Information meeting - sept. 15 - save the date!
As summer starts to wind down, we want to remind you about the Coalition's Community Information Meeting on Tuesday, September 15, at the Bearspaw Lifestyle Centre, beginning at 7:00 p.m. Please save the date and invite your friends, family, and neighbours to attend. The more people who are informed and involved, the stronger our community's voice will be.
We see that some of you have submitted letters of opposition to the NRCB. These letters demonstrate the depth and breadth of community opposition to Heidelberg's proposed open-pit gravel mine and the significant concerns about its impacts on our area. If you haven't yet sent the NRCB a letter, consider doing so. Letters can be emailed to the NRCB at janet.harvey@nrcb.ca.
Although these letters send a message to the NRCB, it is important to remember that, unlike a Rocky View public hearing, the letters are not part of the NRCB’s quasi-judicial process. We are now expecting Heidelberg to submit its application in the fall. As soon as that happens, the NRCB official review process will move quickly toward its public hearing. At that stage, the Coalition’s role as the community’s collective voice will move to the forefront.
To ensure we can represent our community’s interests most effectively, we need as many residents as possible to complete consent forms authorizing the Coalition to speak on their behalf. This is why it is critical for you to continue encouraging your friends and neighbours to sign consent forms authorizing the Coalition to speak on their behalf. Consent forms can be found here on the Coalition’s website.
On an unrelated gravel issue, we have had questions about the letter some of you received from the County regarding proposed changes affecting Burnco’s Burma Road gravel pit. The County is proposing changes to the direct control bylaw that governs Burnco’s operations. The proposed changes will require Burnco’s Burma Road pit to comply with the new performance standards that were approved as part of the ARP process. Without the proposed changes, its direct control bylaw would have effectively “grandfathered” it from the new performance standards and other ARP changes. From our perspective, making Burnco follow tighter performance standards is a good news story.
Thank you for your continued support and commitment to protecting our community. We look forward to seeing you on September 15. If you have any questions in the meantime, please don't hesitate to reach out.