cost.  

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Last  week,  the  Premier  met  with  the  council  of  the  Municipal  District  of  Foot-­‐hills  (another  of  the  holdouts),  and  was  quoted  in  the  local  paper  saying  that  she  would  not  "force"  the  MD  into  the  Plan  (meaning  she  would  not  legislate  the  plan).  She  also  implied  that  she  is  not  sure  the  Plan  is  needed  at  all.  The  same  day,  her  Minister  backpedalled  furiously,  saying  the  Premier's  words  did  not  represent  government  policy,  that  the  decision  was  his  to  make,  and  that  he  would  continue  working  to  a  resolution.  

You  might  forgive  me  for  being  a  little  confused.  

What  I  am  not  confused  about  is  that  the  future  prosperity  of  this  city  is  the  future  prosperity  of  this  province.  

Treating  the  City  government  as  the  farm  team  in  this  relationship  and  managing  important  files  as  cavalierly  as  this  is  not  good  for  Calgary,  and  it's  certainly  not  good  for  Alberta.  

Naheed  Nenshi  is  the  Mayor  of  Calgary.  

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 No  talks  of  forcing  MD  into  Calgary  Regional  Partnership  Foothills:  Premier  committed  to  maintaining  municipal  funding  By:  Bruce  Campbell  Posted:  Wednesday,  Feb  06,  2013  06:00  am    

   During  a  visit  to  Okotoks  and  High  River  last  week  Premier  Alison  Redford  assured  the  MD  of  Foothills  it  will  not  be  forced  to  join  the  Calgary  Regional  Partnership.  

“We  think  that  any  regional  planning,  whether  it  be  the  (Calgary)  regional  partnership  or  the  South  Saskatchewan  Regional  Plan  (SSRP)  only  works  if  you  are  bringing  people  together  for  common  cause,”  Redford  said  in  an  interview  in  High  River  on  Feb.  1.  “The  view  of  the  MD  of  Foothills,  which  might  be  right,  is  with  the  South  Saskatchewan  Regional  Plan,  we  see  a  larger  overarching  planning  framework  that  deals  with  a  lot  of  the  issues  that  were  part  of  the  Calgary  Regional  Partnership.”  

She  said  Municipal  Affairs  Minister  Doug  Griffith  is  doing  a  review  to  see  if  the  Calgary  partnership  is  working.  

The  MD  of  Foothills,  along  with  the  MDs  of  Rocky  View  and  Wheatland  pulled  out  of  the  Calgary  Regional  Partnership  in  2009  due  in  part  to  the  governance  model  which  the  rural  municipalities  believed  gives  Calgary  too  much  power  in  the  partnership  and  density  issues.  

“Quite  frankly,  if  people  are  pulling  out  of  it,  it  likely  isn’t  achieving  what  we  wanted  it  to  do  which  is  an  integrated  regional  plan,”  said  Redford,  who  was  in  High  River  to  talk  with  High  River  and  MD  of  Foothills  councils.  

MD  of  Foothills  Reeve  Larry  Spilak  said  the  SSRP  does  meet  the  MD  of  Foothills  concerns  and  he  wants  the  premier  to  know  it  supports  the  plan.  

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“We  were  so  impressed  with  the  SSRP  that  we  felt  we  should  write  her  and  let  her  know  our  feelings,”  Spilak  said.  “Those  feelings  are  the  SSRP  covers  everything  that  is  required  for  rural  municipalities  to  exist.  We  told  her  the  Calgary  Regional  Plan  isn’t  necessary  once  the  SSRP  is  implemented.”  

The  SSRP  doesn’t  cover  density  in  a  municipality,  something  the  Calgary  plan  has  suggested.  

“Density  isn’t  something  the  SSRP  addresses  and  it  shouldn’t,”  Spilak  said.  “Density  is  something  that  individual  municipalities  should  address.  It  shouldn’t  be  put  on  to  a  jurisdiction  by  someone  like  Calgary  in  trade  for  water.  

“It  is  not  Calgary’s  responsibility  to  dictate  the  density  in  other  jurisdictions.  That’s  where  we  have  a  problem  with  the  CRP.”  

Redford  said  she  hopes  the  South  Saskatchewan  plan  will  also  help  deal  with  Okotoks’  water  issues.  However,  there  is  no  one  solution  to  help  Okotoks  water  concerns  at  this  point.  She  said  buying  licences  from  the  City  of  Calgary  is  part  of  the  discussion.  

“People  look  at  the  Calgary  licences  as  a  particularly  large  licence,”  Redford  said.  “But  there  is  no  single  piece  that  is  part  of  the  solution…  Finding  a  solution  that  addresses  Calgary  and  the  surrounding  area  could  impact  other  people  in  other  parts  of  Alberta.”  

Calgary  presently  has  water  licenses  to  accommodate  three  million  people.  

The  premier  said  Diana  McQueen,  minister  of  Environment  and  Sustainable  Resource  Development,  is  expected  to  be  in  the  foothills  in  the  next  month  to  discuss  water  issues  in  the  area.  

Redford  stressed  to  the  MD  of  Foothills  council,  infrastructure  funding  to  communities  will  not  be  compromised  despite  an  announced  $6  billion  shortfall  in  provincial  revenues.  

She  said  the  Province  will  continue  to  support  the  Municipal  Sustainability  Initiative.  

“We  want  local  governments  to  know  that  we  are  committed  to  that  program  and  frankly  other  political  parties  aren’t,”  she  said.  “If  they  say  they  are,  but  talk  about  not  building  infrastructure  unless  there  is  cash  in  the  bank,  there  is  no  rational  way  you  can  ever  say  that  you  support  MSI  and  we  have  decided  we  will.”  

Wildrose  party  leader  Danielle  Smith,  the  Highwood  MLA,  said  she  wasn’t  sure  which  party  the  premier  was  talking  about.  

“She  couldn’t  be  talking  about  us,”  said  Smith,  the  leader  of  the  Opposition.  “The  municipal  leaders  know  what  our  plan  is  —  our  10-­‐10  plan.  That  would  identify  10  per  

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cent  of  provincial  tax  revenue  and  flow  through  directly  to  every  municipality  every  year,  year  after  year…  We  know  over  the  long  run  our  plan  will  give  more  money  to  municipalities.  I  think  most  municipalities  would  welcome  the  certainly  our  plan  would  give.”  

She  estimated  the  Wildrose  10-­‐10  plan  would  generate  approximately  $1.8  billion  for  municipalities  in  2013-­‐14  fiscal  year.  

Meanwhile,  the  MD  is  relieved  MSI  funding  won’t  be  compromised  for  this  year.  

“She  (Redford)  didn’t  speak  of  increasing  the  funds,  but  she  assured  us  the  funds  are  in  place,”  Spilak  said.  “That  is  important  because  I  believe  most  of  the  municipalities  have  set  their  budgets  on  those  funds.”  

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Long-­‐term  Calgary  plans  hampered  by  lack  of  regional  agreement  By  Robson  Fletcher  Metro  Calgary    

   Calgary’s  attempts  to  plan  its  growth  over  the  next  half-­‐century  is  being  hindered  by  the  lack  of  agreement  between  the  city  and  its  rural  neighbours,  say  several  aldermen.  

“They  have  not  signed  on  to  the  Calgary  Metropolitan  Plan,  so  that  makes  it  problematic,”  said  Ald.  Richard  Pootmans,  referring  to  the  County  of  Rocky  View,  which  is  made  up  of  14  municipalities  surrounding  the  city.  

Pootmans  described  the  CMP  as  “the  absolute  mother  plan”  for  the  city  and  region,  but  said  it’s  difficult  for  the  city  to  create  development  guidelines  without  Rocky  View’s  participation.    Ald.  Andre  Chabot  said  Calgary’s  strategy  to  increase  population  density  is  a  “laudable  goal”  but  if  the  city  restricts  large-­‐lot,  single-­‐family  homes  too  quickly,  it  will  simply  push  the  developments  to  surrounding  municipalities.  

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“A  lot  of  these  surrounding  communities  are  just  bedroom  communities,”  he  said.  “They  don’t  care  so  much  about  sustainable  development  because  it’s  not  in  their  best  interests.”  

Rocky  View  reeve  Rolly  Ashdown,  however,  said  the  county  wants  to  work  with  the  city  on  planning  but  couldn’t  accept  the  terms  of  a  proposed  partnership,  which  would  effectively  give  Calgary  a  veto  over  all  decisions.  

“When  you  go  to  increased  density,”  Ashdown  added,  “it  makes  sense  for  a  multitude  of  reasons  in  urban  settings,  but  nobody  is  interested  in  a  small  lot  in  a  rural  setting.”    

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SOCIAL  MEDIA  INTERACTION  

 

@CALGARYREGION  TWITTER  

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YOUTUBE  CHANNEL  

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Example  social  media  discussion    

Greg  G  Miller  @GregGinYYC  Well  said.  #ableg  #yyccc  #yycmetroplanHow  did  #yeg  region  get  this  in  place  but#yyc  region  can't  -­‐  at  least  not  yethttp://calgaryregionfocus.com/2013/02/11/287/    

 

1.           SithLord15    @sithlord15  @GregGinYYC  Better  focus  on  collaboration  in  #yegperhaps?  Less  ego's  @  table  than  #yyc  ?  #yyccc  

 

2.           Naheed  Nenshi    @nenshi  @GregGinYYC  because  in  Edmonton,  the  provincial  government  legislated  it.  

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3.           Greg  G  Miller    @GregGinYYC  @nenshi  understood  -­‐  so  ultimately  if  #yyc  &  region  can't  agree  then  abgov  needs  to  step  in.  Hopefully  not  needed,  but  it's  prov'l  respblty.  

 

4.           Greg  G  Miller    @GregGinYYC  @sithlord15  I  grew  up  in  St.  Albert.  No  shortage  of  egos  up  North.  :-­‐)  No,  #ableg  needs  to  step  up  if  locals  can't  get  it  done  #yycmetroplan  

 

5.           Greg  G  Miller    @GregGinYYC  @nenshi  btw,  no  personal  stake  in  #yycmetroplan  but  I  firmly  agree  we  need  it.  Keep  pushing!  Long  overdue  since  CRPC  destroyed  20  yrs  ago.  

 

6.           Paul_YYC    @paul_yyc  @sithlord15  @GregGinYYC  opposite  in  fact.  #YEG  board  was  legislated  early  because  they  didn't  get  along  Details