Rocky View Schools Dispute with Province
Prior to the last provincial election in May, the Rocky View Schools (RVS) Board of Trustees, with then Chair Norma Lang often acting as spokesperson to the media, was very vocal in its criticism of then Education Minister Adriana LaGrange, and the provincial UCP government in general, due to a lack of capital funding to build new schools. With a growth of 1,000 students per year in RVS, and many schools, particularly in Airdrie, Cochrane and Chestermere, already near or over 100 per cent capacity, the Board of Trustees had hoped for new school funding announcements coming into the election.
While the province did promise some money for further planning studies on where new schools might be built, it failed to deliver any actual capital funding to get construction of those local schools underway. This, in turn, led to ongoing war of words between RVS and Airdrie-East MLA Angela Pitt as well as Airdrie-Cochrane MLA Peter Guthrie, who were both running for re-election for the UCP, as trustees doubled down on their criticism of the Province during the election itself.
The dispute only seemed to simmer down with the appointment of a new Education Minister, Demetrios Nicolaides, in June. Former RVS board chair Fiona Gilbert also replaced Lang at the RVS organizational meeting in September, signalling both parties seemed to want to move on from the recent troubles.
Beiseker Coun. Karen Ursu passes
The untimely death of long time Beiseker Councillor Karen Ursu in July left a hole in the community that was difficult to fill, and led to an outpouring of public grief from many, including then Mayor Warren Wise, who said at the time of her passing, “She’s going to really be missed. It was a terribly sudden thing, a shock to everybody to hear that she had passed.”
While Ursu’s family continued to struggle with her death, and the community organizations she was so heavily involved with were left without a strong voice on Village council, the Village had to try to move forward to pick up the pieces. A byelection was called to fill Urso’s seat in September, with the election to be held on Oct. 17.
Three candidates stepped forward to contest the election, Mike Duffy, David Ledoyen, and Stephanie Young. Ultimately, Ledoyen emerged as the winner, and within a few days after winning was appointed the new mayor of the community.
Soderglen Ranches owner passes, ranch lands go up for sale
Owner of the Soderglen Ranches Ltd., Stan Grad, passed away at the age of 78 on July 29. His death prompted the official sale of the 7,000 acre property in Rocky View County, just west of Airdrie.
Land agent Cam Crawford told Rocky View Weekly at the time the land went up for sale that this was the first time he had dealt with a situation of that magnitude. He claimed the property was unique in Canada, due its proximity to large urban centres, as it is located northwest of Airdrie and a short drive north from Calgary. Because of this, the property was almost impossible to put a price on, he said at the time. Bids were supposed to close on Sept. 30, but no word has ever been released publicly about what offers the ranch might have received.
Grad meanwhile was honoured by the Canadian ranching industry for his business acumen in the energy industry, and his entrepreneurial spirit in developing Soderglen Ranches Ltd. into the largest seedstock operation in Canada. Soderglen Ranch is also known for its annual bull sale, which draws many from around the region.
He was survived by his wife Jane Grad, daughters Kara Grad (Wyatt and Sage) and Samantha (Justin) Wharton, (Aria, Georgia, and Addelyn), sister Celeste Grad (Bonita Price) and goddaughter Chelan Lees.
Gravel Disputes
Leading up to the province greenlighting gravel production in Big Hill Creek Valley this past July, the battle lines had already been drawn over the proposal years beforehand. The application to mine gravel was originally approved on March 2, 2021 by Rocky View County (RVC) council at a special public hearing.
But after that provincial decision, the dispute went from a cold war into a hot war as Bighill Creek Preservation Society (BCPS) spokesman Gerry Bietz said they had filed their appeal of the province’s decision to the Alberta Environmental Appeals Board under the Water Act on July 26.
In a similar vein, the Land and Property Rights Tribunal (LPRT) was also called to hear the appeal of the decision by RVC to approve a development permit to McNair and Buckley Ranch Aggregate Development Inc. (BRADI) to extract 300,000 tonnes of gravel per year from a site east of the Shell station on 567, just north of Cochrane.
Acknowledging the ongoing aggravation over aggregate, RVC moved to establish a new Aggregate Resource Plan (ARP) Stakeholder Advisory Committee to try to build consensus on gravel development, which held its first meeting in August.
Province ponies up big bucks for new interchange near Balzac
Alberta Minister of Transportation and Economic Corridors Devin Dreeshen announced in March that the Province itself will pay $148 million to create a new interchange off of the QEII into Balzac via Highway 566.
The move was an acknowledgement of Balzac’s growing importance as a provincial logistics hub for retail giants like Walmart, Amazon and Voila, as well as the hamlet’s attraction to many industrial and commercial enterprises seeking to expand their businesses in its East Business Park. Not to mention the heavy traffic generated by CrossIron Mills Mall, New Horizon Mall and the nearby Century Downs Racetrack and Casino.
The interchange announcement coincided with the commencement of the largely County-funded twinning of Highway 566 in 2023. The project was anticipated to cost the County over $15 million, with the Province kicking in $4.1 million on top of that.
Construction on the new provincially funded interchange is scheduled to begin in 2025.
Redwood Meadows Mayor Ousted
This one came a bit earlier in 2023, but followed months of acrimony between some local residents, later led by former mayor Paul Sawler, and then Mayor George Allen. Coun. Glenn Dzus was subsequently installed as mayor after Allen was ousted.
As the townsite on Tsuut'ina Nation land wrestled with next steps in an ongoing controversy involving recall measures, allegations of financial wrongdoing, and crumbling infrastructure, many in the small community hoped Allen’s expulsion would bring closure to a lengthy – and at times rancorous – dispute.
In the fall of 2022, dissidents collected petition signatures by going door-to-door. At a meeting on Nov. 30, they achieved a total of 306 votes (the count was 306 to six) calling for Allen to be removed.
The conflict then came to a head as a Jan. 3 council meeting at Redwood House began with a crowd member, from the back of the room, loudly accusing Allen of lying.
Allen claimed at the time the concerned citizens group focused on him to distract attention away from what he deemed mismanagement of the treatment plant issue by previous councils.
Cochrane Lakes Revitalization
Another story which flew under the radar somewhat in 2023 was the lobbying effort by local developers and citizens in Cochrane Lake who wanted something done about the quality of the lake water in the hot summer months, which often becomes choked with toxic algae and smells quite foul at times. The lake has no natural outlets flowing into or out the lake, and the levels are manually controlled by Rocky View County in line with provincial regulations. The Province has ultimate jurisdiction over the lake, and this led to some on RVC council balking at putting in County dollars to pay the full $8 million to create a berm around Cochrane Lake, and investing in new pumping infrastructure to raise water levels and improve water quality.
Developer Macdonald Communities Ltd. (MCL) was the driving force behind wanting to involve the County in this berming effort, first presenting the idea to RVC council at a meeting back in February, as it begins construction of its new subdivision near the lake.
On October 10, Rocky View Count council’s Governance Committee unanimously approved a new cost sharing agreement for the Cochrane Lake Revitalization Plan, which would see $3 million in taxpayer money provided up front by RVC on the lake development project with $1 million additional to come later. Under the new cost sharing proposal contributing developers would provide $1 million up front to the county, a non-refundable amount that would be paired with the $3 million that RVC would front. The $1 million would be paid by the County, and would then be recovered through annual payments of $100,000 dollars made by MCL over a ten year period. The other $2 million would be recovered through a local improvement levy, which would account for $1,400 per acre for the 2,850 acre stormwater catchment area.
