After completing public consultation sessions in the spring, the provincial government released the updated draft of the Lower Athabasca Regional Plan (LARP) this past Monday, outlining changes implemented based on feedback, and Mel Knight, minister of sustainable resource development, was on hand to both present and defend it.
“There is no gain from a plan like this without some pain,” said Knight over a media conference call, aware the draft would receive both negative and positive receptions.
The plan is the result of two years of research and consultation as part of the Land-Use Framework, dividing the province into seven regions, all of which will eventually receive their own plans. The Lower Athabasca region is the first to be dealt with under the framework, and consists of about 93,212 square kilometres of land stretching from the Northwest Territories border to the County of Vermilion River.
The eastern border runs parallel to Saskatchewan, and the western one extends to the far edge of Wood Buffalo.
The earlier LARP draft was met with skepticism on the part of environmental, aboriginal, and agricultural groups, concerned their needs were not being adequately represented in the plan.
According to Knight, feedback received in public engagement sessions this spring led to many changes in the plan.
Those changes included clarifying many factors of the plan, including the use of recreational and conservation lands, and clarifying methods of environmental monitoring. Because of the feedback, the committee also looked at emphasizing the role of aboriginal communities in moving forward with the plan, as well as ensuring treaty rights are protected under LARP.
In the new draft, the importance of forestry and agriculture are also outlined, both as important aspects of the region's economy, and as part of the region's heritage. Other hydroelectric and mineral potential in the region was recognized, like sand, gravel, and peat.
The new plan also outlines the importance of reducing carbon footprints, managing biodiversity, and balancing the importance of the region's economic viability with conservation.
“I think that we can do what we need to do to maintain the economic viability of the province and the value of our resources and still have conservation areas where it's necessary,” Knight explained.
He added arguing over the amount of land set aside for conservation placed quantity over quality.
“The amount of real estate, to me, is not the important question,” he said.
“I want to know that it's the right piece of real estate that's being put under conservation for the right reasons at the right time.”
The next step in the process is to table the plan with the legislature and hope cabinet approves it, though there is no way to tell when that will be. Knight is hoping it will be as soon as possible, sure it will be by the end of the year, and hoping it will be approved in early fall.
At the Monday announcement, Knight was questioned as to whether he thought the current Progressive Conservative leadership race would affect the plan's reception in the legislature, or whether he was concerned any of the six candidates currently vying for leadership may not support LARP.
“I don't care if it's from government or opposition or who it is,” he said. “I don't care if it's federal or provincial or municipal — I don't think there's an elected official in the province of Alberta that does not believe that long-term, proper planning moving forward is essential. Not one.”
He added the leadership race or upcoming election did not slow progress on the development of LARP at all.
“I have been given a mandate and some work to do,” he said. “And until someone tells me to stop, I'm going to continue to do my work, and that's just part of it.”
He admitted despite the mixed reception LARP has received, he believes the general public still recognizes the value in it.
“These things are always problematic,” he said. “If you look at the rather interesting opportunities I've had since I've been elected, I've taken on some things that I think have been slightly problematic, but I think at the end of the day, people recognize this for what it is. They recognize that this is good, solid, forward-thinking planning that is absolutely necessary for a province that is developing at the pace that this province is moving forward.”
