Open house information sessions planned regarding the $40-million Bighorn Country proposal have been cancelled due to public safety concerns, Shannon Phillips, minister of environment and parks, announced Saturday.
One of those meetings was scheduled to take place in Sundre on Monday.
“In recent weeks I have become increasingly concerned about the inflamed rhetoric and inaccurate statements made by some organizations and individuals on social media,” Phillips said.
“This has led to significant misinformation on the status and substance of the proposal for Bighorn Country and, more recently, allegations of bullying, abuse, and concerns over personal safety.
“I have heard stories of Albertans afraid to attend community events, Albertans berated in public, Albertans followed home, and Albertans feeling intimidated to not speak their mind or participate in this important discussion.
In light of public safety concerns, “we do not feel we can guarantee the public’s safety or freedom from intimidation at this time, I am very disappointed to announce that the upcoming sessions will be cancelled,” she said.
Open houses in Edmonton, Drayton Valley and Red Deer have also been cancelled.
The Bighorn Country proposal would create new, expanded and amended parks, including a new Ya Ha Tinda Provincial Park west of Sundre, as well as protected areas and public land use zones.
The changes would add almost 400,000 hectares of protected land, increasing overall protection in Alberta from 14.6 per cent to 15.2 per cent.
The changes would also include the refurbishment of 240 existing campsites and the construction of more than 150 new campsites.
Rimbey-Rocky Mountain House-Sundre United Conservative MLA Jason Nixon said he has attended a number of open houses already held regarding the Bighorn Country plan and has not seen any intimidation or bullying.
“I have personally attended a number of public events regarding the Bighorn, and while attendees were very concerned with the proposal, they were also completely civil,” said Nixon. “I have not seen the intimidation the minister speaks of, although I would certainly denounce any efforts to intimidate.”
“The NDP is trying to ram through a fake consultation on an issue of major consequence in just 70 days before an election. It is completely unacceptable for the NDP to arbitrarily cancel in-person consultation.
“Sadly it’s increasingly clear that the NDP isn’t interested in listening to those who live and work in the region. All Albertans, especially those that live in the area, want to see our majestic wilderness protected. But these Albertans are also deeply concerned about livelihoods, and know that in the past, the NDP has repeatedly shown a willingness to put their own ideology above jobs.”
In the wake of the cancellations, Minister Phillips says the government will “immediately re-evaluate our engagement plans in order to ensure Albertans in the communities of Drayton Valley, Red Deer, Sundre and Edmonton can participate safely.
“We will continue to engage with all Albertans in the weeks to come,” she said. “We believe our proposal for Bighorn Country sets the stage to achieve the right balance of environmental, economic, Indigenous and social values and goals.
“We’re not done yet. We need your help. We continue to listen to Albertans and hear your feedback. But this must be done in a respectful way -- a way that ensures everyone feels safe and welcome to participate. I ask all Albertans to think hard about the future of this stunning region, and what it will mean for future generations.”
For his part, MLA Nixon says the plan should be shelved until after the spring provincial election.
“It’s clear that the NDP should delay the final decision indefinitely until a proper consultation can take place,” said Nixon. “This issue is too important to get wrong.
“The government should be focused on making sure the public is consulted rather than rushing things through. I definitely think they should wait until after the election. The regional planning process was working well and the government has not explained why they need to accelerate it.
“By all reports, everybody who participated in the regional planning process (believes it) was moving towards a pretty good plan and the government hasn’t explained why that has been abandoned.”
The open house cancellations come as more than 30 retired Alberta Fish and Wildlife biologists, technicians and officers have sent an open letter to Premier Rachel Notley calling for the government to move ahead with its Bighorn Country plan.
“The juggernaut of industrial development and agricultural expansion, the proliferation of roads and trails, the explosion in use of motorized recreational vehicles, years of political and bureaucratic neglect and the overarching issue of climate change has made the task of conserving fish and wildlife at times difficult, sometimes impossible,” the letter states.
“The Bighorn Country proposal, like the Castle and the land-use plans for the Livingstone-Porcupine Hills, is an appropriate answer to the question: What do we want of our public lands? It can’t be a free-for-all anymore.
“We have tested the limits and many indicators, especially fish and wildlife populations, have signalled to us we’ve exceeded ecological thresholds. To lose species that are currently threatened or endangered, or to threaten our future water supply because we can’t see beyond our own selfish wants, means we don’t understand stewardship.”
In conclusion the letter writers state, “The plan is not perfect and will require ongoing consultation and updating, but it is the best chance we have to conserve an important component of our Alberta wild heritage for future generations.”
An online survey – which can be found at talkaep.alberta.ca – is being conducted to collect public input into the overall Bighorn Country proposal. Minister Phillips says that engagement process will continue until at least Feb. 9.
Meanwhile, the cancellation of the public information sessions has prompted widespread comments on social media, including on the Gazette Facebook page.
Comments received at press time Monday include the following:
• “Worst government in Alberta history. All these so called claims have manifested from the poor and underhanded actions of Minister Phillips and Premier Notley. They lie about the support they have. Town halls are completely false. They have already closed areas, placed signs, barriers, removed bridges, all the while claiming it’s only a consultation. We do not want our public land turned into massive government run amusement park with a pay to play access.”
• “Shannon Phillips doesn't like the answers she is hearing.”
The headwaters of the Red Deer and North Saskatchewan rivers are located within the Bighorn Country area, which runs along the Eastern Slopes of the Rockies. The rivers provide drinking water to more than one million Alberta residents.
