Editor:
The Bow Corridor Organization for Responsible Development wishes to thank all candidates for Canmore Town Council for participating in the Environmental Forum, along with the many volunteers.
We were struck by a comment made by Reverend Greg Wooley, Minister at Ralph Connor United Church, who was impressed by the number of citizens who came out to hear and question the candidates. He estimated that relative to Canmore’s population, a similar commitment in Calgary would be equivalent to filling the Saddledome.
While appreciative of the range of answers to a variety of questions related to environmental conservation, we at BowCORD think it might be helpful to dispel a number of misconceptions evident in some candidates’ answers.
One misconception was that the Province has no definition of a functional wildlife corridor. In fact, as early as the 2002 Wind Valley Study, the Province provided a working definition of a functional corridor as one with a minimum width of 450 metres below a slope of 25 degrees.This definition has been supported by provincial research since 2002.
Another misconception is that Bow Corridor Ecosystem Advisory Group (BCEAG) Guidelines are separate from the 1998 Municipal Development Plan (MDP). In fact, the 1998 BCEAG Guidelines were adopted as policy in the MDP.
For those new to Canmore, it could be misleading to hear that our 1998 MDP is “outdated” and needs to be replaced before the Three Sisters development plan comes forward. This discounts the two years we invested to see the Community Sustainability Plan (CSP) brought to second reading in 2009 before it had to be abandoned when our mayor and council were threatened with a law suit if it was given third reading. What was to be our “new MDP” is still on the shelf.
Also perplexing was the argument that in the past “the human/wildlife interface has been based on a conflict model.” whereas now what is needed is “a more recent model of peaceful coexistence between humans and wildlife” based on consultation with experts in wildlife management.
In fact, the “model” determined by the 1992 Natural Resources Conservation Board (NRCB) Decision on Three Sisters Resorts is a wildlife management model based on human/wildlife coexistence, where legally binding conditions and undertakings require that corridor location and width be corrected over time to provide wildlife with the space they need to sustain themselves as they move through the Bow Valley.
The Province, Town of Canmore and Three Sisters Mountain Village (TSMV) applied this model on the basis of the sequence of land uses recommended by the 2002 Golder Report. The first land use was protection of the Along Valley Wildlife Corridor section in the TSMV Resort Area under two conservation easements signed in 2003 and 2007, with an average corridor width of 635 metres.The second land use, the Resort Area golf course, was zoned adjacent to the corridor by the Town under Bylaw 36(Z)2004, with the first building to be set back a minimum of 300 metres below the lower corridor boundary to increase the separation of wildlife from human use in the fall, winter and spring seasons.
Any model of “peaceful co-existence” is only as good as the generosity of the corridor width and accessibility of the slope to provide wildlife the necessary space to ensure their safety from us and to minimize the risk of an injurious human/wildlife encounter. To be effective, this model has to be supported by robust enforcement of no human use in, or directly adjacent to, the corridor. And yes, the Province has defined “adjacent uses.”
BowCORD, an intervener in the 1992 Decision of the NRCB on Three Sisters Resorts, again thanks the candidates for offering to represent our community on Council.
We hope the strong commitment to attending our forums signals a strong turnout to the voting booth on Monday, Oct. 21.
We also hope voters will pay close attention to the quality of information provided by the candidates, the extent of their experience in the community, service on Town committees, and proven commitment to major environmental, social and economic issues.
Our Canmore community deserves no less.
Heather MacFadyen, Chair
Bow Corridor Organization for Responsible Development
