Our 2023 Annual General Meeting took place on the evening of Wednesday, November 8, 2023. Following association business, speakers from the province and city brought us up to speed on the status of upstream and local mitigation efforts, as well as flood mapping.

Throughout the meeting we shared links to resources, all of which are available at the bottom of this email along with speakers’ slides. You can view the 2023 AGM minutes here.

Association Business

Tony Morris opened the event with his co-president’s message highlighting CRCAG’s work since our last AGM in 2020. With shovels in the ground for Springbank Off-Stream Reservoir, CRCAG emails to members have been less frequent, however, work has continued quietly. We’ve continued regular engagement with Environment and Protected Areas Ministry and Transportation, including bi-monthly calls and participation in feedback and input sessions as a key stakeholder group.

To commemorate the 10-year anniversary, we reflected on the many accomplishments and milestones since CRCAG’s inception. A LOT has been achieved and we shared our gratitude for all those who contributed over the years—most of all, to our members and volunteers. We couldn’t have done it without you!

CRCAG board member Greg Johnson followed with association business including financial report and outlook for 2024.

There were a few changes to our board this year. David Carlson stepped down after years of service — we thank him for his tremendous help over the years and wish him well. Charlie Lund and David Chalack were voted in as new board members. Their knowledge and passion for advocating for Bow River mitigation will be a valuable asset to the CRCAG Board and absolutely critical to sustain effort in the years to come.

CRCAG Board of Directors

• Brenda Leeds Binder, Co-president
• Tony Morris, Co-president
• Anna Mravcak, Treasurer
• Steve Forrest
• Simon Geoghegan
• Greg Johnson
• Emma May
• Charlie Lund
• David Chalack

Bow River Committee

• Charlie Lund
• Jean Woeller

Regulatory Committee

• Lauren Bell
• Simon Geoghegan
• Rachel Kolber

Speakers

Mayor Jyoti Gondek and Minister Rebecca Schulz (via pre-recorded video) both spoke at the top of our speaker session with words of strong support for flood mitigation efforts.

“Our government remains committed to flood prevention and mitigation. In the coming months, we will be releasing new [Calgary] flood hazard maps for Calgary and asking for public input, and of course work continues on the Springbank Off-Stream Reservoir. Large infrastructure projects take time but I have made it a priority to ensure that work progresses as quickly as possible.”

Honourable Rebecca Schulz, Minister Minister of Environment and Protected Areas

Additional presentations from the province and city followed. Highlights included:

• An announcement from Transportation that SR1 will not be ready to offer protections for the 2024 flood season, but it is still on track for completion in time for 2025. This delay is due to the supplier of a critical gate component not being able to meet contract timelines, due to supply chain issues.
• Confirmation that the Phase 2: Feasibility Study for the Bow River Reservoir Options project will be completed by December 2024, with one option moving forward to Phase 3: Engineering & Regulatory Approval Process.
• News that the draft Calgary flood hazard map will be released for public feedback in late-2023. Although it was explained that the floodway would not change, the new Calgary flood hazard map will include two new designations – “high hazard flood fringe” and “protected flood fringe”.
• Protection offered by SR1 and the Sunnyside flood barrier will not be reflected in the draft Calgary flood hazard map that AEP intends to publish later this year, and finalize by Spring 2024, because those projects will not be operational until 2025 – something our membership found extremely concerning, as it means the Calgary flood hazard map will be completely outdated within a year of its finalization.

You can download the AGM materials from all presenters here:

• 2023 AGM All Slides (pdf)

Additional resources and links shared during the meeting:

• 2023 AGM agenda
• Speaker biographies
• Who is CRCAG?
• Video from Alberta Environment and Protected Areas Minister Rebecca Schulz
• Raw Aerial Footage of Calgary, Alberta Flooding – June 21, 2013
• Calgary Floods 2013 21 June Bow River Downtown Center Street and NW Bowmont Park flood flooding
• After the Flood – Our Journey by David Allen (a must watch)
• Flood mapping:
  • Website – Final flood studies and maps
  • View published and draft maps in an easy-to-use application at floods.alberta.ca
  • Info package – A new approach to mapping floodways in Alberta
• Springbank Off-Stream Reservoir
  • Community Liaison:SR1.communityliaison@gov.ab.ca
  • Project website:https://www.alberta.ca/springbank-off-stream-reservoir
  • Vinci Infrastructure Canada project website:https://springbankreservoir.ca/
  • AEP SR1 Land Use Planning:SR1LandUse@gov.ab.ca

Following the formal presentations, we invited speakers to participate in a Q&A panel moderated by our co-president, Brenda Leeds Binder.

The matter of flood mapping received significant interest and it is clear that prompt and firm advocacy is required to halt the premature publication of Calgary flood hazard maps this year. CRCAG has already met to discuss an advocacy strategy for this file and we expect to have more news on this in the coming weeks.

Thank you to the (apx 100) members who attended, the volunteers who orchestrated the event, the elected officials who joined, and our valued speakers.

If you have any questions or comments for us, please reach out to us at info@crcactiongroup.com.

Thanks,

Your CRCAG Board