In their April 2018 edition, Alberta Views magazine has published an article reporting that the Springbank project has stalled.
Featuring quotes from CRCAG co-president, Tony Morris, the City of Calgary’s Lead River Engineer, Frank Frigo, and Springbank landowner, Ryan Robinson, Deliverance from flood: Pitting city against country claims that the Springbank Project has pit “22 landowners against thousands of city residents along the Elbow River.”
The author focuses heavily on the impact for Springbank landowners, should the project move forward, and takes an (unfortunately) narrow view of who the proposed infrastructure would protect in Calgary, ignoring the importance of protection for Calgary’s economic downtown core and the business community.
Prioritizing floodplain regulation over large-scale flood mitigation projects, the article highlights successful floodplain regulation in other provinces (Ontario, Manitoba) and suggests (rather misleadingly) that Alberta has not implemented similar regulations because “Calgarians are not open to having these communities completely relocated.”
Correcting this shallow view of the situation, Tony Morris emphasizes that “Calgary was built at the confluence of the Bow and the Elbow, so all of downtown is at risk. Thirty-two separate communities were impacted by the floods along both watersheds, so the decision to build in these areas was made a long, long, long time ago.” A sentiment echoed by Frank Frigo, saying it’s simply not practical to get every development off the floodplain in a city like Calgary.
The Springbank Project has not stalled.
Currently, Alberta Transportation is conducting the remaining consultations required in order to provide the additional Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) submission information, as requested by the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency (CEAA). It was expected that the finalized EIA would be submitted to CEAA by April 1, 2018.
We will keep you updated as we learn of new information regarding the EIA submission progress.
Regards,
Your CRCAG Board