The CAMROSE BOOSTER, December 14, 2021 – Page 14
Environment Master Plan update presented to City council By Lori Larsen
During the Committee of Whole meeting on November 15, City of Camrose Planning and Development manager Aaron Leckie presented recommendations on environmental planning in Camrose for the consideration of council. Camrose Green Action Committee chair Rob Hill informed council on the need for taking immediate action with regards to environmental planning, including an outline on the Environmental Master Plan (EMP). “The purpose of an Environmental Master Plan is to identify upcoming challenges, plan to prepare for them and, if possible, turn the challenges into opportunities,” said Hill. “If we in Camrose plan properly, the changes that are coming can bring us prosperity. The 2020s will be a decade of change, it will be faster than we think, and there will be important choices.” Using a graph, Hill demonstrated Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions in Canada by sector. “Canada’s plan is to reduce our GHG emissions by 40 per cent by 2030, and down to zero by 2050. Choices have to be made.” Hill further suggested that during this decade, it will not be affordable to continue to burn oil and gas. In reference to the Environmental Master Plan, Hill said that having one will allow Camrose to identify upcoming challenges, identify how to turn those challenges to Camrose’s advantage and identify the right pathway to maximize the benefit to Camrose. “We can generate electricity here in Camrose and we can keep our money in our economy if we generate solar electricity locally. The more electricity generated locally, the less money that leaves our community to pay for electricity, so more money will stay in our community to be spent in support of our local economy. We should encourage solar panels everywhere.” He also suggested the feasibility of a solar farm in Camrose, which could be determined through a EMP. “Would our waste water treatment ponds be a suitable site for a solar farm? A solar farm on our waste water treatment ponds could be the foundation for a healthy future economy.” In conclusion, Hill said, “Other communities are adopting environmental master plans to guide them through the changes. We, in Camrose, also need an EMP in order to identify the emerging chal-
lenges we face and prepare to meet them, and to hopefully find a way to turn our challenges into opportunities.” Leckie’s report provided a follow-up on the report presented to council in May of this year, including some updates being brought to the new council for their consideration of an EMP in Camrose. “I categorize this as environmental planning because there are a range of options that develop that may not result in an EMP, including options for an environmentally-focused municipal development plan update as an alternative or some background research analysis and
The three options presented to Council were: • Option One: Status Quo–no additional work on developing an EMP or a report at no additional cost. • Option Two: Complete an Environmental Master Plan at an estimated cost of approximately $100,000 to $150,000 (based on Beaumont’s work already done on an EMP). • Option Three: Public Engagement, Background Report, Defer to Municipal Development Plan at an estimated cost of $50,000 to $75,000. Council inquires
Councillor David Francoeur questioned, “An
asked of him on any of the projects he has undertaken (in the capacity of his position with the City), but quite often regional, provincial and national levels of developers have site selectors that have a bunch of metrics they use in making a decision on whether they want to come to a community or not. “I can’t say for certain that environmental planning is a part of that, but I do see a lot of the environmental sustainability and inclusion and diversity that these bigger developers have, so I think it may be something they consider. How it actually works into their business plan is very difficult to say. It seems like things are
viding the City is able to access grants. “We do not have the funds at present to do this.” She requested administration further investigate access to funding from other sources. City of Camrose manager Malcolm Boyd said, “In speaking with other municipal CAOs, Camrose is thought to be punching above our weight in the area of environmental initiatives, specifically the existing solar panel installations.” A follow-up report was brought back to the Committee of Whole on December 6, with administration recommending council approve proceeding with a focus on Environmental Planning to be included in the rewrite of the Municipal Development Plan, with an approximate cost to the City of $0 to 15,000. In the December 6 follow-up report, Leckie said that further research into possible competitive grant opportunity indicated that, other than a possible grant from Battle River Community Foundation which would cover approximately 10 per cent of the estimated costs of creating an Environmental Management Plan, there were very few other options available. Councillor Joy-Anne Murphy expressed her desire to have the 2022 Budget amended to include the cost (approximately $100,000 to $150,000) of
trending in that direction to at least include it in business planning. “From a city’s end, if we have an EMP, we could perhaps be more directive around the City’s expectations regarding subdivision and developing.” Councillor Agnes Hoveland said she would support Option 2, pro-
creating and implementing an Environmental Management Plan. Council accepted the December 6 followup report as information and moved the request to amend the 2022 Budget be brought back to the December 6 regular meeting during the recommendation to approve the 2022 Budget.
Lori Larsen, Camrose Booster Solar installations on the City of Camrose Recreation Centre and the Jeanne and Peter Lougheed Performing Arts Centre are part of the City’s commitment to maintaining a greener world.
community conversations which could go into forming an EMP in the future.” Leckie said administration reviewed comparable communities such as Beaumont, Spruce Grove, St. Albert and Whitehorse to examine their approved (or in the process of being implemented) EMPs or Sustainability Plans. “Here in Camrose, we really haven’t had an opportunity to have conversation around environmental planning.” Some of the areas Leckie highlighted in his report were: what are the local pressing environmental issues here in Camrose; what opportunities exist to address these issues; how can people in their everyday lives make a difference in the choices they make; what do environmental issues mean to different people; what is the plan and how is success being measured? “We can also work with other municipalities and potentially secure funding through other levels of government in order to take on this initiative,” said Leckie.
EMP sounds excellent, but $100,000 to $150,000 seems like a huge amount of money. What are some of the grant options offered?” Leckie said there is a whole range of grants available, “Some for the actual development of the EMP itself, some for funding the implementation items identified in that EMP, but the most common one I see at the municipal level is the one funding of what is called an Energy Management Position. I can do a bit more work and research how Beaumont and other communities funded the actual costs of the EMP, but I would note that $150,000 (higher end of estimated $100,000 to 150,000) is relatively in line with what a Master Plan costs.” Councillor Don Rosland inquired as to whether or not developers considering Camrose for development are asking if the community has a EMP. “In the future, is that what we would need if they are asking?” Leckie indicated that question has never been
