FFWD Weekly
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News by FFWD Staff Despite community opposition and a request for more time, a committee of aldermen voted this week to recommend that city council sign the memorandum of understanding (MOU) that will begin negotiations for the extension of Sarcee Trail. Residents from Oakridge and surrounding communities have expressed several concerns with the MOU, which prompted Communities for Responsible Growth (CRG) to request more time to consider the implications. At the March 28 meeting, CRG representative Brent Johner asked the committee to table the motion. He explained that there is far too much confusion around the issue to proceed, and said if the committee did go ahead it would be entrenching opposition to the project. "This is not simply another transportation issue. What we are talking about is more than a road or an agreement to negotiate a road," says Johner, noting that it would pass through a foreign jurisdiction and the issues surrounding it are unique. "...the agreement that is eventually made is one which could have a far greater impact on all of the residents of Calgary than any other transportation decision the city has ever made." Johner said residents need time to consider the information that came out at public meetings held throughout March, such as the potential size of the road, the possiblity of hazardous goods being transported on the road, the potential noise and pollution, and other issues. He explained that, at a meeting held March 22, the public found out for the first time that the road being considered is a six-lane provincial highway that could be primarily a truck route, not just a commuter road. "The public meeting in Cedarbrae was a real eye-opener for many people," he said. The MOU must be signed by city council, the province and the Tsuu T’ina Nation before negotiations will begin on the alignment and the costs, which could reach more than $500,000. The most likely route for the road connects 37th Street S.W. and Sarcee Trail, crossing Tsuu T’ina land west of the Weaselhead.

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