Council Clips – June 7, 2022
Next Steps Regarding TSMV
Council voted today to apply for leave to appeal the Land and Property Rights Tribunal (LPRT) decisions regarding the Smith Creek and Three Sisters Village Area Structure Plan bylaws to the Alberta Court of Appeal. The Municipal Government Act allows municipalities to seek permission to appeal to the Court of Appeal on questions of law and jurisdiction and the Town of Canmore received legal advice that there are grounds on which it could seek permission to appeal.
“Council is not anti-development,” said Mayor Sean Krausert “but we need development that is aligned with what our community needs. The 1992 NRCB decision recognized the interests of the local community and maintained the discretion of the municipality to decide how land in Canmore would be developed, neither of which was recognized in the LPRT decisions. What we need is affordable, below-market, entry-level housing to a significantly greater extent than proposed in the two bylaws, and which is entirely consistent with the NRCB decision.”
The application for permission to appeal is expected to be filed by June 15, 2022. Once filed, it will be a public document and will provide details on the grounds for appeal. No further comments will be made by the Town of Canmore until the application is filed. The Town of Canmore will be asking for the LPRT decisions to be put on hold until a decision is rendered by the Court of Appeal.
Councillors Hilstad, Marra, and McCallum declared a type of conflict of interest known as a pecuniary interest under the Municipal Government Act due to a current litigation matter; and, therefore, they were not allowed to participate in the decision to appeal.
For background information and further updates, visit www.canmore.ca/threesisters
Council’s Strategic Plan for 2023-2026
Council approved their strategic plan - a roadmap to guide the next four years, starting in 2023. To move towards the vision of “Canmore is authentic and resilient. Through bold, innovative leadership, we will thrive as a vibrant, livable, and diverse mountain community,” the plan contains three goals: 1) Canmore is a place where all residents can thrive 2) Canmore is a recognized leader in managing human impact on our environment, and 3) Respectful, authentic relationships are the foundation on which our future success is built.
This plan is a key reference tool for administration in guiding decision making, providing useful information for budgeting, and communicating strategic priorities to the community. Council directed administration to return this fall, at the time of 2023 budget preparation and deliberation, with ideas for bold initiatives that address livability and environment in Canmore, including, but not limited to, increasing income appropriate housing and affordability.
Council will attend a workshop this month to identify and explore options for how the Town of Canmore can protect existing residential inventory in the community as well as create, incentivize, encourage, or otherwise support additional income appropriate housing in the community, including employee housing, various forms of non-market or Canmore Community Housing residential products, and market housing.
In light of Canmore being in a housing crisis due to the extreme shortage of income appropriate housing, which if not satisfactorily addressed will have severe adverse impacts on the nature and fabric of our community, the Town of Canmore calls upon the federal and provincial governments to provide support through land, policy, and/or funding to assist in addressing income appropriate housing.
Read the full plan here: https://canmore.ca/documents/guiding-documents/5098-2023-2026-council-strategic-plan
Non-Resident Monthly Parking Passes
Council postponed a decision on non-resident monthly parking passes until November to allow time to collect more data on the number of non-resident employees who work in the Town Centre, as well as general paid parking statistics.
In the meantime, several downtown parking options are available to meet the needs of users wishing or needing to park near the Town Centre. These options include 250 free 9-hour parking stalls within a 3-to-10-minute walking distance; accessible stalls and loading zones which will remain free to accommodate individuals with mobility issues and those who need to load/unload equipment within the Town Centre; as well as paid parking spaces. For information on the parking program, visit www.canmore.ca/parking
Council also:
- Heard a request from the Bow Valley Clean Air Society to implement a closed-door bylaw from approximately September to early June. Council will consider this request on July 5.
- In response to a request from the Bow Valley Primary Care Network, recognized the importance of needing a local committee to identify retention and recruitment strategy for primary care providers, but did not appoint a Town of Canmore staff member to participate.
- Amended the Heliport Monitoring Committee Bylaw with minor administrative updates.
- Appointed Jereme Arsenault, Stephen Pearson, and Tory Kendal to the Downtown BIA Board of Directors.
- Revoked the appointment of Councillor Mah as an alternate member on the Canmore Library Board since alternate members are not authorized by the Libraries Act.
- Approved a change of scope and re-allocated capital funds to the Quarry Lake transportation project to fund the infrastructure for a new electric bus.
- Welcomed Scott McKay as our new general manager of municipal services.
