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Stand for Canmore and wildlife.
Protecting our Futures’ goal is to protect and preserve the greenspace between Quarry Lake and the Rundle Forebay adjacent to the Rundleview neighbourhood, for the benefit of the Canmore community and wildlife.
Commercial development of this 18 acres of public land would take open space away from the Canmore community and have adverse impacts on wildlife in the Bow Valley. It is is inconsistent with Canmore’s Municipal Development Plan and the guidelines and best practices for development adjacent to wildlife corridors and habitat patches.
This land is for the community
This land is for Canmore residents’ community use and benefit, NOT commercial, resort or tourist use development, under current Town of Canmore land use designation. Under the current Town of Canmore Municipal Development Plan (MDP), this land is designated as Community Open Space and Recreation. Many pedestrians, cyclists and dog walkers use this recreation corridor on a regular basis year-round.
For the proposed hotel and spa to proceed, Town Council will have to approve amendments to the Town’s MDP and Land Use Bylaw (LUB), which requires a substantial net benefit to the community as a whole.
Adverse impacts to wildlife
The land is adjacent to both the Georgetown-Quarry Lake wildlife corridor and the Quarry Lake habitat patch (see map) and is used by wildlife year-round. Construction of the hotel and spa on this land would reduce already scarce wildlife habitat and limit an avenue wildlife can use to move between the Wind Valley and along the slopes of the Rundle Range.
The Town of Canmore is obliged to have regard for guidelines and best practices for development adjacent to wildlife corridors and habitat patches.
Human-bear and other wildlife conflict is likely to increase as animals are forced further into the Rundleview and Hospital Hill neighbourhoods.
This land belongs to all Albertans
This 18-acre piece of land is publicly-owned provincial Crown land within the Town of Canmore’s boundaries (see map).
The Government of Alberta has issued a 60-year lease (disposition) to the developers of the proposed hotel and spa under the Alberta Public Lands Administration Regulation. This lease, for the purpose of tourism and commercial recreation, was only available to for-profit, commercial businesses.
Community risks & drawbacks
Canmore residents may be subject to increased risk to safety, property risk and financial liability due to geotechnical and undermining risk on this land from historical coal mining activity.
Canmore residents could see increased property taxes due to extension and maintenance of utilities and roads, increasing Canmore’s high cost of living.
Increased traffic on the already-busy Spray Lakes Road would negatively impact Canmore residents and wildlife.