Special Areas requests for water

[cakadu]

I cannot speak for the whole ag community and I would suggest that it would be a matter of how the whole community feels versus just one segment. Cowman is right - those with lands adjacent to the lake are likely waiting with baited breath for future development - despite the fact that it does not exist in the area structure plan --- YET. Others around the area are somewhat more skeptical about the development.

When the local Co-op board decided to cater to the lake people, it caused quite a rift within the community and the Co-op was approaching bankruptcy. Some people have shied away from the Co-op and hard feelings still somewhat exist.

Like any small community "outsiders" are not really welcomed and there has been a significant increase in vandalism, attempted theft etc. than there was before for the lake development.

Many of the lake dwellers wish to be left alone, certainly don't want the county getting involved in anything and will never hesitate to let you know just how much money they are adding to the revenue coffers of the county. At some point, the infrastructure costs will outweigh any benefit received. It will be most interesting to see what the group working on the ASP does eventually come up with and how much consultation they do with the permanent residents of the area.

Because many of the people are only semi-resident i.e. only here for part of the year - they do not have the same attachment to the area, nor do they feel the same from an environmental standpoint. They want the conveniences of city life to follow them to the lake. Doesn't always mesh so well with the local values and customs.

[cakadu]

During my time on council a previously approved bare land condominium applied to expand. The most VOCAL opponents were property owners within the existing condo ! Most of them lived there during the summer, and went south in the winter.

[cropduster]

And no one has touched on what the Special Areas REALLY is.It`s a benevolent dictatorship municipal form of government where the provincial government truly has all the power.Oh yes, the bureaucrats tell us they abide by the wishes of the people but it is/was never put into legislation.And the majority of the cattlemen seem to like it since they can appear to own their leases(so they think) and collect all(most)of the oil revenue without the cost of TRUE(deeded) ownwership.The water transfer project will probably make these guys show their true socialist side.I feel that issue(land ownership and municpal gov`t form) WILL have to be addressed as/before the project can truly succeed.Property rights/ownership of land WILL have to be addressed.People will not have the encentive to improve property they do NOT own.Other social experiments around the world have shown it and this will be no different.

[cropduster]

cropduster, do you think that the towns and villages in Special Areas will benefit from the ability to attract business and people if there is water available. The urban centres plus the counties in the area around Coronation etc. are not part of Special Areas governance.

[cowman]

I'm not really sure just what "special areas" means? I do know it was basically an area that was so destitute in the thirties that the government had to basically take it over?
Like I stated, I am basically ignorant of what "special areas" actually means!
I just assumed Coronation was in the special areas, as it is pretty bleak!
Enlighten me if you will?

[cowman]

cowman, I am almost reluctant to post this in case Horse thinks I am engaging in double talk but here goes:
Special Areas fall under a different form of government than Counties and Municipal Districts. They are governed by 13 councillors and a chairperson these individuals are appointed by the government vs being elected.

Towns and Villages included within the boundaries of Special Areas include:
Hanna, Consort, Youngstown,Oyen, Empress, Cereal and Veteran. All of these urban centres have their own elected government. There are 16 hamlets within the boundaries of Special Areas. Total rural population is approx. 5300 people.
Now it gets interesting: Special Areas encompasses over 2 million hectares. There are 5900 kms of open roads and there is over 50 million in reserve dollars socked away for a rainy day. The mill rate is on the lower end of the scale as far as rural municipalities go.

Coronation,Castor and Halkirk are urban municipalities within the boundaries of the County of Paintearth. It is not part of Special Areas but that area is also part of the group that is working on the water diversion initiative.

[blackjack]

...cowman...there are three different distinctions in property...may some that knows for sure can tell us more ...
...deeded land
...cultivation lease
...pasture lease
I will say that people that have leases in the special areas have had incentives by government to deed the land...some have took advantages to deed while others have not...could be economical or management decisions since it was up to the farmer whether not to deed or not...

...between the deeded and lease the taxes are around 80 cents an acre...

I own land in Clearwater county with the land being basically half cultivatable and the rest pasture...the taxes work out to be around a dollar an acre...no building...

...have one quarter with buildings in Red Deer county ...now thats a different story when it comes to tax...

...as for being a ex native of the special areas the reason our family moved was for farm management purposes...it was a decision in that it is alot easier to move the cattle to the feed source than it was to haul the feed to the cattle...
...I'm not going to deny there are some ranches out there in the special areas with huge gas and oil revenues...but there is some here in the west country also...

... finally I will add...on a 20 mile stretch of road where I lived there was 6 families ...now there is 2 ...one family that has always lived there and one that moved into the area in the 80's...these people recently bought land in Saskatchewan for ranching purposes...

[blackjack]

blackjack I don't know whether you are referring to how the land is assessed for tax purposes or not, but if so, farmland is assessed on productivity vs market value. Farmsteads are assessed on the house and three acre site, then a portion of the farmland assessment can be deducted from the house and three acre site assessment up to a maximum.

It is interesting to learn how assessments are done, particularly in the area of farmland. Aerial photographs are used to identify non farmable land, creeks, coulees, etc.

Soil classification is another tool used by assessors, hence the higher taxes in Red Deer County where the soil is productive for agriculture.


Don't know if this helps or not.

[blackjack]

Have to make a slight amendment to my post about Special Areas governance.
The Chairperson and Special areas Board are appointed by Cabinet. The chair is appointed the other members of the board are appointed after being nominated by the Special Areas Advisory Council, they are elected every three years in the regular municipal elections.
They have an Agricultural Service Board as well, and are involved in all aspects of administering provincial legislation such as the Weed Act, Pest Act etc.

Former Minister of Agriculture Shirley McLellan is from New Brigdon which is in the Special Areas.

[blackjack]

emrald1... thanks for the reply...alot of people on the west side of province seem to think the east don't pay much land tax...as you pointed out the land is valued by its production...as in the case with the special areas production can be very limited to soil type and climate... so taxes in years when the special areas receive rain might seem low... but on the other hand there is more dry years than wet...

[blackjack]

...could be wrong but I think Shirley worked at the Cereal Auction Mart...I don't remember if she worked for the Reimer's or Cyril Curran...some central Albertans might know Curran as he was in Red Deer for a while...

[cakadu]

Blackjack, with the stretch of road that you speak of - where the families went from 6 to 2, that is part of the negative correlation between ag development and rural development. As people acquire more land, the development goes down because there is less necessity for banks, doctors, stores etc.

So, if there are some 2 million hectares and only 20,000 of those are anticipated to be irrigated, to allow for expansion of confined feeding operations, the feed would by and large have to be trucked in. There is your dilemma - easier to move the cattle to feed than the other way around. Ask the folks around Picture Butte how they like the B-trains coming and going 24 hours a day, not to mention what it does to the infrastructure like roads, bridges etc.

I really question whether this proposed diversion will work out to be a case of "if you build it they will come." I understand that the recreational activities around the Sheerness reservoir are substantial, but the area cannot do it with recreational dwellers alone, that are at home during the majority of the year.