The Emergency Management Amendment Act proposed in April 2018 is now in effect, with penalties of $10,000 and/or up to a year in jail for anyone who ignores evacuation orders.   The Emergency Management Act (EMA) provides the legislative framework for local and provincial management of emergencies and disasters. It outlines the roles and responsibilities of the Minister of Municipal Affairs, the provincial government, and local authorities. It provides the authority for […]

Greg Clark, MLA Calgary-Elbow has been in the media a lot lately, defending the Springbank Off-Stream Reservoir Project (SR1) and working to correct misconceptions and false narratives.   We are sharing two important pieces of media coverage from late December.   Greg Clark December 19 interview on Danielle Smith’s 770AM radio show Greg Clark’s December 28 op-ed in the Calgary Herald   On December 19, Greg Clark was on Danielle Smith’s 770AM radio show […]

This week, the federal government announced $8.7 million in funding for flood mitigation projects in Alberta as part of the National Disaster Mitigation Program.   Information on the 21 projects (18 planned/underway, 3 completed) that will receive funding is available from Public Safety Canada here: National Disaster Mitigation Program funding to the Province of Alberta: Projects at a glance.   We’ve provided a bit more detail on the three projects that […]

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 […]

On Wednesday morning’s CBC Eyeopener, Greg Clark, MLA for Calgary-Elbow, responded to the news that Rocky View County will formally oppose the Springbank Off-Stream Reservoir project (SR1) and its plan to ask the Province to reconsider the project.   You can listen to Greg’s full interview here and we’ve captured the key messages below (with additional resources included by us):   1) Under the current regulatory review process, it is difficult to get […]

In a decision made Tuesday, Rocky View County council voted to formally request that the Province reconsider the Springbank Off-Stream Reservoir Project (SR1).   In a 16-page report presented to council on December 11, Rocky View County administration outlined a number of qualms with the project including lack of benefit for the county, incomplete technical evaluation of other upstream mitigation options, inadequate stakeholder engagement, and failure to address drought concerns.   Disappointingly, […]

Last week, MLA Greg Clark for Calgary-Elbow had the opportunity to question Transportation Minister Brian Mason about the Springbank Project.   Find out what the Minister said about the status of the regulatory process, consultation with Indigenous stakeholders, project timelines, and more in Clark’s letter to his constituents (shared below).   Clark also engaged the Municipal Affairs Minister Shaye Anderson, asking for an update on floodway development regulation and flood hazard maps.    View the video […]

Earlier this year, the provincial government announced three upstream storage options for the Bow River that were identified in the Bow River Water Management Project report in May 2017.   This month, Alberta Environment and Parks (AEP) awarded the contract for the Bow Basin Water Management Options Phase 1: Conceptual Assessment study (value $2M) to Wood Canada Limited, specifically its Environment & Infrastructure Solutions team located in Calgary.   Wood Canada Limited is a subsidiary […]

See! Big upstream mitigation projects can get regulatory approval!   Last week, the Natural Resources Conservation Board (NRCB) issued approval of the Cougar Creek debris and flood retention structure, after a review by the NRCB found the project to be in the public interest.   This is a huge milestone, bringing Canmore one step closer to getting the flood protection it so badly needs. It is also an encouraging development, […]

Earlier this year at our AGM, we welcomed Flood Free Calgary to the crusade for upstream mitigation in Calgary. They’ve been rallying the business community and emphasizing the message of economic risk; highlighting that if we lose our downtown core we will ALL lose.   They recently published a few blog posts with updates on upstream mitigation on the Bow River, West Eau Claire Park, and the Centre Street Bridge flood barrier that […]