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Minister wants MD to reconsider CRP stance

Alberta’s new municipal affairs minister wants the MD of Foothills to keep talking to the Calgary Regional Partnership (CRP) to work out its differences over a growth plan for the region.
MD of Foothills Reeve Larry Spilak
MD of Foothills Reeve Larry Spilak

Alberta’s new municipal affairs minister wants the MD of Foothills to keep talking to the Calgary Regional Partnership (CRP) to work out its differences over a growth plan for the region.

The MD withdrew from the partnership in 2010 and hasn’t signed on to the Calgary Metropolitan Plan (CMP) over concerns of urban expansion into the MD and a double-majority voting structure gives Calgary a veto.

Minister Doug Griffiths said he doesn’t want to force any municipalities to rejoin the CRP.

“Forcing people into a partnership is not really a partnership either, you don’t necessarily get discussion,” he said. “But, allowing people to walk away and not talk to each other doesn’t exactly make a partnership either. I’m just encouraging them all to work together.”

Griffiths expects to see a final draft of the CMP in July. He said it was originally to be done in December, but an extension was granted to give more time to work on outstanding issues.

Griffiths said here is a place for rural municipalities within the CMP.

“I think it would work,,” he said. “There’s a reason why the group was brought together and they have done some good work and I think there’s still opportunities to resolve it.”

Griffiths said he won’t dictate solutions, but the controversial double majority system is common in all levels of government. He said it provides a balance between different municipalities and the population they represent.

MD Reeve Larry Spilak said the MD will continue talking to the CRP, but their need to be addressed before it would be willing to sign onto the CMP.

“We’ve set our position and I have to say it’s in stone, we’re not going to change,” he said.

Firstly, the MD has long been concerned about the group’s governance model and the double majority voting system. Under the system, any decision will require 12 of the group’s 17 members to say ‘yes’ to a motion and those members must comprise at least 50 per cent of the region’s population. It has been criticized as giving Calgary a veto because it holds 84 per cent of the region’s population and it’s support will be a necessity for any initiative to pass.

Secondly, The MD is concerned about the imposition of urban development within the MD without adequate input from residents and landowners.

The CMP envisions continued growth of the city into the northern areas of the MD.

Spilak said the MD wants this eliminated from the plan and said MD residents need to be able to provide input over how future expansion of the city would proceed.

He hopes Griffiths can help negotiate a solution to the dispute.

According to Spilak, the MD started with a much longer list of 28 concerns, but it was willing to let all but the two go. He said it was a big concession and he hopes the CRP will reciprocate and be flexible over the issues of governance and urban expansion into the foothills.

“Where the room has to come from is the other side,” he said. “That’s an unfortunate way to come from but that’s all we have. We’ve cut it down to two specific things.”

Spilak said the MD is only willing to support a veto model for decisions regarding land needed for transportation, water or other necessary infrastructure.

“It should only apply for that because it wouldn’t be right for a rural municipality to stand in the way of growth for, say, Okotoks or High River because they require a pipeline to go through the MD of Foothills,” he said.

Ultimately, Spilak said he’s not entirely opposed to the CMP. He said the plan as it exists is good for urban municipalities, but doesn’t go far enough in recognizing the interests of rural areas and landowners.

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