MOUNTAIN VIEW COUNTY - Mountain View County is calling on the provincial Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry to help the municipality play a larger role in the diversification of the agriculture industry.
The request comes in the form of one of several one-page ministry summaries reviewed and approved by councillors at the recent regularly scheduled council meeting.
The county’s intergovernmental communications committee has prepared the one-page summaries, asking various government departments to take action on various issues and concerns affecting the municipality.
The summary going to the minister of Alberta Agriculture and Forestry calls on the department to “allocate administrative staff to meet with Mountain View County administration to provide clarity on how the county can plan a larger role in the diversification of the agricultural sector.”
Diversification of the agriculture industry is part of the new provincial Alberta Recovery Plan.
“Mountain View County is uniquely positioned to help with these goals as the county’s land-use and planning framework is designed to emphasize retention of productive land, along with supporting traditional and emerging agriculture production opportunities,” the summary states.
The county also “maintains a proactive and engaged relationship with Olds College, one of the country’s top ag-focused post-secondary institutions.”
The summary going to the minster of Alberta Energy and the minister of Alberta Environment and Parks asks that the ministries “support the development of policy that requires a reclamation/recycling program for all Alberta Utilities Commission approved projects including the submission of applicable securities by applicants to deal with reclamation and/or recycling obligations at the conclusion of the project’s useful life.”
The AUC currently approves renewable energy projects with “no requirements for securities to be taken at the time of application to deal with the inevitable reclamation obligations that will occur with these projects at the end of their life.”
The county says it is concerned that a without firm policy requiring reclamation and appropriate securities, “renewable energy projects will like require similar future programs, funded by taxpayers, as the Orphan Well Association.”
A second summary being sent to Alberta Environment and Parks calls on the ministry to “allow municipalities to provide comment on the updates of the Code of Practice for Asphalt Paving Plants and for Gravel Pits prior to finalizing” and that the department “maintain inspection and enforce compliance with the conservation and relations regulation and the Code of Practice for Pits.”
In a note accompanying that summary, the county said it has “experienced difficulty explaining the delineation between provincial and municipal responsibilities to our residents and ratepayers in part due to a lack of consistency of policy decisions and implementation across the department, and a gap in responsibility for communicating with stakeholders.”
The Provincial Floodway Mapping summary going to the minister of Alberta Municipal Affairs calls on the department to “commit to being part of the consultation process, committed to by Alberta Environment and Parks, to ensure that affected landowners receive sufficient support during the Upper Red Deer River Hazard Study consultations to understand future development constraints with the new mapping and answer any questions relative to the Disaster Recovery Program.”
In the summary being sent to the minister of Alberta Transportation, the county is calling on the department to “advocate for future sustainable and predictable funding dedicated for bridges to assist with the growing expenses that rural municipalities face maintaining bridges under their jurisdiction” and that the department “consider the negative impact that reducing or eliminating provincial funding dedicated to bridges will have one the overall road network throughout the province.”
