Folks, you may have seen this article in yesterday’s Herald regarding the riverside homes in the city of Calgary purchased by the Province in the months following the 2013 floods.
And earlier today:
http://calgaryherald.com/news/politics/mason-says-tory-flood-plan-didnt-make-sense
We think that this is fantastic news, is so important for the affected neighborhoods and the city as a whole and aligns with our advocacy over the past 2+ years. For example, see our earlier thorough post on this from November 2013:
http://protectcalgary.com/the-flawed-floodway-buy-out-policy/
All along we’ve felt that the previous Government had grabbed the wrong end of the policy stick, starting with the conclusion before the critical foundational decisions regarding upstream mitigation, and its foreseen impact, were made. We’ve seen and have fought against wrong-headed policy from the outset: bad policy can be more destructive than actual water. At least with respect to Calgary, we knew that the buy-out policy was just the wrong way to go. So in innumerable meetings with all levels of Government and Administration and through the media, we’ve pushed this forward.
So we thank the new Government for making this sensible decision, and hope that these properties (or empty lots if the homes cannot be rehabilitated and must come down) are put back into the market, to recoup some of the very significant money initially spent. And we thank the many voices who have since spoken up on this to achieve this terrific outcome.
Gradually, gradually, we’re getting there.
Your CRCAG Team