About the Project

The Alberta Government has directed the Natural Resources Conservation Board to assess whether the Scott Pit Project in Bearspaw is “in the public interest”.

This project will:

  • Degrade the quality of life for Bearspaw Residents - one-in-ten Rocky View residents

  • Permanently destroy an environmentally sensitive area

  • Gamble the health of residents from the risk of poisoned wells and carcinogenic dust

  • Transfer $163 million of wealth from Alberta citizens to a German company in the form of property value destruction.

Learn more about the Scott Pit Project and the NRCB Process below.

Scott Pit Project

The proposed Scott Pit is:

  • A 600-acre industrial development by German conglomerate Heidelberg Materials

  • Mining, blasting, drilling and crushing two million tonnes of gravel annually

  • Expected to last a minimum of 30 years

Since 1994, Rocky View County has rejected applications for the Scott Pit three times.

This industrial operation does not belong in the heart of our country residential community, and it is not required.

Aggregate (gravel) deposits are abundant in Calgary and Rocky View County, and throughout Southern Alberta. By locating this pit in the middle of a densely populated residential area, on environmentally sensitive land, harm will be maximized, and the character of Bearspaw will be altered for generations.

We’re facing yet another battle to protect our land, our water, and our way of life from an industrial-scale open pit gravel operation.

With your help, we can stop it.

NRCB Process

The Government of Alberta has referred the Scott Pit Project to the NRCB through Order in Council 342/2024, to determine whether the project is in the public interest of Albertans.

This risks sidestepping our local democracy, by seeking to shift approval authority from municipal jurisdiction to a provincial body.

The NRCB process differs significantly from Rocky View’s process. For starters, it is much lengthier, with several stages through 2025 and into 2026. Although both the NRCB and Rocky View have public hearings, the NRCB’s hearings are quasi-judicial and focus on expert evidence. The NRCB expects affected residents to be represented by an organization speaking on their behalf, rather than having many individuals delivering similar messages. That’s where the Coalition comes in.

Ensure you sign up with the Bearspaw Community Coalition to strengthen the Coalition’s voice and to receive updates on the process. Our updates will include information about opportunities for public involvement so you can maximize the effectiveness of your participation that is an important element in the NRCB’s process.

If you’d like more background on the NRCB, visit the NRCB Scott Pit Project website for background and status updates on the process, and to sign up for email updates.