Alberta attempts to balance growth, conservation in new land-use policy

Alberta will be divided into six land-use regions as part of the government's plan to balance industrial growth and conservation.

The division into regions is one of six strategies in the new draft land-use framework announced Wednesday by Sustainable Resource Development Minister Ted Morton.

"Albertans have asked for a planning framework that better balances our environmental, social and economic needs and provides greater certainty for decision makers," Morton told reporters.

"The draft land-use framework does this. It provides a strategic blueprint for all levels of government and Albertans as we make decisions today about the province we want in the future."

The province's six regions —  North, North-East, North-West, North-Central, South-Central and South — were designed to fit with existing municipal boundaries and to have separate watersheds, Morton said.

Morton said he hopes that by planning out how much land will be devoted to development and conservation, neighbouring municipalities will be able to smooth out their differences over land use.

Municipal governments will still have the authority to make decisions at the local level, he added, but those decisions will need to be consistent with the regional plan.

Under the plan, each region would be responsible to develop their own policies for housing, farming, resource development and recreation, complying with government-set, region-specific targets for environmental issues such as emissions and water use.

Morton said the environmental considerations will look at cumulative effects over time, rather than only the effects of one project.

A new cabinet committee will be responsible for overseeing the development of the regional plans by consulting with 10- to 12-member regional advisory councils to be established in each region. The advisory councils will include representatives from government, industry, aboriginal groups and other planning bodies within the region.

Morton said if the planning was not done co-operatively, quality of life in the province would start to decline.

The regional plans would be re-evaluated every five years.

The draft also calls for a strategy to better manage recreation on public land, private incentives to encourage conservation on private and public lands, strategies to minimize flood risks and develop a transportation and utility corridors strategy.

Morton insisted the government is not trying to stifle economic activity.

"The purpose of the framework is to manage growth, and not to stop it," he said. "The Stelmach government rejects the simplistic view that development destroys the environment. We recognize that the best environmental regimes in the world are generally found in the wealthiest countries. Why? Because protecting the environment costs money, especially when much of your economy is energy- and resource-based such as ours."

He said the government's immediate planning priorities include completing and implementing plans in the Capital region, Calgary, the south and the northeast.

The government said it will continue to consult with the public as it identifies the legislation, regulations and policies that would be necessary to implement the framework.