Hello, St. Paul. Although I have moved here from just down the road from Bonnyville, I will be a new face at community events and in the Journal office and look forward to meeting many Journal readers over the coming months. Before moving to Bonnyville, I lived in Manitoba.
By the time this newspaper has reached newsstands, many readers will have attended Keith Wilson's second presentation in less than two weeks in the area last night. From the meeting in Elk Point in February (and a separate meeting in Bonnyville in January), I can tell land rights are an important, perhaps sacredly held value, many people are passionate about in this region.
In the Bonnyville area, the Land Stewardship Act came under heavy fire in recent months from some unexpected sources. Two municipal affairs employees were taken to task by the MD of Bonnyville council - some members from which don't mince words. Councillors felt the act infringed upon their right to make municipal land use decisions.
To date, no regional plans have been approved, but many MD of Bonnyville residents felt the draft on the table could extinguish traditional hunting and trapping rights in certain areas. Others raised concerns, similar to Wilson's, about the growing power of the provincial cabinet to make sweeping land use decisions for government projects. Another big issue has been whether or not the act will provide adequate compensation to people who lose out from a cabinet decision.
The government has numerous amendments on the table right now, so these issues are far from being worked out. The Lower Athabasca Regional Plan (LARP) is the first one in the province, but this area will see a draft soon as part of the North Saskatchewan region. If the LARP was any indication, regional plans will continue to face stern opposition as they are unveiled across the province. I'm interested in hearing your views on the plan once it's available.
In other matters, as a recent arrival to the St. Paul area, I would like to learn more about agriculture, how this cold weather could be affecting farming operations, or what farmers are doing to get ready for spring. Please be in contact if you don't mind sharing what you do with Journal readers.
As always, feel free to share your news tips and comments with the Journal newsroom by emailing [email protected] or by calling 780-645-3342.
