Editor:
Three Sisters Mountain Village’s area structure plans propose a wildlife fence surrounding its developments, a “hard edge” to the wildlife corridor as the solution to reduce human-wildlife conflict.
It’s an experiment with no comparable examples to support it, and is contrary to the human-wildlife co-existence values that Canmore is known for.
Even the developer’s own Environmental Impact Statement (p. 184) explicitly conveys uncertainty: "The consequences of being wrong about the potential effects of the project or the efficacy of mitigation could be substantial for wildlife in the Bow Valley.”
Is this acceptable for a landscape that plays an integral role in enabling wildlife to move between the protected areas of Banff and Kananaskis?
In its consideration of TSMV’s development plans, I ask that Town council apply the "precautionary principle" that was clearly stated in the 2006 Mining the Future community vision.
This is the idea that it is best to avoid taking an action if the consequences of the action are unknown, but are judged to have some potential for major or irreversible negative consequences.
Tim Johnson,
Canmore
