No public policy or plan will ever satisfy all residents in a municipality. We understand this, but it appears to us an opportunity was lost in council’s decision to scrap the Aggregate Resource Plan (ARP). The development of the ARP goes back several years, with original Terms of Reference adopted in 2015, followed by three rounds of public engagement starting in 2016. But the ARP was consistently met with resistance from area residents, who voiced concerns the County was working “too closely with industry stakeholders” and risking the health of community members in the process. The draft ARP received “strong opposition” and council was told Sept. 25, administration continues to hear an appropriate balance between the needs of residents, industry and society has not been reached. We can see why council might see the problem as unsolvable, but denying one last attempt to reconcile with opposing residents is a missed chance. Coun. Samanntha Wright, who was active with Rocky View Gravel Watch prior to obtaining a seat on council, said, as she understood things, residents weren’t asking for a complete rewrite but wanted key concerns addressed. While her proposed committee may not have solved this conundrum, her idea suggests the potential for an understanding. With the time and money already spent on the ARP, you’d hope council would think a potential solution would be worth a try. Instead, it opted to start all over with a new policy. Let’s hope they have better luck this time.
