| Environmentalists are opposing a proposed new town at the gateway to the Rockies, arguing that unfettered development in the Bow Valley is threatening its ecological integrity.
The Stoney Nation and Moondance Land Co., a private developer, are seeking approval from the Municipal District of Bighorn to build a town overlooking the Bow River near Bow Valley Provincial Park and adjacent to the Stoney Nakoda Nation.
Environmental groups are concerned about the cumulative impact of all the proposed development in the Bow Valley. They point out Canmore is rapidly expanding and there’s new development at Dead Man’s Flats. Rafter Six Ranch is also expanding, and the Stoney Nakoda Nation is building a new casino near the edge of Kananaskis Country.
"This proposed development along with all the others is just going to result in a human footprint that overwhelms the valley," says Mike McIvor, president of the Bow Valley Naturalists.
"You could look at a whole bunch of proposed developments for a place like the Bow Valley and say that was not serious, and that other one up there is not that big of a deal and the next one that’s coming that doesn’t seem too bad. Then all of a sudden you say, ‘whoops I think we screwed up here.’"
McIvor says as more people move into the Bow Valley there will be more conflict between humans and wildlife and an increasing strain on provincial and national parks. The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) and Defenders of Wildlife are also concerned about cumulative impacts of various developments in the Bow Valley.
Dave Poulton, executive director of the Calgary chapter of CPAWs, says he’s concerned that new development in the Bow Valley area is being approved before the province has its new land use framework in place.
"Part of the thrust behind that is to try and get a handle on cumulative effects at a regional level and move us away from looking at development and other projects on a piecemeal basis," says Poulton. "There’s a whole smattering of new developments that are either underway or coming forward for consideration (in the Bow Valley area)… What I think would be prudent for (the M.D. of Bighorn) would be to postpone consideration of it until such time as we have a clearer idea of the regional picture of all these new developments, what the cumulative impacts are going to be and how this development would fit into that picture."
Danielle Droitsch, executive director of the Bow Riverkeeper, an environmental group that lobbies to protect the Bow River, is concerned about where the proposed townsite will get its water. The developer applied for a water licence for the Bow River. However, since it made its application, the provincial government has placed a moratorium on any further water withdrawals from the Bow River due to concerns about the health of the aquatic ecosystem of the river. Alberta Environment says it is still reviewing the application because it was received prior to the moratorium being put in place. The developer is also looking at whether it could use water from a new well at Exshaw that is drawing water from an underground aquifer.
"Obviously, a withdrawal from the Bow is something we’re concerned about," says Droitsch. "We think the Bow was closed way too late, so we’re not big supporters of new water being allocated…. We would expect Alberta Environment to seriously scrutinize this permit’s impact on the river."
John Third, development manager for the proposed townsite, says he’s hoping the M.D. of Bighorn will approve a new regional water system that would rely on water from the Exshaw well.
Poulton says CPAWS is concerned that the aquifer the Exshaw well is tapping into could somehow be connected to the Bow River and could impact downstream users. However, Third says there’s no evidence that that’s the case.
Third says the proposed town will include affordable housing and will include commercial and industrial development. The goal will be to create a community that people can work in rather than just a bedroom community, he says.
He adds he understands the concern about cumulative impacts in the Bow Valley, but he thinks it’s unfair to single out the proposed town site. He says what should also be considered when looking at cumulative impacts is the proximity of Calgary to the Rockies.
"The growth of this development over 30 years will be so miniscule compared to the growth of the City of Calgary and the cumulative impacts that will come out of it," says Third, adding that Calgarians regularly access provincial and national parks in the Rockies.
He says the townsite is also outside the boundaries of what environmental groups "have historically felt was of significance."
Third says the townsite could have a positive environmental impact because it would have a state of the art wastewater treatment system that could be used by Bow Valley Provincial Park and surrounding businesses that currently have to truck sewage to a 20-year-old treatment facility in Kananaskis Country.
The M.D. of Bighorn hasn’t decided yet whether to approve the townsite or not. |
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