Prominent conservationist, businessman and council hopeful, Peter Poole, has failed to sway Banff’s politicians to support a fixed permanent population cap in municipal legislation.
Instead, council has asked administration to present options for a study of the townsite’s impact on ecological integrity in Banff National Park as part of a review of municipal services for 2018.
Poole, head of Arctos & Bird Management, suggested an amendment on growth management so that Banff’s land use bylaw mirrors the Banff National Park Management Plan when it comes to Banff’s permanent population cap of 8,000.
He said he’s not talking about human rights issues involving government-limited population through baby control, but rather the careful application of municipal planning law.
“We can say yes to babies, but we have to be careful about some of the permits,” said Poole at a council meeting Monday (Sept. 25).
The park management plan states it is anticipated Banff’s permanent population will not exceed 8,000. All decisions of Parks Canada and the Town of Banff, including business licences, shall proactively take into account this policy objective.
Poole argues the park management plan, which he argues directly ties commercial development to population growth pressures, mandates all decisions take into account an 8,000 residential population cap.
As part of his proposed bylaw amendment, Poole said a cumulative impact analysis on population in relation to development permit applications and subdivision applications must be considered.
He said population growth is tied to many issues facing the community, including problems with housing, parking and traffic.
“Excessive development, however that may be contemplated for different people, erodes the appeal of this community,” said Poole.
“It’s time to adjust our mindset and decide what kind of growth is actually good for our town. Let’s not grow in a manner that harms our area.”
The Town of Banff, however, insists the 8,000 cap is not a fixed number, arguing Parks Canada’s intent was not to let Banff’s permanent population get out of hand as the townsite lies within a national park.
Robert Earl, Banff’s Town Manager, said the municipality believes the language in the management plan means the 8,000 number is not a fixed cap, noting the commercial cap on development is the hard cap.
“We’ve looked at this language and believed it read as an outcome. It’s anticipated that, as an outcome of the commercial cap, that our population from that should be a number of 8,000,” he said.
Earl said the superintendent of Banff National Park has also told him the population cap is not a hard cap. Parks Canada has refused several interview requests from the Outlook on this matter over the past year.
“From my perspective, that verified that the Town’s interpretation of this wasn’t out to lunch,” said Earl.
At Monday’s meeting, Mayor Karen Sorensen said she didn’t have enough information to pursue Poole’s bylaw amendment at this time, but noted the discussion is not yet necessarily over.
To that end, she got the support of her council colleagues to ask administration to return during the service review process on options to study the impact the townsite has on ecological integrity in the park.
“I know it’s not exactly, or even close to what Mr. Poole is asking for, but I believe there are some steps that need to take place before the step that Mr. Poole would like to get to,” she said.
Councillor Stavros Karlos agreed with looking at the townsite’s effect on ecological integrity, noting he supports the commercial cap and learning to live within the fixed boundaries of the townsite set by the federal government.
“That’s important to me as a resident, and it’s important to me as a business owner because our livelihood depends on success of ecological integrity of this national park,” he said.
“The population number for me is secondary to the primary concern, which is how do we lessen this community’s impact on the environment and how do we ensure ecological integrity of this national park moving into the future?”
Councillor Chip Olver said the discussion can also happen as part of the upcoming reviews of the Banff National Park Management Plan and Banff Community Plan.
“I would like the whole community to have a chance to participate in discussion on this, which that process will allow,” she said.
Poole’s attempt to have this issue dealt with in the courts was recently turned down. The case was specifically related to redevelopment of the Homestead Inn and renovation of Melissa’s restaurant.
While the Alberta Court of Appeal did not issue an opinion on the population cap, the judge said the legal questions raised, while significant, did not have a reasonable chance of success should leave to appeal be granted.
The history of Banff’s residential population cap goes back as far as 1996.
At that time, the response from the then federal minister in charge of Parks Canada to the Banff Bow Valley Study was for Banff’s new community plan to feature a permanent population of less than 10,000 residents.
The 1997 park management plan indicated Banff must provide for a balanced community with a residential capacity, including residences on commercial lands, of fewer than 10,000 permanent residents.
“The over-riding intent is that the town will never qualify for city status,” stated the 1997 park management plan.
However, a June 1998 press release from the federal government announced Banff’s new community plan would include a number of important principles to guide future development in the townsite.
That included a new residential cap below that established in the 1997 park management plan, and the minister’s announcement to remove previously-identified residential lands at Middle Springs from the town’s boundary.
The population cap was based on the predicted number at commercial buildout.
An amendment to that 1997 plan stated: “It is anticipated that the population of the town shall not exceed 8,000 permanent residents.”
The 2010 management plan states it is anticipated that the permanent population (federal census) will not exceed 8,000; all decisions of Parks Canada and the Town of Banff, including business licensing, shall proactively take into account this policy objective.
