Rocky View County Signs SR-1 Agreement
Friday, May 29, 2020
Rocky View County has signed an agreement with the Alberta Government that compensates the municipality for lost revenue should the Springbank Off-Stream Reservoir project (SR-1) be completed.
If SR-1 proceeds, Rocky View County will receive $10 million from the Province to address the future loss of municipal property taxes on the 3,870 acres (1,566 hectares) of land that will be impacted. The Alberta Government is also committed to deal with certain road or infrastructure issues that may arise from the construction and operation of SR-1.
The Province has also announced its support for a number of transportation projects in the County that are not tied to SR-1. Those projects are:
- $2.5 million for upgrading the intersection at Highway 560 and Garden Road (west of Langdon near the Calgary boundary)
- $8 million for a new roundabout at Highway 566 and Range Road 11 (east Balzac)
The Government of Alberta has committed to undertake improvements on Hwy 22 at Bragg Creek, and will work closely with the County and the Tsuut’ina Nation to implement safety and congestion solutions, and enable further development in the area to occur.
Proper flood protection for Bragg Creek has long been a concern of the County with the SR-1 approach, and an additional announcement has helped mitigate that issue. The Province will commit $9.4 million to fund flood mitigation in Bragg Creek. This is on top of the $32.8 million already dedicated by the Alberta and Federal governments.
On May 12, Rocky View County Council voted to withdraw its objections to seeing SR-1 proceed through the regulatory review processes. The County had originally opposed moving forward unless other flood mitigation options were subjected to a full analysis.
“For our part of the agreement, we have essentially agreed to trust in the federal and provincial processes,” says County Reeve Greg Boehlke. “The Province will have to meet very high standards to pass environmental and regulatory reviews for SR-1. If the standards are met, they can move forward.”
Since the 2013 floods in southern Alberta, Rocky View County has strongly supported the need for flood mitigation measures for the region. However, the County was repeatedly blindsided by surprise announcements on SR-1 from the previous provincial government, and had difficulty obtaining any meaningful information on the project and its impacts.
“Over the past year, communication between the County and the Province have improved considerably on all fronts. That has led to mutual understanding and co-operation for a number of long-standing issues, opportunities, and concerns, including SR-1,” says Reeve Boehlke.
“We’re all committed to building the right flood mitigation projects for the people of this region. By working together, we’re ensuring that the goals of public safety, enhanced quality of life, and economic wellbeing can be met, while respecting the environmental and regulatory processes that are in place to protect everyone,” Boehlke says.
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