Kevin Hanson – Division 1
Quick Bits
The Firesmart Committee had a very productive meeting, with the major business being kicking off the Bragg Creek Wildfire Mitigation Strategy update project by reviewing its new outline with consultant Josh Hoddinott. Committee member John Morris and I will work with our emergency services folks to organize a FireSmart town hall to help educate and disseminate information for residents – hopefully before summer arrives.
Rocky View Foundation – Seniors Housing Update
I had a short call with the CAO of the foundation Chris Rowe. For now I can report that the Foundation is making significant headway on their seniors housing project in Bragg Creek. They are in the midst of making an application to Rocky View County seeking both land use redesignation and approval of a Master Site Development Plan (MSDP) for their property in the hamlet core. This is the land that was donated by Dick Koetsier a number of years ago, and is located east of his planned Gateway development. I believe part of the funding for this new work was from the CMHC Affordable Housing initiative.
There are some interesting new and innovative ideas related to seniors housing that I am sure will be considered as part of this site design – and Chris hinted at potential for 360 degree rendering to help visualize design choices. Part of the work preparing for the applications will be an updated needs assessment, conducted by a 3rd-party consultant. The Foundation has an ongoing community steering committee for the project, but further opportunities for resident input should be available through the upcoming needs assessment and our public engagement process related to the land use and MSDP applications.
CMRB
Sometimes a government can move quickly! On February 18th, Minister McIver signed Ministerial Order MSD:017/25, which rescinds the approval of the CMRB’s Regional Evaluation Framework and Growth Plan, immediately suspending the requirement for the CMRB members to submit new or amended statutory plans to the CMRB for approval. More legislative changes to come, as the Board and the Province finalize the wind-up. The target effective date for the outstanding repeals is May 1, 2025, consistent with the CMRB’s recommendation to the province.
Prairie Economic Gateway – “Joint Venture” with Calgary
Rocky View County Council made a landmark decision at it’s February 18th meeting, where the following motions were all carried unanimously:
That Council approves the Prairie Economic Gateway Deal Agreement Heads of Agreement, as per Attachment A in Confidential Report RVC2025-04;
that Council authorizes the Chief Administrative Officer to negotiate and to execute the Deal Agreement between Rocky View County and The City of Calgary for the Prairie Economic Gateway by end of Q1 2025, such Agreement to be consistent with the terms outlined in Attachment A of Confidential Report RVC2025-04, and to be in content satisfactory to the Chief Administrative Officer;
that Council direct Administration to bring a Terms of Reference for the Prairie Gateway Oversight Committee for Council approval by no later than Q2 2025;
that Council direct Administration to prioritize securing private sector, provincial, and federal financial and/or regulatory commitments by Q4 2025;
that Council hereby resolves to demonstrate leadership on a regional approach involving neighbouring municipalities to ensure that growth in the Calgary region is respectful of collective regional success, including but not limited to:
- Regional servicing and amenities, including source water protection and distribution, transit, recreation, commercial and other;
- Competitive economic development, well-paying jobs, and career opportunities; and
- Planning and development for residential, industrial, commercial and mixed uses.
Prior to the vote, our CAO Reegan McCullough presented that this business arrangement with the City was the first time a “Shared-Investment for Shared- Revenue” inter-municipal deal would be completed in the history of the Province. After the vote, Calgary’s COO Stuart Dalgleish also spoke about the anticipated benefits of the collaboration. As the last motion above indicates, I am very pleased that the municipalities built enough trust that they could collaborate in this manner to meet a North American-wide opportunity in a timely fashion, and avoid a protracted and expensive annexation process. At time of writing, Calgary’s Council still has to vote on the matter to ratify the deal from their side.
Contact: KRHanson@RockyView.ca or call 403.463.1166.
