In its latest back-and-forth with the federal regulator, Alberta Transportation has submitted a portion of the additional SR1 information requested over the summer. The following is a verbatim notice provided by Alberta Transportation: “On June 14, 2019, Alberta Transportation submitted responses to the Round 1 Springbank Off-Stream Reservoir (SR1) Information Requests from the provincial and federal regulators. On July 16, 2019, following a review of the Round 1 responses, the […]

Last Monday Premier Kenney made some comments that were surprising to us, given the very clear statements made by both Minister of Transportation Ric McIver and Minister of Justice Doug Schweitzer at our AGM the week before. Both Ministers stated the Government’s full support and effort behind the completion of the Springbank Off-Stream Reservoir (SR1) to mitigate floods on the Elbow River. The Premier’s comments suggested that if the legal […]

Our 2019 Annual General Meeting took place last Thursday evening, with speakers from the province and city bringing us up to speed on the status of upstream and local mitigation efforts. (Note: This event took place 4 days before Premier Kenney’s comments earlier this week – stay tuned for our official response to that matter.) CRCAG board member Greg Johnson headed up the evening,  welcoming everyone and giving thanks to the elected officials […]

The Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency (CEAA) has requested additional information be added to Alberta Transportation’s June 14 response to the Springbank Off-Stream Reservoir Project (SR1) information requests. In its July 16 letter to Alberta Transportation, CEAA cites five overarching issues that occur in the 8,000-page response. “not all of the information provided in response to our original requests are sufficient for the purpose of moving forward with the environmental assessment.” […]

Canada’s regulatory system is broken. It’s what we’ve experienced the last six years, and it’s what former MLA for Calgary-Elbow Greg Clark discussed in his letter to the Calgary Herald this week. As we commemorate the sixth anniversary of the 2013 Southern Alberta Floods, we reflect on how far we’ve come but also on how far we’ve yet to go. “Both [previous] governments, and now the UCP, have followed the […]

On Friday, Alberta Transportation announced that its responses to the Springbank Off-Stream Reservoir (SR1) Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) information requests had been submitted. In the 8,000-page response, the ministry answers nearly 600 questions collected from the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency (CEAA), Natural Resources Conservation Board (NRCB), and Alberta Environment and Parks (AEP). The work to answer these questions has been ongoing since June 2018, when the first information requests were […]

“Opponents believe the change in government will give them another shot at convincing politicians to reconsider.” That’s what CBC Calgary reported in their article Proposed Springbank reservoir faces renewed, invigorated opposition and in their news broadcast (video at 16:30) last week. But the facts haven’t changed. The Springbank Off-Stream Reservoir (SR1) was chosen as (and still is) the superior project for the Province to move forward with. “The Springbank project […]

With flood season upon us, there is no shortage of media coverage on the issue of flood mitigation and, as usual, some of it is troubling. Last week, the Calgary Herald published an opinion article This is Ric McIver’s second shot at building the Springbank dam; good luck to him by Don Braid that highlighted MLA Banff-Kananaskis Miranda Rosin’s controversial stance on the Springbank Off-Stream Reservoir Project (SR1). “We need […]

It is important to remember that the upstream communities of Bragg Creek and Redwood Meadows are not forgotten and will, in fact, have flood protections in place before Calgary will be protected by the Springbank Off-Stream Reservoir Project (SR1). Bragg Creek Flood Mitigation Project Project proponent: Rocky View CountyLevel of protection: 1:100 year flood eventProject status: unknownAnticipated completion: Fall 2019 Landscaped earthen berms and retention walls will be erected along […]

In one of his first moves as Alberta’s new Transportation Minister, MLA Calgary-Hays Ric McIver has appointed expert regulatory lawyer Martin Ignasiak to assess opportunities to expedite construction of the Springbank Off-Stream Reservoir. “We need an independent expert to evaluate the Springbank Reservoir project and determine what can be done to move this project forward. We are confident that Mr. Ignasiak will help us move quickly to protect the safety and […]