Happy New Year to all our members! We hope you had a joyous holiday season and that you were able to stay warm through the cold snap.   Kicking off the new year, we want to bring you the latest news from the Bow River Working Group (BRWG) and to notify you of an upcoming community engagement event.   Update from Bow River Working Group   Late last year, we met […]

2017 Progress Toward Flood Protection   It is hard to believe we are onto our 5th Christmas post-flood.  And here we still are just as vulnerable to a flood disaster as we were in 2013.  However, that’s not to say progress has not been made, in particular:   The Springbank project is well into the environmental review process, has strong support from all three levels of government and, in combination with […]

As the recent floods from Bangladesh to Texas show, it’s not just the unprecedented magnitude of storms that can cause disaster: it’s urbanisation.   As a result, urban areas around the world are employing creative technologies to protect themselves from flooding and severe weather events.   Permeable pavement in Chicago, “sponge cities” in China, and elevated neighbourhoods in New Jersey are just a few of the examples highlighted in these […]

Recently, the Springbank Project was discussed in the Medicine Hat Times, a clear reminder that the project is not just a Calgary imperative, but is critical for many communities.   Read the full article here: Time to get started on the long view of flood protection   Regards,   Your CRCAG Board

On November 24, CRCAG Co-President, Brenda Leeds Binder, spoke on Danielle Smith’s show in response to the news that some Springbank landowners had entered into a joint venture with Bordeaux Developments to build a master-plan community where the Springbank off-stream reservoir is intended to be built.   Listen to the full episode here (11 minutes): https://omny.fm/shows/danielle-smith/springbank   As always, stay tuned to our Facebook and Twitter accounts where we share […]

Highlights from meeting with Alberta Transportation   Last week, members of your CRCAG Team met with Minister Brian Mason, his Deputy Minister, and his Chief of Staff. We covered many topics, the highlights of which are:   While it was a virtual certainty that the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency would wish to receive further information from the Transportation Ministry (as proponent of the Springbank Off-Stream Reservoir Project), the number of questions […]

Interesting read in the Calgary Herald this week about the latest ploy to derail the critical public safety infrastructure project known as the Springbank Off-stream Reservoir.  The Springbank project has garnered much attention in the media since it was first announced over three years ago – largely because it will require the purchase of private land in order to build a cost-effective, safe and hugely important piece of flood mitigation to finally protect the […]

Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency outlines deficiencies in Environmental Impact Statement, additional information requested   One of the risks to the Springbank Project never being built is that delays in the environmental regulatory process will slowly kill the project over time. This week, we received word of one such delay.   In a letter addressed to Alberta Transportation (the Springbank Project proponent), the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency (CEAA) outlined 24 areas where […]

If the Springbank Off-Stream Reservoir is a Provincial project, then what is the City’s role?   The City of Calgary has publicly backed the Springbank Off-Stream Reservoir (SR1), recognizing it is critical to building flood resiliency for the city, and for ensuring flood mitigation on the Elbow River.   That said, since SR1 will be located outside of the City’s jurisdiction, the location, design, and construction of the reservoir is the […]

Now that the EIA has been submitted to the provincial Natural Resources Conservation Board (NRCB), and the federal Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency (CEAA) for initial review, the documents have been made public.   To keep you as up-to-date as possible, we’ve compiled the essential links and documents here:   SR1 schedule – project timeline and milestones SR1 EIA technical briefing – overview of the project, as presented to stakeholders at the October […]