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Alberta Environment and Protected Areas 
I attended all of the public meetings the minister mentioned above. I need the following on record: no Bragg Creek residents spoke in favour of this logging plan, no Kananaskis park users locally or from Calgary spoke in favour of this plan, and no local business people did either. There are currently no plans for maintaining a viable Firesmart zone out of any of this logging either. Many concerned and well educated people spoke loudly and clearly against this plan. But this is a democracy so majority rules…….wait a minute…….
We n Rocky Mountain House have the same type of logging going on they use the word sustainable but if you have a look at the area on Google Map you can see it is far from sustainable it is down right sad…
Hi – I attended the SSRP consultation today in Edmonton. While I was not able to attend the entire session, I found the consultation to be very well organized, and also felt that participants were given considerable opportunity to provide the depth and breadth of input that this type of planning requires. One gentleman at my table summed up the ambition and vision of the SSRP succiently – “The vision of the SSRP presents both a monumental opportunity for human triumpf and for human failure.”
thanks for the chance to push for the first of these two options.
We the Citizens of Edmonton are very concerned about the Fluordation of our drinking water coming from our taps. We have done our Research and Due Dilligence on this matter and have come to learn that the subtance in itself is Toxic Sludge from the Fertilizer Industry and can cause many adverse health affects upon us Adults and our Children . You have declared in your information through your Link edmonton.ca environmental/ wastewater that you have concerns on Citizens polluting our River with Pesticides and Fertilizers and yet you allow the Deadliest of Fertilizers Fluoride to be Voluntarilly added to the very Life giving substance that we have and need for our Sustainability and Life . Our group of concerned Citizens are growing in numbers and counting day by day and this issue will not be going away anytime soon . I hope the readers of these E mail’s take heed and bring our concerns to City Hall and bring forward recommendations and Solutions to these concerns that are exremely important to the Citizens of Edmonton ! Myself and my wife would love to drink out of our tap again knowing that we are not being unvoluntarilly Poisoned and be able to feel safe that our Driking water is safe to us and all of our Children in Edmonton . We are part of a Group called …
“”” Edmonton say ‘NO’ to Fluoride “”” … and are growing in numbers everyday . We will be at the session on water Quality on feb 19th to bring this Toxic issue to the forefront and hope to eliminate this practise that was introduced to Edmonton in 1967 . Time’s have changed and so have we as concerned citizens that now know the truth on this matter . Thank you for your listening time and be ready for when we meet in person .! Fluoride the biggest Killer of Life …!!!
Hi Marc, thanks for your comment.
Flouridation of drinking water is decided by municipalities. If a city decides to stop the practice, we would work with them to amend their operating licence.
Go Mark!!!
I think you are fear mongering a bit here Marc. There isn’t any peer reviewed scientific evidence to support what you are saying about fluoride in drinking water. There is a lot of misinformation on the internet however that many people take as truth.
The only impact on humans that I can recall is that for some people above certain concentrations it causes teeth mottling. This has to be balanced againt the overall benefit to the community in that it reduces dental caries. Fluoride in drinking water is a mineral and not a toxic sludge. When flouride is added to drinking water it usually supplements naturally occurring flouride that is already there.
Well, Calgary got rid of its flouridation in 2011 because of costs and a few other things. Considering just how little of water produced by the city really gets to spend time in our mouths as compared with all the other things it gets used for, it is definitely worth looking at stopping flouridation in Edmonton just in light of that.
I heart about this website on the radio. (waterconversation.alberta.ca) I was interested to see what it was about especially in regards to the documentary, “Blue Gold – World Water Wars” Which is really a must see for anyone. We have it good here in Alberta, just look at the U.S. right now with their massive drought, let alone many other places in the world. I’m glad Alberta is addressing this issue sooner than later!
The Government of Alberta’s Ministry of Environment &
Sustainable Resource Development Public Water Session
Town of Okotoks – Mayor’s Speaking Notes
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Good evening ladies and gentlemen and thank you to the Province for encouraging further discussion on our collective water issues. Thank you also to the Okotoks and area residents for attending tonight. It is essential that we get involved in the conversation of the future of water in Alberta.
As residents of Okotoks, we have been engaged in water and growth discussions for the past several years and as a community have taken ownership and responsibility for the future of our water. We also appreciate that the Province has been forward thinking with the adoption of the South Saskatchewan River Basin Water Management Plan.
Through Council, Administration and resident effort, Okotoks has been recognized through local, national and international awards for our contributions and accomplishments regarding wise and effective water management. The most recent award is for Okotoks’ Water Management Plan, which was awarded by the Canadian Association of Municipal Administrators 2011 Willis Award for Innovation. The Plan, which serves to provide sound guidance for water management, was developed in 2002 and is expanded annually to capture additional creative means of advancing water conservation; establishing further policies, programs and incentives, efficiency and productivity to be able to meet our growing population’s need for access to water. For example:
• utility rate restructuring that has a user pay philosophy
• frequent public information and education programs to change water use habits (e.g. since 1998, summer students visit over 500 households, schools and day camps as well as extensive advertising to educate residents each year)
• wise water use regulations (e.g. outdoor watering schedule, low flow fixtures, etc)
• municipal bylaws that require developers to use advanced water conservation fixtures and landscaping (e.g. lot grading bylaw)
• advanced automated monitoring for leak detection that result in 95% of Okotoks water being fully accounted for (highly unusual in many municipalities)
• infrastructure design and management (e.g. design, build, operate long term contract with EPCOR Water Services)
• state of the art water and wastewater treatment facilities (that supply quality drinking water and returns high quality water to the Sheep River to reduce harm on the aquatic habitat)
These initiatives continue to enable Okotoks to successfully manage its water resources effectively and efficiently in full compliance with increasingly more stringent provincial water management legislation.
Okotoks continues to work hard towards our commitment to being a sustainable community that embraces environmental stewardship as was recognized by Prime Minister Harper:
“Not far from my hometown of Calgary, in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, there is a beautiful little town called Okotoks. About 10 years ago, the folks there decided they were going to live within their local environmental means. Today Okotoks can fairly call itself the greenest community in Canada.”
It is with environmental consciousness that we actively seek to find all options for short and long term water solutions, including asking assistance our regional neighbour’s assistance to help Okotoks find water solutions such as regional and sub-regional servicing options. An example of regional municipal cooperation is the newly formed Foothills Regional Water Commission, that will help to create an integrated water solution to address all our collective water utility service needs, including adequate water supply and sewage disposal now and into future. For the past decade, Okotoks has worked closely with the Province and other key stakeholders including the Calgary Regional Partnership, the Bow River Basin Council and the Sheep River Watershed Management Committee to identify further sustainable water supply solutions. To date, no timely solution has been found.
Okotoks is proud of our reputation as an environmentally responsible community. We have heard that Alberta Environment, when talking to other communities about water issues, suggest they talk to Okotoks about our water management initiatives.
We will continue to lobby the Province to consider new legislation that will allow well-established water conservation methods used in other countries. An example is conjunctive water use, which is the process of storing surface water in a groundwater basin in wet years and withdrawing from the basin in dry years. This could be a potential water solution for Okotoks but we need to seize these opportunities quickly.
In the last 3 years, the only successful short term solution has been to purchase and then transfer water licenses to the Sheep River basin to secure adequate supply to meet today’s growth requirements. The last major license was from the resource extraction industry and was fully consumptive, whereas Okotoks returned 80% back to the Sheep, reusing the water for the benefit of the environment and area.
We only have water for approximately 2,000 more people, which is a maximum of 2 years at today’s growth rate. This means that we do not have water for any new development and are in desperate need of assistance.
Okotoks believes that return flow credits is a viable solution the Province needs to consider. The Town puts as much as 90% of the water used back into the Sheep River. Okotoks would like credit for this practice by allowing us to draw more water with trust that our procedures have consistently demonstrated environmental stewardship.
Okotoks has been consulting with our residents for the past decade to ensure they are aware of the need to conserve water. Okotoks residents’ cooperation has resulted in Okotoks having one of the lowest per capita water usages in Canada, averaging 300 litres per capita per day over the last few years. That is 260 litres per capita per day less than the national average!
Okotoks has invested $100K over the past 4 years for Water Rebate programs to further reduce consumption, which is a significant amount of money for a community of our size.
All buildings in Okotoks have water meters installed and our user-pay water rates reflect the fact that water is a valuable non-renewable resource. Therefore, essential human consumption takes priority over discretionary usage such as outdoor watering, as reflected in rates.
We strongly support the Province taking the long term perspective of access to drinking water as a right of all Albertans. Therefore managing water from a systems perspective, not solely from an individual allocation perspective is needed. Okotoks believes this philosophy needs to be implemented in immediate actions.
In addition, we suggest that the Province prioritize the use of water, with the highest priority given to municipalities to provide citizens with clean drinking water and then excess can be used for other purposes such agriculture and oil & gas. Legislated changes to require increased water conservation for industry are also necessary.
The Town of Okotoks requires funding assistance and we suggest the Province consider the following:
o Okotoks has proven results in water conservation through our successful water management strategies and resident’s efforts that could be used as a model for others.
o Okotoks has invested well over $1million to date and have budgeted another $1 million this year alone, to purchase new water licenses. These licenses are not for discretionary use. They are desperately required to provide the drinking water our citizens need to sustain life. They are also essential for our economic sustainability.
o Okotoks’ investment in water and wastewater infrastructure over the past decade is approximately $34 million which has provided state of the art facilities to ensure high quality drinking water is available for residents and quality water is returned to the Sheep River.
o Okotoks would be the ideal community for a pilot project to allow progressive water conservation methods using proven technologies that are successful in other countries.
o Provide funding to Okotoks to purchase and transfer water licenses that will enable us to provide water to current and future residents (i.e. grants in the order of 90% funding are provided for water infrastructure, yet no funding is currently available for water license transfer purchases )
It is the responsibility of the Provincial government to assist communities with these water challenges. Okotoks wants to find reasonable solutions to our dilemma in a timely manner and call on the Province to assist us.
Okotoks has researched and concluded that the following water solutions are a priority:
In the short term (3-5 years for 40,000+ population)
• Funding assistance for water license transfer purchases
• Provide Return Flow Credits to enable Okotoks to access more water for municipal use and then returned to the Sheep River
• Approval for pilot projects in Okotoks to use proven technologies such as conjunctive water use to provide Okotoks additional water 3 years)
• Approve a sub-regional solution, if temporary legislative amendments are required
In the long term (25-50 years for 60-80,000 population)
• Okotoks must draw water from region (e.g. a pipeline from the Bow or Highwood) unless highly innovative solutions are introduced within the next decade.
• FIFIR (first in time, first in right) water legislation be reprioritized to the citizens right to drinking water rather than property owner rights
• Provide incentives to municipalities that have consistently low water consumption and exceed environmental standards
Sustainability and environmental stewardship remain our focus, as Chief Seattle put it and Okotoks fully agree: “We didn’t inherit the Earth from our parents. We are borrowing it from our children.”
We need the Province to assist Okotoks immediately. Our collective backs are against the wall and our need for water is urgent! Okotoks has been diligent in our water use and conservation efforts and we have become a model community for water management and environmental stewardship. We feel the next logical move comes from the Province in how and when solutions are reached for the changing water demands of Albertans and Okotoks in particular.
Let’s change the old adage:
o “Whiskey’s for drinking; Water’s for fighting over” to a 21st century philosophy of: water is for all to share. (we should not have to fight for water – water is for life)
Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to speak on behalf of all citizens of Okotoks!
Presented by Mayor Bill Robertson, Town of Okotoks
February 27, 2013
The clean up of old shacks is a must. The rotting wood and plastic not good for fish.
with all the oil spills around why can’t you give a product a chance to make a difference and clean oil up. works very well taking oil from water. It has pass all your government test .Yet to this day the government as not used a ounce . We spend many months down in the U.S. when they had their major spill and jumped throw all their paperwork and approvals and pass all .I day later they clam its all clean up and we all know that it is not correct .
My question is regarding ice fishing shacks . As an avid outdoorsmen , fisherman I spend a lot of hours in the bush , or on the lake . I know other provinces have a registration system to have your ice shack on a lake . So why doesn’t Alberta .
It wouldn’t be difficult to have a minimum system similar to a bear bait site where it has to have win card number name and license , here fore these people do not remove there ice fishing shelters , would be able to be traced and charged accordingly for the removal of the ice fishing shack .
We already have enough issues with our waters and fishing pressure never mind many ice shacks littering our water ways and polluting our waters .
Hi John, thank you for your question, I apologize for the late response.
Abandoned ice huts are a problem we’ve been working to address at a local level through education and awareness – and we’re seeing results.
In 2012, we launched a pilot voluntary registration program and a “Take it Off!” education campaign in collaboration with the Town of Sylvan Lake, the Sylvan Lake Management Committee, Summer Villages and RCMP. Last year there were 5 abandoned huts compared to 25 the year before. We hope to see even better results this year.
We encourage municipalities to consider using the Sylvan Lake model if they wish to adopt a registration program.
My widely integrated thoughts on water management… Nestle president managed an honorary PHD through the UA 2 years ago….hmmm. Fracking pollutes enormous quantities of water. Oil and Gas love fracking. Water has been so mis-managed in the US that the Colorado River now tapers off into cracked and barren land. Some of the Worlds few remaining pristine water-ways are in BC. Oil and gas industries are destroying all that is sustainable… land, water, air. Canadians are more naive than we know when it comes to the future of water. It is quite human to take for granted that which is abundant. Compared to the rest of the world, Canada is one massive resource.
can you please and I mean plese stop this blood hunt for coyotes and wolves please stop stop yall don’t know what it’s like to be a wolf we got to survive to they don’t mean to Kill people’s cattle are dogs there just trying to survive what would you eat without any food huh you see what im talking about this has gotten to far yall
From what I seen in the video of the two men dumping debris off of the trailer and using a bobcat to move it. Seems to be just dirt and the use of the bobcat was to flatten the hill. I personally think that there should be no issue. I totally agree that if people are dumping illegally that they deserve to be fined. Fattening dirt as long as it was not contaminated in the dunes area should not be considered a crime.