Editor:
There has been a lot of discussion and some confusion, criticism and misinformation regarding Canmore’s review of the 17-year-old Municipal Development Plan (MDP). The MDP sets out a framework for how the community will develop over the next decade and beyond … it truly is a plan for how the municipality will develop.
We agree with the Town’s statement on its website: The MDP is not perfect. It is a draft and town council and administration are soliciting feedback as we are interested in having a civil, fact-based dialogue on how we best work together to address affordability, affordable housing, and other issues facing our community.
What is needed is a respectful and honest dialogue about how best to grapple with difficult issues in our community.
The new MDP tackles issues facing our community such as affordable housing and development within steep creek areas that were not considered significant issues in 1998. While we believe the draft MDP is an improvement, BOWDA has many concerns and has sent a lengthy list of these issues to town administration for their consideration and discussion.
The Town is trying to address the issue of housing affordability in the MDP. We believe that this is a community issue and that the MDP review is the appropriate time to have the discussion as a means of finding solutions. The development community is willing to work with the Town and the community to find solutions to the affordable housing issue.
We believe the MDP needs to more fully address the employee housing issue in addition to the affordable housing issue. While the three main developers are required to provide employee housing within commercial developments, it is truly a broader issue and one that needs to be addressed on a community-wide basis.
We have encouraged the Town to develop an employee housing policy with input from the business community, the Town, and developers.
We will continue to work with the Town to have a civil and fact-based dialogue. While we often differ with the Town’s positions on issues, we respect the professionalism of Town staff and their willingness to discuss issues openly and honestly.
We believe the vast majority of Canmore citizens are willing to have that respectful and honest dialogue with Town staff.
Ron Remple, Executive Director, Bow Valley Builders and Developers Association (BOWDA)
