Provincial Transportation Minister reaffirms commitment to Springbank, calls on business community for support
On Thursday, the Calgary Chamber of Commerce hosted a luncheon with Alberta’s Transportation Minister, Brian Mason, discussing Alberta’s transportation future and the need for flood protection.
In his speech, Minister Mason emphasized support for the Springbank project, from all three levels of government, and called on members of the business community for their support of the project.
“It is my greatest hope that you recognize the urgency of this endeavour and join me and our government in championing this project. I am asking you to be vocal in your support for this important project. Without proper flood mitigation, the core of this city is at risk.”
Minister Mason also acknowledged that there have been a number of challenges in moving the Springbank Project forward. In November, the Environmental Impact Assessment was deemed incomplete by the federal environmental regulator, the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency, and further information was requested. To that matter, Mason commented:
“We are working very diligently to provide that information…working closely with the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency to minimize delays; all of the environmental work is a necessity and it will be done properly… As a government, we are determined to work through all these issues to keep this project going and on-track, and to do everything possible to make sure that SR1 is operational in the fall of 2020 and ready to protect Calgary for the spring flood season in 2021.”
The strong commitment from the Province is reassuring, however, we know there is still a long road ahead. We are waiting to hear an expected timeline for Alberta Transportation’s completion of the EIA deficiencies, and will let you know as soon as we have more information.
A video of the Minister’s speech is available here or you can read the transcribed version below.
Regards,
Your CRCAG Board
The following is a partial transcription of the Transportation Minister Brian Mason’s speech to attendees of the Calgary Chamber of Commerce’s luncheon on Thursday, February 8, 2018:
“Of the three substations that service downtown one had taken on water but, in fact, all three of them were very close to failing. And that truly would have been an even bigger disaster for the city. Calgary’s LRT system was also heavily impacted by the flood. Eight stations were out of service due to power supply disruptions, and we know that Enmax worked closely with Calgary Transit to restore power in time for the Calgary Stampede, and we know that the final station at City Hall was reenergized on June 28; just eight days after the flood.
Downtown offices were not accessible for several days. Calgary’s downtown houses about one third of the city’s employment base, and what was affected was between 150-180 thousand workers. Calgarians of course responded as they always do and always have, and came to one another’s’ aid.
But we need to keep in mind that there are those who say, and I don’t think its just them, its people that have some knowledge, that we were lucky it wasn’t worse. Had the rain continued just another six hours, we would have seen the water level on the Elbow a full meter higher than it was. And the effects of that would have been truly devastating, significantly more critical infrastructure would have been compromised. More than 500 buildings in the downtown core would have been affected. Recovery time just to have a working city would have been extended and economic recovery would have been stalled for much longer than it was.
And there is more to consider, while the 2013 flood was by far the most costly, it was not the biggest flood in Calgary’s history. In fact, two other floods, only six years apart, in the late 1800’s were both 30% more severe than the flood of 2013. That means another flood could cause even more damage, and that it is ultimately inevitable that we will have more floods like 2013 or possibly even more severe.
We have been providing funding for different projects to protect the City of Calgary and, with respect to the Elbow River in particular, our government is moving forward with the Springbank Off-Stream Reservoir, or SR1 for short. For those unfamiliar with the project, SR1 would sit approximately 15 km west of the city and would be capable of containing approximately 78.2 million cubic meters of water. That means this off-stream reservoir, working in concert with the Glenmore Reservoir, would be capable of containing the entire volume of the 2013 flood waters that came down the river. Because of its close proximity to the city and its position within the watershed, building the reservoir there is our best chance to activate and operate flood mitigation that would ensure the safety of Calgary’s elbow river communities and businesses.
Other projects were also studied and, initially when our government was elected, we had another option in mind, which was Maclean Creek, and when we reviewed the work that had been done and the studies that had been done, we were convinced that the previous government was correct and that Springbank was the best choice to protect downtown Calgary. It’s the only project that could take on the capacity required and (crucially) to be built in an acceptable timeline to protect downtown Calgary and hundreds of homes along the Elbow River.
Our view is shared as well by the City of Calgary, as well as by the Federal government. All three orders of the government are aligned and engaged on this file. I am proud to say that we are moving on this project and moving it forward. We will be doing everything in our power to protect this province, people, and economic engine from another natural disaster.
Just to be candid, our attempts to get construction underway have not been without a few challenges. The Environmental impact Assessment that was submitted to the federal regulator, was sent back for additional information. We are working very diligently to provide that information, working very closely with the Canadian environmental agencies to meet their requirements in a very short time frame. And we are going to continue to work diligently to advance the process. We are working closely with the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency to minimize delays; all of the environmental work is a necessity and it will be done properly and we will make sure that we keep the project on track.
As a government we are determined to work through all these issues and to keep this project going and on-track and do everything possible to make sure that SR1 is operational in the fall of 2020 and ready to protect Calgary for the spring flood season in 2021.
But I do need your help, and that is why I wanted to come and speak to you today. Calgary’s business community plays a key role in influencing decisions at all levels in our country. The completion of this project is crucial to furthering the hard work and sacrifice you’ve put into building your business and realizing your dreams. It is my greatest hope that you recognize the urgency of this endeavor and join me and our government in championing this project. I am asking you to be vocal in your support for this important project. Without proper flood mitigation, the core of this city is at risk. It is not enough to have just insurance, and Bill I very much appreciate your sponsorship and everyone should have lots of insurance, but the best insurance is to make sure that the flood doesn’t happen, and that’s what we are here for.”