City Notebook: Keen interest in joint land planning, as it were
By COLLIN GALLANT on February 29, 2020.
cgallant@medicinehatnews.com@CollinGallant A local record for a land planning meeting in Medicine Hat was set Thursday when 100 people crowded into the Esplanade for a unique three-municipality public hearing. The attendance shows some concern about acreage development and greenhouse expansions, but in essence is not that much different from the eternal wrestling match that’s at the heart of all city/town/county planning matters. Property owners are wary of change, and urban planners are suggesting that some changes are inevitable. It’s up to elected officials to decide what’s the best case scenario. A suggestion however, is to find an alternate term rather than “plan.” Local governments have area redevelopment plans, area structure plans, and are now developing an Intermunicipal Development Plans, the focus of this week’s meeting. Next month the city will begin amending its Municipal Development plans, which slots in between the IDP and the ASP. The trouble is that they’re not really “plans” at all when you consider how most folks define the term. A plan, for most, is a list of actions that will be taken. A plan, in urban planning, is a list of things that could be accomplished by the private sector, if the private sector takes an interest in what’s suggested. But when people hear that the city is passing a plan, they think: A) My land will be expropriated; B) Bulldozers are on the way; C) My home/farm/business will be made into a toxic waste dump, or whatever. Greenhouses are a hot topic in the community, both in the current plan as it weaves its way to various council’s in March, as well as a proposal for a facility outside the plan area that is running afoul of a county subdivision. Stay tuned. Elected officials at work Brooks-Medicine Hat MLA Michaela Glasgo was given the honour by her party this week of being first to speak this week on Bill 1. That legislation that would seek harsh fines on protesters who block pipelines and rail lines and other “critical infrastructure.” Her colleague from the southeast, Drew Barnes, was targeted by the opposition after a number of social media posts from the Cypress-Medicine Hat MLA decried the performance of the public sector’s forays into the private sector. That comes after Premier Jason Kenney suggested considering all options including a direct stake in some oilpatch projects. “Who should the people of Medicine Hat listen to about state-owned oil companies, their UCP MLA or the UCP Premier?” asked NDP finance critic Shannon Phillips. UCP house leader Jason Nixon responded: “What the good people of Cypress-Medicine Hat said loud and clear when they sent their hon. member to this House was: come here, defend the system, defend our province, get this province back on track.” On the federal level, the reviews of the Buffalo Declaration are mixed, and not just between this wing or that, but also inside the Conservative Party, the the Globe and Mail reports. Its reporters attempted to pin down an opinion from each member of the CPC Caucus from Alberta after four of its members, including Medicine Hat’s Glen Motz, released the document last week. Few publicly support the paper. Spring sprung? It’s leap day – February 29 – but there’s also a distinct feel of springtime in the air. For those keeping a journal, local ice cream outlet Swirls was open for business on Friday. A look ahead There are two presentations of note on council’s Monday agenda. TC Energy will outline its plan to add natural gas deliveries to the city in 2023 with a new pipeline loop. As well, the annual tourism report will be presented by the Destination Marketing Organization. 100 years ago City council would seek the authority to impose a $10 poll tax on male residents of Medicine Hat, the News reported in march 1920. The city was wrestling with a major tax shortfall after huge tracts of land on the outskirts had been taken over when a land speculation boom collapsed. A citizens committee was circulating petitions to discard the education tax, end exemptions for commercial property in both taxes and utility pricing. “Fix reasonable profitable rates” on both homes and businesses, they demanded. The Medicine Hat Chapter of the United Farmers of Alberta, comprising an area of 15 miles in each direction from the city, was formed with Walter Barber as its president. The price of Pennsylvania crude oil was raised 15 per cent, to $5.90 per barrel, by a syndicate of producers. Collin Gallant covers city politics and a variety of topics for he News. Reach him at 403-528-5664 or via email at cgallant@medicinehatnews.com 35-34
