MOUNTAIN VIEW COUNTY - The South McDougal Flats Area Protection Society plans to ask district residents whether they are in support of the district breaking off from Mountain View County to form a new municipality, says society president Robin Tudor.
“We started our society (in 2016) to try to protect our way of life out here,” said Tudor. “At the time it was something someone brought up to us, the idea we can create our own county.
“It was kind of a joke at first but when we started looking into the Muncipal Government Act, it’s feasible. It’s something we’ve talked about and something we’ve investigated. Now we have to get to the details.”
The society currently has about 90 households as members, he said.
A lack of consideration for the interests of the McDougal Flats area by the current Mountain View County council, including regarding gravel pits, has prompted the proposal to separate, he said.
“People are pretty fed up with Mountain View County and how the county treats our area. It’s been talked about before that the county is split kind of along the Little Red Deer River. To the east is agriculture and to the west is leisure, resources, timber and gravel. The county is physically split," he said.
The provincial Municipal Government Act Section 85(1) states that “a municipality may be formed on the Minister’s initiative or if the Minister receives a request to form the municipally from a council of a municipality or an improvement district or the Minister receives a sufficient petition requesting the formation of the municipality form electors within the boundaries of the proposed municipality numbering at least 30 per cent of the population within the boundaries of the proposed municipality.”
Work on the petition is already underway, said Tudor.
“We have to define the area and what is that edge of that,” he said. “It’s the time to start it. We’ve started right now and we are moving ahead.”
Society officials will also be asking for a meeting with Sundre town council and town administration to gauge possible support for the idea of forming a new municipality, he said.
