Southwest Alberta in the News

AUC rejects AltaLink transmission line proposal

SASCI Editor — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 16:31:55 +0000

The Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC) has turned down a proposal by AltaLink to construct a transmission line from the Pincher Creek area to the proposed Chapel Rock substation at the interconnection with the existing 500 kV north-south line west of Highway 22. The project is part of the Southern Alberta Transmission Reinforcement initiative.

Click here to link to a story in the Lethbridge Herald from Saturday, December 3rd.

Click here to read the story in the Pincher Creek Voice. This story includes a link to a copy of the Decision on the Livingstone Landowners Group website. The decision is not yet posted on the AUC website, but should soon be available here. Watch for Decision 2011-468.

Click here to access project information on AltaLink's website.

Trout Unlimited Canada receives grant for Drywood Creek watershed

SASCI Editor — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 18:45:57 +0000

Trout Unlimited Canada has received a grant of $150,000 from the RBC Blue Water Project. This grant will enable TUC to increase riparian health, and improve water quality in the Drywood Creek Watershed system in southwest Alberta. Working in collaboration with the Drywood-Yarrow Conservation Partnership and Southwest Alberta Conservation Partnership, agricultural producers will be engaged to protect sensitive riparian areas from cattle grazing by installing protective fencing and off-stream livestock watering systems.

Click here for the grant announcement on RBC Blue Water Project's website.

Congratulations to TUC and partners! We look forward to hearing more about the project.

Consultation on South Saskatchewan Regional Plan underway

SASCI Editor — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 02:57:45 +0000

Phase 2 of public consultation on the South Saskatchewan Regional Plan is now underway.

The public is invited to share their views on the Regional Advisory Council's Advice to the Government of Alberta for the South Saskatchewan Regional Plan, using a workbook provided by the Land Use Secretariat. The RAC recommended a vision for the region and strategic principles to guide land use decisions. The RAC also provided recommendations related to achieving a healthy economy, ecosystem, and communities.

The workbook can be completed on-line or printed and submitted by mail. Comments are due by December 19th.

Click here to download the RAC's Advice document (4.85 MB PDF).

Click here to access the on-line workbook.

Click here to download the workbook PDF (about 1.7 MB).

Click here to access the Land Use Secretariat's site for more information about the planning process, the RAC, and the region.

Public information sessions will be held in communities across the region in the fall of 2011. We'll post dates and venues here when this information becomes available.

Alberta's river basin management plan under fire

SASCI Editor — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 00:36:56 +0000

The release of internal government documents has raised doubts about Alberta's river basin management plan. Apparently, Alberta government officials knew their plan to manage southern Alberta rivers could damage aquatic life, but they went ahead with it anyway. Moreover, federal fisheries officials disagreed with the lack of conservation measures Alberta had set out but, said nothing publicly.

Read more in this Lethbridge Herald article from September 1, 2011.

Extreme prairie weather focus of university study

SASCI Editor — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 16:32:41 +0000

A University of Regina researcher and his team will spend the next five years in southern Alberta and Saskatchewan learning about the extreme weather that has become a norm in these parts of the country. The research will also look at whether global warming is potentially to blame for the droughts and floods that have destroyed farmers' crops over the years.

Read more in this Calgary Herald article from August 13, 2011.

Alberta linguist paying more than lip service to Prairie accent

SASCI Editor — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 20:37:29 +0000

Nicole Rosen, an associate professor of modern languages at the University of Lethbridge, is seeking 150 southern Alberta speakers in a bid to study the West's raised vowels and other linguistic quirks. She hopes to glean insight into a heretofore little-studied accent — western Canadian.

Study participants will be offered a $15 honorarium in exchange for an hour of their time. They'll be asked to read a list of words and a block of text before engaging in an interview.

Read more in this article from the Ottawa Citizen (August 3, 2011).

Here's a link to the University of Lethbridge's Directory, where you can get Ms. Rosen's contact information.

Provincial spring runoff advisory

SASCI Editor — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 17:23:50 +0000

Alberta Environment has issued a provincial spring runoff advisory that applies to all of southwest Alberta.

Rising temperatures and a higher-than-usual snowpack are expected to result in rapid water level rise in creeks and possible flooding in low-lying areas and overland.

Click here to read the attached advisory for specific details.

Micrex magnetite mine proposal to undergo detailed review

SASCI Editor — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 17:03:03 +0000

The provincial government will refer Micrex's application to build a magnetite quarry in the Livingstone mountain range, about 200 kilometres southwest of Calgary, to the Natural Resources Conservation Board. The NRCB will determine if the project is in the public interest by considering its social, economic and environmental effects.

South Saskatchewan Regional Plan - Regional Advisory Council advice released

SASCI Editor — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 17:33:47 +0000

The recommendations of the Regional Advisory Council for the South Saskatchewan Regional Plan have been released by Alberta Sustainable Resource Development.

Click here for the SRD press release.

Click here for the RAC report (4.9 MB).

Click here for a Calgary Herald article about the RAC report.

The Alberta government will seek public input on the recommendations in the fall, before developing the draft regional plan. An online workbook will also be available at www.landuse.alberta.ca by the end of April. The province will consult again with Albertans before the final plan is developed.

SASCI plans to host further community dialogue about the land use management process in parallel with government consultation. We will announce events on our website, on our LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter feeds, and in regional newspapers.

ERCB rejects Shell's pipeline proposals

SASCI Editor — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 17:28:34 +0000

The Energy Resources Conservation Board has rejected Shell Canada's application for two new pipelines at the company's Waterton field site in southwestern Alberta.

But the ERCB ruled late Wednesday that Shell Canada will be allowed to drill a new sour gas well in the area and add a fuel-gas compressor.

http://www.calgaryherald.com/Shell+pipelines+Waterton+area+rejected/4413087/story.html#ixzz1GJTVtjDf