Following the news that Rocky View County will formally oppose the Springbank Off-Stream Reservoir project (SR1), we wanted emphasize the need for a clear public stance from political leaders and to share two important pieces of media coverage that echo this sentiment.
We know volumes of study have been completed that point to SR1 as the superior project, including 4,000+ pages of environmental assessment on SR1, so for Rocky View County to say not enough study has been done is simply not true.
The experts have spoken. SR1 opponents simply don’t like the answer they got.
“Opponents of the Springbank project have a track record of using the courts and the regulatory process to attempt to delay the initiative in hopes a new government will cancel it, and they want us to ignore the evidence and dismiss the broad public benefits.” – Greg Clark, MLA Calgary-Elbow
Don’t forget: SR1 was originally supported by the PC government in 2014. The subsequent NDP government initially favoured the MC1 project but, after reviewing the work that had been done and conducting their own studies, they changed their tune in Fall 2015 to conclude that Springbank was actually the better project. This delayed the project by 14 months.
Should we experience a change in government this spring, we can’t afford to go through this process again.
Clarity on this crucial issue is imperative from all parties, and we need to hear their commitment to SR1 sooner rather than later.
A frustrated Mayor Nenshi repeated this need in a video published by 660 News.
“We do have an election coming and so I am reaching out to the members of every party – To Mr. Mandel, to Mr. Kenny, to Mr. Khan – and saying, ‘I need you today to talk about how you’re going to protect Calgary and how you’re going to get Springbank built’ … [for Rocky View County] to play political games this late and to potentially put peoples’ lives and their property and the economy of the country at risk is beyond irresponsible”- Mayor Naheed Nenshi
In addition to his interview on the CBC Eyeopener last week, Greg Clark, MLA for Calgary-Elbow, has penned a to-the-point oped in the Calgary Herald.
“We can follow the advice of unbiased world experts to build the most effective and least expensive infrastructure to protect downtown Calgary, or we can give in to those who either oppose for the sake of opposition, or have a direct interest in pursuing an inferior option. “
While we are encouraged by the swift reiteration of SR1 support from the Provincial government, we know we aren’t out of the woods until we get a public commitment from all parties. We will continue to push for this.
Regards,
Your CRCAG Board