Rural Multi-Jurisdictional Intermunicipal Development Plan Engagement Phase I - What We Heard Report

Transcription

1 Rural Multi-Jurisdictinal Intermunicipal Develpment Plan Engagement Phase I - What We Heard Reprt Prject Overview The prject undertakes a cllabrative apprach t develping Intermunicipal Develpment Plans (IDPs) fr the Cunty f St. Paul, Lac La Biche Cunty, Smky Lake Cunty, the Municipal District f Bnnyville, the Cunty f Vermilin River, and the Cunty f Tw Hills. Tgether, these six municipalities share nine separate bundaries: Cunty f St. Paul and M.D. f Bnnyville Cunty f St. Paul and Cunty f Lac La Biche Cunty f St. Paul and Smky Lake Cunty Cunty f St. Paul and Cunty f Tw Hills Cunty f St. Paul and Cunty f Vermilin River Cunty f Lac La Biche and MD f Bnnyville Smky Lake Cunty and Cunty f Tw Hills Cunty f Tw Hills and Cunty f Vermilin River Each IDP will include a main cmpnent and a supplementary cmpnent. The main cmpnent will include thse sectins cmmn t all municipalities including gvernance and dispute reslutin. The supplementary cmpnents f the IDP include thse tpic areas specific t the tw municipalities in questin. When finished, the prject will satisfy recent changes t the Municipal Gvernment Act that will require all municipalities that share a brder have an IDP. Engagement Overview The prject takes a multi-phase engagement apprach as the team wrks thrugh the prcess f develping the IDPs. The first phase f public engagement tk place in February 2018 and wrked t achieve the fllwing bjectives: Intrduce the prject and infrm affected stakehlders abut the IDP prcess Gather a high-level understanding f bundary cnditins, issues and ptential tpics fr further cllabratin The IAP2 Spectrum level fr this phase f engagement was Cnsult which btains feedback n analysis, issues alternatives and decisins. It prmises t listen t and acknwledge participant cncerns. Input cllected during this phase will help the prject team understand what needs t be addressed at the bundary level, specific issues and pprtunities fr further cllabratin. Page 1

2 The engagement strategy was designed t be inclusive t all parties that wanted t participate by prviding multiple tuch pints fr input. Opprtunities t engage were ffered bth in-persn and nline. A prject and infrmatin fr municipal cntacts were als prvided in the targeted stakehlder invitatins and n each municipal website. Advisry Cmmittee A prject Advisry Cmmittee was established with a minimum f ne Cuncil member and members f administratin frm each f the six municipalities. The purpse f this cmmittee is t prvide lcal area cntext and insight int the IDP bundary areas. Targeted Stakehlder Meetings Seven separate in-persn stakehlder meetings were held based n the fllwing schedule: February 12, 2018 at the Centennial Senirs Citizen Club Hall, th Street, St. Paul 12:00 2:00 pm - Smky Lake Cunty / Cunty f Tw Hills 3:00 5:00 pm - Smky Lake Cunty / Cunty f St. Paul February 13, 2018 at the Mallaig Legin, st Street West, Mallaig 9:30 11:30 am - Lac La Biche Cunty / Cunty f St. Paul & Lac La Biche Cunty / Smky Lake Cunty 12:30 2:30 pm - Lac La Biche Cunty / M.D. f Bnnyville 3:00 5:00 pm - Cunty f St. Paul / M.D. f Bnnyville February 14, 2017 at the St. Paul Senirs Citizen Centre, th Street, St. Paul 9:00 11:00 am - Cunty f Tw Hills / Cunty f Vermilin River & Cunty f St. Paul / Cunty f Tw Hills 12:00 2:00 pm - Cunty f St. Paul / Cunty f Vermilin River Invitatins were sent directly t targeted stakehlders including 1,492 land wners within a half kilmetre f the bundaries, all adjacent First Natins and Metis Settlements, and ther identified stakehlder grups including recreatin and il and gas industries. There was a cmbined ttal f 15 stakehlders that attended the meetings. At these meetings, the team distributed prject infrmatin and municipal staff were present t answer questins abut the IDPs and the planning prcess. Rund table cnversatins gave stakehlders the pprtunity t relay imprtant issues in the IDP bundary areas. Participates helped the prject team identify several ptential areas fr crdinatin and cllabratin that culd be addressed thrugh the IDP. Due t the high-level nature f IDPs, sme f the input included items that are utside f the scpe f an IDP; hwever, it was still cllected t be passed n t the apprpriate parties fr further cnsideratin. Cmments were recrded by a facilitatr and are included as Appendix 1 f this reprt. An exit survey was prvided t all meeting participants. In general, participants felt very satisfied with the meetings, and that their vice was heard. The summarized results f this survey are included as Appendix 2. Page 2

3 Online Engagement An nline questinnaire was pen fr stakehlder input frm February 7 t February 21, The questinnaire was advertised in invitatins mailed and ed t targeted stakehlders regarding the inpersn stakehlder meetings and was als psted n each f the six municipal websites. Participants were prvided with the same infrmatin shared at the targeted stakehlder meetings, including the mapping exercises, and were able t prvide feedback. There were 37 unique surveys filled ut t varying degrees f cmpletin. Due t the limited number f respndents, the verbatim nline questinnaire results have been cmpiled int a separate appendix nt attached t this reprt. Online engagement alng with in-persn engagement has been summarized in the What We Heard sectin f this reprt. Cmmunicatins Overview An Engagement and Cmmunicatins Plan was develped t strategically cnsult the cmmunity thrugh the life f the prject. The primary strategy in the first phase f prject engagement was t target specific stakehlders, primarily landwners whse prperty is within a half kilmetre f the shared municipal bundary and wuld likely be directly affected by the develpment f an IDP. The invitatin was als sent t all adjacent First Natins Band, Metis Settlements and ther identified stakehlder grups such as recreatin grups, and cntacts frm il and gas industries. IDP Areas The IDP areas are primarily rural cnsisting f agricultural, grazing, parks and prtected lands. Sme brders als cntain waterbdies including lakes and rivers stretching ver tw separate watersheds. Sme small residential settlements in places like Heinsburg, Lac Sante and Garner Lake als exist alng r nearby the brder areas. What We Asked Bth the in-persn and nline questinnaire asked participants: What are the pprtunities and cnstraints within the area alng r nearby municipal bundary? What are the current and future develpment cnstraints within the area alng r nearby the municipal bundary? What are yur develpment preferences and land use pririties fr the area alng r nearby the municipal bundary? What is yur relatinship t the bundary area? Page 3

4 What We Heard Due t the nature f an IDP being a high level lng-term plan, there was a relatively lw level f interest in participating in the IDP stakehlder sessins and nline survey. Hwever, a range f input was heard acrss bth platfrms. Sme f the main themes that we heard thrugh participant cmments were: The Irn Hrse Trail and ther recreatinal trails are well lved acrss the regin and draw many users. Opprtunities t expand and enhance trails culd drive ecnmic develpment pprtunities thrugh turism and recreatin. Cncerns abut the impacts frm recreatinal users, particularly t lakes and shrelines. The rules and levels f enfrcement are different fr OHV users acrss the municipalities. Cnsistent enfrcement and accurate infrmatin that educates recreatinal users is desirable. Management and access f water bdies including lakes and rivers is imprtant t residents. There are different appraches t rad management fr industry acrss the regin including frecasting, rad bans, and permitting which can impact preferred access rutes. Sme rad imprvements are needed; hwever, municipalities generally wrk with industry t manage impacts f agricultural and il and gas n rads. Preservatin f agriculture and sensitive lands was a pririty fr mst participants. The il and gas industries have many sites arund r nearby the IDP areas and are a majr stakehlder in the area. Crime, particularly theft n il sites and farms, has impacted the regin. The impact f Prvincial regulatin changes fr fishing has eliminated cmmercial fishing and reduced turism fr anglers in the regin. Agriculture is the majr land use in the IDP areas. Invasive species and disease like club rt is a cncern acrss the regin; hwever, municipalities and agricultural service bards have wrked t address it. Page 4

5 Appendix One - Target Stakehlder Sessins - Facilitatin Ntes 1. February 12, 2018 Smky Lake Cunty / Cunty f Tw Hills 3 Attendees 857 rad bans prvincial tk a week t get a permit New inland terminal Why rad bans fr farmers? Means extra 60 mile rad trip 857 tw years ag there were tw battery statins added t limit heavy il being transmitted dwn it Transprt challenges updates are needed 652 is the same Cunties up t par n everything else Land use dn t see any land use changes dn t want t see high intensity farming (pultry, livestck etc.) N gravel extractin in the area gravel is straight nrth f Anju ld gravel pits shuld be reclaimed Victria Trail Snwmbile trail Water can t run yur cattle thrugh the river Parcels end 200 m frm the high-water mark Water access fr sprayer Willingtn Bellis Spedden can t get a big truck, tight lcatin Trails cnnecting trails wuld be gd Desjarlais Ferry Crssing ptential fr campgrund / picnic area privately wned c Very little public area fr recreatin public land is generally Envirnmental Reserve Lac Sante needs better access it s drying up Lacking public access t the river fr bats n access at Shandra Bridge t g fishing EMS desn t have gd access t the river challenging fr search and rescue peratins Victria settlement desn t have public river access either Page 5

6 Cunty f St. Paul / Smky Lake Cunty 4 Attendees Garner Lake Quad use n Garner Lake Envirnmental reserve is n mans land Ersin, wildlife is being chased need fr prtectin Side by side and jeeps n the lake and in the water Likely yuth that can t g all the way t the Irn Hrse Trail and a lt f lcal users Cnsidered lake shre - all aspects shuld be enfrced Returning water level = pllutin Prvincial park duty t prtect Direct letters frm the CAO did wrk Fiber ptics acrss the municipalities Hwy 28 Lake destructin near Spedden Lac La Biche Cunty/ Cunty f St. Paul Lakeshre destructin Weekend warrirs nt lcals Ptential t prvide educatin thrugh pwer bills Ptential Irn Hrse Trail Gd pprtunity available Regin wide St. Paul bylaw but nt enfrced Larger ppulatin n the Smky Lake Side f Lac Sante demgraphics and turn ver Sme signage in the Spedden area but n impact Spring run ff - Nt reaching the lake because f the recessin -> need t prtect the natural flw f water Reflect ASP 410 meters frm the waters edge in bth municipalities (cnsistent applicatin needed) as it s enfrced n the St. Paul side but nt the Smky Lake side Enfrcement and cllabratin ptential n this issue Educatin and randm enfrcement Snw clearing is gd Page 6

7 Rads are gd and maintenance agreements in place Waster transfer agreement and pick up 3 years ld Future develpment: Sme lts available n the Smky Lake side Mbile hmes park timelines amending cming sn Supprt fr cllabratin with the telecmmunicatins cmpanies N cnds preference fr single family residential nly Cmmercial and industrial clser t villages and twns Irn Hrse Trail Sme vandalism (6 years ag) Generally well maintained and well used Drives turism Already staging areas thrughut Muni Crp is the stewardship grup that des year rund grming sme maintenance by each municipality Sme repairs are needed where the trail has wasted ut New water line t Mallaig / Ashmnt alng the trail Gd mix f users: equestrian/pedestrian/bike/runs Smky Lake RV planned future west will be demand 3years / 5 years Off rad vehicles are allwed n cunty rads fr access with license and insurance in bth municipalities Sme cncerns ver grass fires alng r near First Natins reserves Ideas fr cllabratin: Recreatin management Lake management Ecnmic develpment supprting telecmmunicatins cmpanies Strmwater/watershed Page 7

8 2. February 13, 2018 Lac La Biche Cunty / Smky Lake Cunty & Lac La Biche Cunty / Cunty f St. Paul 2 Attendees Specific t White Fish Lake Includes lake water certain %? Currently rec uses arund the lake 1000 s f peple n the weekends. RFI sell land Previus cuncil wanted an RV park culd take years t srt ut the treaty rights ver the water with the First Natins and Cuncil timing. Ptentially last area fr waterfrnt develpment within the IDP area if tax generating = k. Want it t stay in its natural state with recreatinal use. Lts f trails histric trails. First Natins have been using fr hundreds f years. Fire cncerns fire break t cabins. Mineral lease in N.#2 f Whitefish Reserve. Nice t have, less impact n the natural area. Sme challenges with destructin recmmended t lck gate but with help frm neighburs k nw. Public access t the lake is k. Water quality is gd. N cmmercial fishing exists. ATV n lakeshre n the ther wide but nt this area. Recreatinal turism is gd. Beaver prblem has caused flding by blcking the water flw int the lake. Barb Mail frm AEP has been the cntact. Trappers are als used t cntrl the animal ppulatins. Trails: Exist between the settlement and the lake n the west side a quad rally has been held in the past. Unsure f wh did that. Cllabratin ptential fr turism reginally: hiking/quads Better cnnectin t the lake. Hunting is active n cunty lands. Turism areas: paved rads fr dust cntrl it s nt healthy fr the cws but recgnize its impact n rad maintenance. Page 8

9 Garbage/slid waste is kay. Fire fighting a challenge n the suth side. Cutting grass and mutual aid agreements. Lac La Biche Cunty / M.D. f Bnnyville 2 Attendees Heavy il lcally has been impacted by the dwnturn. Csts are up, prductin is dwn it s a struggle. Lwering csts is imprtant fr the industry taxes are the biggest cst Taxatin and the mill rate negtiatin t lwer the cst The differential tax rate and pipelines wuld be beneficial. Pipelines t get t market needed fr heavy il. The industry adds t lcal ecnmic develpment the pipeline and differential tax rate The M.D. f Bnnyville has been great t wrk with particularly arund rad maintenance. Agreement in place fr CNRL t either pay fr damage r fix it themselves. Generally successful wrking relatinships with the municipalities. Finding mre efficiencies negtiatin is desirable. Guidelines arund public lands / AEP lands are needed because it s nt always clear. Alignment f rules and clear regulatins even fr lease hlders. It s a prblem peple cme t the municipality asking fr guidance n prvincial lands. Als, this is an issue fr lease hlders wh dn t knw their rights land wner vs. lease hlder vs. energy cmpany. Hw d we enfrce recreatinal users? It s tricky. The Irn Hrse Trail is great fr recreatinal users. Recreatin arund Wlf Lake. Muni-Crr trails diversifying with cycling/walking tied tgether. Pinehurst has great recreatin and trails (they are planked and marked etc.) It s safe, yu dn t get caught in bgs, lts f recreatinal users. The M.D. f Bnnyville has the nly access t the suth end f Siebert Lake via an ld frestry rad. All cmmercial fishing licences have been pulled. Land uses are nt expected t change. Page 9

10 Marketing fr recreatinal uses culd be beneficial. Rads: Bans are different acrss municipalities M.D. f Bnnyville has been great, they dn t implement bans. Cllabratin between CRNL and the municipality t repair rads damaged by industry either CNRL fixes it r they pay the cunty t fix it. Back and frth n the agreement. Has cme alng way. Mutually beneficial relatinship. M.D. f Bnnyville des pre-planning and rad frecasting fr the year ahead it wrks well t establish scheduled rutes and they are always flexible if there is rad wrk etc. Vermilin River wrks differently. AER issues with lcked gates, preferable nt t have lcked gates but is required. Staff ntes: Future Seibert campgrund / recreatin interest Snug Cve Cunty f St. Paul / Municipal District f Bnnyville 2 Attendees Mstly AG lands Rad 1930 s/40 s Crdury rads Hasn t been maintained need 4-wheel drive t get thrugh Lcal use nly Grader peratr knws 881 grain farming n brder in M.D. Shared Hutterite Clny 881 repaired recently challenging fr farmers Has t use it because that s where Farming equipment has a challenge Theft has been a majr issue cllabratin fr advcacy? Neighburhd crime watch? Page 10

11 Club Rt bigger issue. Can be transferred with equipment Mutates 10 th r 12 th variety Changes its character Best practices Cllabratin Prgram: invasive species Prv. Cunty sprayed 2 fields Pest Act gives municipalities pwer t enfrce St. Paul charged back fr cst Educatin prgram Dn t see land use changes agricultural EMS clsest t Mallaig but cmes frm M.D. Cp frm each side RCMP Gd respnse times Using service crss bundary because easier t access Garbage serves are gd St. Paul clsed Mnday, nt pen n Natural Resurce windmills Impacts n rads (lgging, il and gas, gravel), heavy traffic Agriculture Ecnmic Develpment Prgrams are setup LARA (Lakeland Agricultural Research Assciatin) ASBs are active Cllabrative already NE-AB Club Rt falls within ASB s Cnsistency in hw its handled acrss the municipalities Irn Hrse cnnects t twn but nt lakes Cal Lake dn t want quads in twn Discuraged turism Access in walking distance In St. Paul can leave the trails in Bnnyville yu can t Page 11

12 Quad frm trail t Minnie Lake Ptential signage, servicing, awareness arund rules Riverland Trail Stewart St. Paul can g Bungee jumping n the rail trestle Recreatin Users Caught in mudhle ccasinally Adjacent t Irn Hrse snwmbilers smetimes n the field. Quads nt a prblem. Nt much fencing dn t like quads spreading Club Rt Snw machines fr the mst part they use the gates. Trail cuts thrugh field pie shapes Asset that brings in turism Maintenance cst/water impacts/hlding back water Widened the trail Cncern arund invasive species being spread Fishing catch and release nly Marc s idea: fish lttery Users f Muriel Lake prvincial recreatin in decline ften are wrkers Maybe that the municipality wuld take it ver AEP may want t fflad Changes in place which are t Recreatin sites driven by when yu can fish nt just catch and release Flding nt an issue (nly in wet year) Page 12

13 3. February 14, 2018 St. Paul/Vermillin River 2 Attendees Heinsburg Lsing sme cmmercial 15 minutes frm nearest gas 50 peple Have the schl many wrk at the schl Have pst ffice Riverbat turs Cmmunity Hall senirs Exercise grup/card grup Hall rental recently upgraded Old ferry landing drive dwn and lad bats Nice campgrund River Valley Park theatre/cabse Turism frm all ver End/start f Irn Hrse Trail Ptential t cnnect further Part f the Great Trail Nt t bad fr cnflict between users Nwhere t eat but desirable Talk abut ding smething in the train statin say weekend chili tea/cld drinks Prvincial Histric Resurce Cnvenience stre near clsed befre Christmas Have a car wash N flding histry N cmmunity water supply/n sanitary Impacts peple wanting t buy cstly Oil Industry: Upkeep f rads: sanded and graded Page 13

14 Industry liaisn relatinship wrking Banned rads: understand why think its wrking Vermillin: same wrking relatinship Agreement beat up the rads, we put in majrity f the funding. Budgeting and frecasting regularly Out f schedule with municipality Meet earlier t hit CNRL s budget cycle Vlume f traffic Dust cncerns Harvest time: can t see the swath 560 rad mstly il and gas traffic Like t pave the rad, but with prices at the mment wuld be hard t d Rebuild Nrthern Valley Rad Cntinue t advcate with the Prvince Paving grants STIP Then the cnnectin t Vermillin R Rad cnnectin isn t aligned Resurce Rad Prgram was called Banned rads nt an issue N cnflict with recreatinal users Landwners have issues with users nt sticking t the trails Riverland stewardship grup fllw-up n any user cmplaints Issues: Theft active n farms nw with il and gas slwing dwn Plicing an issue St. Paul discussin with residents and RCMP Lack f plice patrlling Emergency services are gd First respnders and ambulance very gd Fire prtectin frm Dewberry Garbage drp 4 mi hurs are gd Page 14

15 Open Sunday, gd fr lake peple Ptential fr mre turism supprt Agriculture: well supprted by the municipalities (and ASB s) Retail in Dewberry Club Rt nt in that area Vermillin: plicies in place Whitney and Laurier Flding nw Impacting buildings Threatened and grundwater flding Beaver cntrl impacting verland flding Hire trappers/water flw Nt an easy task Remain agricultural land use except Heinsburg Ptential impact f wetlands n il and gas/agriculture/municipal infrastructure Impacts n cattle watering Pr internet service in Heinsburg Page 15

16 Appendix Tw - Exit Survey Summary 1. Hw satisfied were yu with tday s sessin? Very Satisfied Smewhat Satisfied Satisfied Dissatisfied N/A Clarity f infrmatin prvided Prject team s respnse t my questins Opprtunity t prvide input Opprtunity t hear thers Sessin lcatin 8 4 Sessin time D yu feel yur input was heard? Yes - 12 N - 3. Hw did yu hear abut this sessin? Please check all that apply. Stakehlder invitatin in the mail - 8 Municipal website - My Cuncillr r Reeve - Wrd f Muth - Other 3 1 Nt specified 4. What wrked fr yu abut the sessin frmat and activities tday? Is there anything we culd d t make it better? Wuld be valuable t have additinal GIS layers t prvide infrmatin n land users, (eligible), cnstraints, etc. in rder t identify current situatin and ptential verlaps/pprtunities fr cllabratin. Page 16

17 All at the table were able t express cncerns r ask questins. My cmments were heard. The infrmatin was excellent. Only a little bit mre pre-infrmatin s that we culd knw what t cme prepared fr. I feel that I had a vice. The grup understd. Nt really anything t be imprved. Hearing frm everyne wrked well. Heard input frm landwners and cunty rep s. Felt very welcme. 5. D yu have any additinal cmments abut the IDP r the prject that yu wuld like t share? Will run with the agenda in mind. Sunds like a very gd prgram and t make things wrk better fr all. N. N/A Nt at this time. Page 17