summary of may 15th community meeting

On May 15th the Bearspaw Community Coalition held a meeting at the Lions Hall.  For those of you who were able to attend, a huge thank you!  For those of you who weren’t, not to worry.  There is still time to help.  This email highlights what you can do to help with the fight against Heidelberg.  

FORMALLY JOIN THE COALITION

• The NRCB expects affected residents to work together and have one representative authorized to speak on their behalf.  That’s the role of the Coalition.

• To demonstrate the Coalition’s legitimacy to speak on your behalf, we need your consent.

• So, if you haven’t already, please sign the attached consent form and return it to noscottpit@gmail.com.

• Signed forms are critically important to effectively demonstrate Bearspaw residents’ support for the Coalition to represent their interests.

 PROVIDE FINANCIAL SUPPORT!

• The NRCB hearing will focus on evidence from technical experts.  Heidelberg will present updated technical studies prepared by their experts.

• We need to counter their studies.  If we can’t contradict their studies, the NRCB may well take Heidelberg’s studies at face value.

  • At Rocky View’s 2021 public hearing, we successfully fought off Heidelberg’s third attempt to gain municipal approval for a gravel pit on the Scott property.  We had independent technical experts demonstrate serious flaws in Heidelberg’s studies then.  We need to be able to do that again.

• It costs money to hire independent technical experts to prepare reports and to appear at the NRCB’s hearing.  A rough estimate is at least $250,000.

• We need your financial help.  Please donate to help pay for these experts who will be critical support to protect Bearspaw residents’ interests at the NRCB.

• To deliver full transparency, we will provide ongoing reporting on the Coalition’s finances.

 SUPPORT OUR TECHNICAL COMMITTEES

• If you know technical experts who might be interested in helping our cause, please pass on their contact information to noscottpit@gmail.com.

• As directly affected residents our expertise is not seen as “independent”, but having knowledgeable residents work with the hired consultants will maximize their effectiveness.  If you have relevant technical expertise and can volunteer to support the Coalition’s independent expertise, please let us know.

• The relevant areas of technical expertise include:

  • Air quality

  • Noise

  • Hydrology – surface water

  • Hydrogeology – ground water

  • Transportation and conveyance

  • Fish and wildlife

  • Wetlands

  • Public health and safety

  • Social and economic impacts

  • Economic geology

• If you have technical expertise in other areas that may be helpful, please let us know.

If you have any questions, please be sure to ask.  Donations to support our fight against Heidelberg can be e-transferred with direct deposits to noscottpit@gmail.com.  If you prefer to write a cheque, let us know and we will arrange for one of our members to pick it up. 

Please share this with your Bearspaw neighbours.  Maximizing the Coalition’s support is critically important to show the Province that our interests are important in the NRCB’s assessment of whether Heidelberg’s application is in the “public interest”.  One strong voice will make it clear that Bearspaw residents can’t be pushed around.