A group of area residents in Mountain View County Division 7 northeast of Olds has made a formal request that the municipality remove the confined feeding operation (CFO) designation under the municipal development plan (MDP) on 16 quarters of land near their homes.
The request came during the recent policies and priorities commission meeting, with landowner Ben Luellau appearing as a delegation to make the request.
In a letter presented to the commission, residents said, "The two CFOs in our area are no longer in operation. A dairy farm CFO on SW 11-33-28-4 has been shut down and decommissioned under the NRCB.
"A feedlot CFO located on SE 12-33-28-4 has been shut down for three years and reclamation work is underway. NRCB decommissioning is anticipated by the end of January 2017.
"In light of the fact that there will no longer be any CFOs in our area, we ask that the concentrated CFO designation be removed from the lands."
The policies and priorities commission is made up of county councillors. After Luellau made the request, members held a discussion of the matter.
Coun. Angela Aalbers said, "I think it is a bigger discussion that council has to have on whether or not, as far as land use goes, we want to have areas for confined feeding operations in future.
"To me having the confined feeding operation areas is essentially the same as having the growth nodes or having an area that is designated for high density.
"If we support CFOs then we still have to have an area where a new CFO could come in."
Reeve Bruce Beattie said, "Why we need to look at it is because I remember that when we did that (designation) as part of the municipal development plan, we said that area was going to be the focus of where the CFOs were.
"That is why we put this area in, in recognition that that was an area that would be potentially for CFOs. I think we need to review the map."
Beattie asked Luellau, "In terms of the reasons for (request for removal of designation) is it because of the restriction around subdivision that you guys are looking to remove those designations?"
Luellau replied, "I guess it's twofold. That restriction does impact all the quarters surrounding those two former CFOs and secondly, none of the farmers in that area anticipate or desire to start a new CFO.
"To leave it indicated on that map, that that is an area where that would be encouraged seems to be drawing that in, and that isn't what we want."
Beattie said, "Really, what we are saying is that this restricts the ability of those landowners to be able to do a subdivision for residents, right?"
Luellau said, "Exactly."
Coun. Duncan Milne said, "I understand where they are coming from. I agree that we are probably going to have to have the discussion. But in this case here when you look at these two, these CFOs are gone and we are sterilizing the land for anything but, and that's not right.
"We shouldn't be sitting at this table and telling people what they can do with their land because we think it should be left as a CFO area."
Coun. Aalbers said, "I think it is a council decision on whether or not we are going to safeguard land for CFOs."
Coun. Al Kemmere said, "I'm not so sure that anyone is saying, ëtake away the map (in the MDP).' I think what we are saying here is let's review the map to make sure it is current with active CFOs."
Reeve Beattie said, "We need to review the map for sure. We've got to deal with it and figure out what our policy around preserving agricultural land is going to be on it."
Commission members passed a motion that council review the matter as it relates to the municipal development plan.
"In light of the fact that there will no longer be any CFOs in our area, we ask that the concentrated CFO designation be removed from the lands."Division 7 residents
