Action for Agriculture Meeting

[cakadu]

Emrald, if the roads weren't too bad for you to get around, how did the meeting go on Feb 24th? I'm kind of curious to know what happened there and how well Harry's talk was received. Any updates would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[Jagfarms]

Linda, I didn't get there but Harvey called last night and gave me an update on the meeting. He thought it went very well, he said that Harry and Guy Greenaway were a good tag team.
One thing that really disappointed me is that one of the Red Deer County councillors indicated in his presentation that he isn't committed to preservation of land for agricluture and when questioned about his stand he responded by saying he knows that preservation of ag lands is important but he has to be pro subdividing so he can get re-elected. I think that is a prime example of how land use issues are being decided across the province, not by common sense but by bowing to pressure from developers for short term gain vs looking at the big picture.
If anything positive comes out of the proposed integrated land use policies I hope that preservation of agricultural land is given some clout and not at the whim of local politicians, many of whom have their eye on developing their own lands or are already involved in developing, real estate etc.

[cowman]

Emerald: I wonder if what the politician said, was caving into developers...or reflecting the will of the people? When RD county(and Harry Harker) first tried to bamboozle this thing through they hired a fancy consulting firm to try to convince the landowners this was the way to go. Which is fine and dandy, except they forgot one thing? Most of the farmers/landowners in Red Deer County aren't idiots and they can see the writing on the wall? We are a municipality in transition, from agriculture to a more suburban playground setting? No one is going to farm forever? Especially on this over priced land?
On top of that it is pretty hard to BS people about saving good farm land for agriculture when the fact is the very best farmland in the county is being converted to residential and industrial, while a lot of the land they want to "preserve" wouldn't support a goat! Also how does any council justify trying to take away what was considered a right, when the majority of the council members have already got theres?
In the end the people sent a very strong message...keep your hands off first parcel out! The politicians aren't stupid? To go against that strong message would mean political suicide?

[cowman]

cowman, there is a vast difference between first parcel out and multi lot country residential.
Growth near cities, towns, villages and hamlets is to be expected but the growth I am opposed to is what is happening 12 miles from the nearest urban centre in the middle of agricultural operations.

Case in point, in my own community, a neighbour has filed to create five parcels within the MDS of an existing feedlot and 1200 cow/calf operation.
The land is adjacent to mine and I am opposing it as are most of the rest of the affected landowners.

If traditional agriculture, which in this county is cow/calf/feedlot can't operate that far from town without having to fight for the right to do so, it is a sad day.

One thing I am hopeful of is that the Land Use Framework currently on the drawing board will have teeth in it with regard to all landuses and municipal councils will no longer be able to develop land use bylaws and municipal development plans based on their own political aspirations.

The land use policies in Alberta are archaic to say the least.

I have been asked to sit on a committee that is making recommendations regarding land use in the province and am looking forward to it.

[cakadu]

Congratulations on the appointment emrald. Can you elaborate on what it is that is supposed to be happening on this committee. If you want, you could e-mail me directly so that we don't clog up the chat room. I am most interested in hearing about this.

So much for doing what is right for the county as a whole versus doing what will get you re-elected. Democracy at work I suppose.

Cowman, I also think that it is pretty tough to say to people out in the nether regions that the only way you will see value from your land is to have someone buy a credit from you. At the end of the day, what is that credit worth? How do you keep the value for the credit? Will it increase in value over time at a rate that will keep pace with the increasing land values?

As an example - if I take the development credit today because I need the money and someone closer to the urban setting needs to develop land, that developed land will only increase in value, so will the development credit I get also increase? It seems to me that there is only one opportunity to sell that credit and when it is gone, it is gone. How is appreciation accounted for?

On the other hand, if I hang on to the land that I have for a while it could very well appreciate with the proposed development that is anticipated. Shouldn't I have the right to decide what I want to do with my land? If I had someone I wanted to bequeath the land to, would they be further stymied by the fact that I sold the development credit?

On another note, it does appear as though the growth planned for the *****on reservoir also known as Glennifer Lake has stalled. They are letting some further lots get developed because they were approved a while back, but that seems to be where it ends.

We need to find a balance between what those in the "hot zone" have access to and what those who live in the "sticks" can reasonably be expected to have.

I agree that more urban areas have the right to grow and have options, but so too should rural folks.

[cowman]

The original plan, as proposed by the planners would have taken away first parcel out? Council decided that was not going to work, after a very vocal majority told them not to try to take that away?
In my opinion what they have left is a workable compromise. Not perfect, but we can live with it? Unfortunately it seems the planners are trying to do a small end run around council by putting up roadblocks to make first parcel out more difficult! Hopefully they will get their wings clipped?
I do realize it is not feasible to plunk down subdivisions willy-nilly wherever some speculator might desire, to the detriment of the county residents as a whole? That is why I basically support the ideas that Mr. Harker has come up with?
I'm not sure about the development credit thing? I do know one councillor went down to Kentucky or somewhere and came back preaching the gospel of this scheme, but I don't know enough about it to be for or against? I do know he subdivided all his own land before he became converted...so might question his sudden new found faith?
Glennifer Lake: For now, more new developement is on hold(barring what was already approved), but you know the developers will be pushing! There is a very strong rural population there who are very opposed to more development...that was very apparent at the land use seminars...but in the end money usually wins? Hopefully when development does happen it can accomodate everyone involved? I guess that is a good reason for having good planning instead of some of the shotgun approach we've had in the past?
The whole thing is a tricky situation? I don't envy Mr. Harkers position! I do believe he is a very smart man and is a good communicator, but whatever he comes up with he's going to get flack one way or the other.

[cowman]

Linda, I'll email you directly as plans for the committee unfold. Actually it is a resurection of a committee I was on for several years and funding has just been allocated to get the group back together to make further recommendation on land use issues. It is my passion so I am very anxious to get started !!!

What is your email?

[cakadu]

Hi Emrald. I'm sorry for the delay in getting back to you but I've been down for the count for almost 2 weeks with the nastiest cold/cough virus I think I've ever had.

I'm most interested in hearing about your committee as it moves forward and think that there might be valuable things to learn from it. My e-mail here is cakadu@telusplanet.net