LEDUC AREA RESIDENTS PROTEST REPEAL OF COUNTY ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTIONS

LEDUC COUNTY, September 2005: Friends of Leduc Area Greenspace (FLAG) is a citizens' coalition opposing a proposal to repeal existing Leduc County protections for environmentally sensitive areas of the County. "Leduc County contains some exceptionally sensitive greenspaces and wildlife habitat, such as the North Saskatchewan River Valley, and other wildlife corridors", says the group. "Right now", they state, "those areas are very well protected by the County’s existing Land Use Bylaw — it’s one of the best in the province. But the proposed amendments would abolish that protection." If the amendments are approved, FLAG contends, they would permit the approval of destructive uses of environmentally sensitive areas: mineral extraction, logging, high density housing developments, and so on. The amendments would also immediately decrease the County’s designated greenspace area by thousands of acres. "At least one gravel extractor is already waiting in the wings with a plan to tear up a large chunk of the River Valley wildlife corridor" says FLAG, "and that will just be the beginning if the Bylaw amendment goes through. No greenspace in the County will be safe."

"The Alberta Wilderness Association has expressed its opposition to the proposal, telling the Leduc County Council: "This amendment should not be passed by Council . . . This would allow incompatible uses like 24 hour per day operations for gravel pits . . . and fails to recognize the tremendous economic, environmental and social values of recreational open space, especially for our precious river valleys." FLAG is expecting similar expressions of concern from other environmentally conscious organizations as well.

FLAG’s greatest worry is that the existing protection will be removed from law before any impact assessment of its repeal has been made. Although Leduc County’s own Municipal Development Plan requires, in Article 8.2.8, environmental impact assessment reports to be made before any project with potential impact on any environmentally sensitive area is carried out, the amendment proposal, which has environmental implications for every such area in the County, appears to be proceeding with absolutely no environmental impact assessment being made. "We don’t want to come on like total tree-huggers" a FLAG organizer said, "and we’re not trying to freeze Leduc County in some obsolete pattern from the past. Times do change, and the County undoubtedly needs to be able to keep up with the times. It should be possible, however, to develop a land use policy that is both environmentally sensitive and open to reasonable development."

The problem, as FLAG sees it, is that the proposed bylaw amendments would destroy existing protections without replacing them with any such balanced approach. FLAG’s goal is to postpone the amendment until a thoroughly thought-out land use policy that addresses every county need is in place. "If the present proposal goes ahead", said a member of the group, "by the time my kids are my age they’ll have only vague childhood memories of what a beautiful and naturally bountiful place this County once was. Their kids won’t know anything but urban sprawl & abandoned gravel pits. "FLAG is contacting residents who would be impacted by the amendment, and is urging them to voice their opposition to members of the Leduc County Council, which is expected to consider the proposal sometime this fall.

FLAG invites your support for its efforts.   Initially, we are looking for volunteers to help us contact affected persons and seek their support for a rational and all-inclusive land use policy for Leduc County. Anyone willing to help in this way, or wishing more information, should call us at 780-980-8101.