The Mountain View County agricultural service board (ASB) has recommended that penalties in the proposed new topsoil removal bylaw be increased.
The board reviewed the proposed bylaw during its regularly scheduled Dec. 11 meeting.
The new legislation regarding topsoil removal is being “proposed to include provisions for the import of topsoil (into the county), the criteria and considerations when reviewing an application, and penalties for non-compliances, administration said in a briefing note to the board.
“The process would also have information and awareness component of the importance of the risks of topsoil import. The bylaw would not be used to regulate weeds or diseases as there is existing legislation in place this.”
Penalties proposed included $100 for first contravention, $200 for second contravention and $400 for third contravention.
The board recommended that those penalties be set at $1,000, $2,000 and $4,000.
The lower penalties would not serve as sufficient deterrent, said board chairman Eric Irversen.
The board's recommendation for higher penalties will be forwarded to council for consideration.
“This is about having a bylaw in place to manage a valuable resource,” agriculture services manager Jane Fulton told the board. “The intent isn't to police our agricultural community.”
If the bylaw is passed by council, the municipality should let industry know about the update, said board member and councillor Jeremy Sayer.
“I hope we will be letting oil companies know about this, making industry aware that this is necessary,” said Sayer.
Meanwhile, a two-person delegation from the alternative land use services (ALUS) group gave an update to the ASB during the recent board meeting.
ALUS works with landowners, municipalities, including Mountain View County, and others to preserve vulnerable habitat lands such as wetlands.
“ALUS is a community development farmer delivered program that enables Canadians to make an active contribution to rebuilding nature by funding an acre of restoration services,” Lorraine Becker, ALUS director of ecosystem markets.
In 2015 there were 244 ALUS projects underway, involving a total of 3,799 acreages and 169 participants.
Projects in 2015 including collaboration with the Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute special project for ecosystem services assessment, and collaboration with Dr. Nigel Raines and Dr. Alana Pindar to continue pollinator quantification work initiated with the Canpolin network, the board heard.
More information on ALUS can be found at www.alus.ca.
The ABS advises the county and the province on agriculture-related issues and concerns.
"I hope we will be letting oil companies know about this, making industry aware that this is necessary."Jeremy SayerMVC councillor and board member
