Sometimes it takes a little satire to point out the absurd, which is what occurred during the question and answer period of LICA's annual general meeting, at which Minister of Environment and Sustainable Resource Development (ESRD) Diana McQueen was speaking, this past Thursday in Bonnyville.
Questions about Birchwood's proposed Sage oil extraction project near Crane Lake continued to come up during the discussion with the minister. Although she kindly pointed out those in opposition to the project will eventually have their opinions heard at a future public hearing, it wasn't until the question was phrased in a particular manner that those in attendance were able to grasp the true issue at hand – which is that a resource extraction company can apply directly to the provincial government for approval, regardless of what area structure plan the municipality has in place.
Currently, the area in which the proposed project's plant would be built is deemed “rural conservation”, which should stop industrial development on the land.
However, when Birchwood made the application to build its plant, it did not have to apply to the MD of Bonnyville – the municipality that created the area structure plan in 2006. Instead, the company applied to the province in order to move forward with its plans.
When asked whether there are special rules for resource extraction companies, which allow them to disregard municipal planning, McQueen responded with a clear “no”.
She explained that individual landowners have surface rights and abide by the rules and regulations set out by the municipality they reside in, while resources accessible below the surface belong to all Albertans and therefore companies need just apply to the province to access those resources, bypassing the municipal land-use regulations.
When provided the opportunity to pose a follow-up question, the resident asked facetiously, “So, if the land-use regulations only apply to those building on the surface, when should we expect the announcement that the technology has been developed to build this oil plant underground, where it is actually accessing the resources?”
McQueen said, “I'm not even going to touch that one.”
Sure, it was said in jest, but it brings up a fair point: do resource extraction companies, those significantly tied to Alberta's budgetary concerns, receive special treatment when it comes to seeking approval of a project? Yes, they are removing resources from underground, but construction, emissions, disturbances, all occur on the surface.
With the amount of development occurring in Alberta, we must ensure land-use designations are respected, especially those deemed “conservation”, if not for us, at least for our children and grandchildren.
