Municipal Development Plan in the Crowsnest Pass

Over the last couple of weeks I have been criticized a number of times for not supporting a new Municipal Development Plan.

The present plan is indeed out dated, the population of the Crowsnest Pass has changed significantly over the last ten years. The public deserves to have their input in to a new plan. I agree with all of those statements, so why did I not support proceeding with a new Municipal Development Plan this year? For the following reasons:

First of all the process is expensive (minimum of $50,000 I've been told by politicians in other municipalities that its probably closer to $100,000), its timely would probably take 6-12 months.

I recognize that the time and money need to be spent, but not now not until the Alberta Government decides where it is going with its regional plans under the Land Use Framework.
The Crowsnest Pass could come up with a plan that does not conform with the Land Use framework and all that time and money would be for nothing.

Take the time to read the Land Use Framework Plan the link is on the left hand side of the blog and below.
http://www.landuse.alberta.ca/documents/Final_Land_use_Framework.pdf

I will point out some areas to make my point:

Strategy 2 (Page 7)
"The Secretariat will develop regional plans in conjunction with government departments and Regional Advisory Councils. Final decisions on regional plans rests with Cabinet"

Are regional plans in place? have they been accepted by cabinet? No and No.

Strategy 3 (Page 7)

" A cumulative effects management approach will be used in regional plans to manage the combined impacts of existing and new activities within the region"

Within the region a cumulative effects approach will be used, once again the regional plan needs to be in place to see how we fit within it.

Provincial Leadership (Page 19)

"The Land Use Framework leaves final decision making authority with the same local officials who currently exercise it. However in the future; these decisions will have to be consistent with regional plans"

How can we be consistent with the regional plan until it is in place?

Strategy 1 (Page 19)

"Municipalities and provincial government departments will be required to comply with regional plans in their decision making"

How can our MDP conform with the regional plan until it is in place?

Local Planning (Page 26)

"However in the face of increasing pressures and conflicts the Government of Alberta needs to ensure that provincial interests are addressed at a local scale"

Would our plan conform with provincial interests? we do not know they have not told us what they are.

Municipal Planning (Page 26)

"Municipalities will be required to ensure their plans and decisions are consistent with regional plans"

We will not know the regional plan until sometime in 2010

Municipalities will;

"Prepare context statements outlining how their MDP's will align with and address provincial directions stated in regional plans, and amend municipal planning documents to adopt and align with regional planning directions"

How can we do the above without the regional plan?

Appeal Mechanisms (Page 27)

"Decision making bodies will be required to comply with regional plans and if any regional plan compliance issues arise, they will be resolved in existing review and appeal systems"

then it goes on to make the following statement;

"Because they are approved by Cabinet, regional plans are government policies and cannot be appealed"

So if you put a MDP in places that does not conform with the regional plan you do not even have the ability to appeal the regional plan.

On Page 47 the Land Use Framework clearly states that the regional plan for our area will be completed in 2010, why would anybody take the risk with taxpayers money of putting together a MDP prior to that?

Land Use Framework and what does it mean to the little guys?

The land use framework has put out by the province, will divide the province in to six regions based on watersheds.
Regional advisory councils will be set up for each region, appointed by the provincial government, to determine regional land use objectives.
We lucky folks are in a region that runs from North of Red Deer south to the US border and encompasses everything from BC to the Saskatchewan border. Including of course Calgary, by my calculations our 5700 people will be part of a region consisting of a population of 1.5 to 2 million people we will be 0.25% of the regional population.
We know the board for the region will be picked by the provincial government, key questions who will sit on that board? how many will be elected representatives? how many bureaucrats? how many other experts?. What will be the spilt between urban and rural, if you do any kind of representation by population or political clout (Bronconnier's name jumps to mind).
I believe certainly in our region we are going to be the resource base and playground for Calgary.
How much power will small municipalities have to maintain the direction of development in their community, will density issues for example be determined by the region or the community, look at today's Calgary Sun Bronconnier is whining about country residential lots outside his city limits.
I believe these boards and their regional objectives will be totally dominated by the needs of the major centres in each region. Is this the beginning of the end of municipal government especially in small communities like ours?