Sunday, January 6, 2008
Government minister expects many Albertans will be upset with new land policy
Jim Macdonald, THE CANADIAN PRESS
EDMONTON - Alberta is preparing to release a new land use framework that will affect ranchers, oilmen, loggers, miners and recreational users alike, leaving many at least "a little bit upset," says Ted Morton, the minister in charge of the major policy overhaul.
The province has seen a tug-of-war in recent years as all kinds of users have competed for space and resources. The new policy, months in the crafting, is meant to guide Alberta for the next several decades.
"I think industrial users, environmental advocates, everyone is going to find something (they don't like)," says Morton, an avid outdoorsman who became minister of sustainable resource development a year ago.
"Everyone will find something to pick on, if they want to."
The ministries of agriculture, energy, parks and recreation, municipal affairs and environment and also aboriginal relations are involved in the far-reaching project, but Morton has the lead role.
His ministry is now wrangling with the others after ignoring some of their recommendations.
"I felt the report was becoming too much like a Christmas tree," Morton said in an interview. "Everyone wanted to put their own ornaments on it.
"So I expect there may be some arm wrestling and some argy-bargy over the next couple of weeks."
Don Johnson, president of the Alberta Association of Municipal Districts and Counties, says Morton can't ignore the impact the land use framework will have on other areas of government.
"How do you put all this stuff together to make sense, to protect the land so we can still produce food, so you can protect the water and have effective planning between urban and rural municipalities?" Johnson asked.
"If urban areas need to grow, how does that annexation take place? Where are the utility corridors going to be?"
Alberta ranchers and livestock producers are looking for a fair-minded approach to how the province regulates feedlots and pig barns.
Rick Burton of Alberta Beef Producers says the rules need to protect those who build these intensive livestock operations and then encounter problems with neighbours.
"Somebody will build a house next door to a feedlot and then complain about the odour," said Burton. "This makes it very difficult for (the feedlot owner) to continue operating or expand his operation, even though he was clearly there in the first place."
Burton also says he expects some controversy between recreational users and industrial and agricultural users.
"If those recreational activities are creating long-term environmental damage, and a lot of them do, there has to be some level of control over that," he said.
The group representing people who ride snowmobiles, quads, four-wheelers, dirt bikes and other recreational vehicles has a different take on what's needed.
Cal Rakach of the Alberta Off Road Vehicle Association says many of their members have become "outlaws" because of restrictions on where their vehicles can be used.
"It's a battle," he said. "We're very limited in our ability to ride legally."
Rakach says he expects off-road vehicles will be limited to a managed trail system under the new rules, further limiting their access to popular destinations.
The forest industry is looking for continued access to timber areas, balanced with access for other industrial and recreational users.
"With the human and industrial footprint getting bigger, we're seeing a permanent loss of forest land," says Parker Hogan, spokesman for the Alberta Forest Products Association.
David Pryce of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers says the energy industry wants to see the province maintain some of the development policies that have served the sector well.
"We're advocating that they continue to make use of that as a guidance around land use, water use and all of those sorts of things," said Pryce.
But a workbook issued by the province to gauge public concern suggests the energy industry and other industrial land users may be in for a shock.
The workbook drew more than 3,100 responses last spring. Nearly 75 per cent of the respondents said land use was too focused on economic development and growth. Many called for more balance with environmental and recreational needs.
Cliff Wallis, vice-president of the Alberta Wilderness Association, says Alberta has allowed far too much industrial development, especially in the oilsands region in the north.
"It's been all about resource extraction and the economy at any price," said Wallis. "Unfortunately, it's the economy that pays the price in future generations."
Alberta has already reshaped its policies for water use and air quality, so Morton sees the land use policy as the "third leg of the policy stool."
Under the new policy, Alberta will divided into six land use regions, each with its own priorities. Morton expects to release a draft early this year and then gather public comment before completing the final version.
© The Canadian Press, 2008
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