Springbank Dam remains contentious flood mitigation solution
Posted Apr 26, 2017 7:57 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
All three levels of government, including Mayor Naheed Nenshi, spoke at the annual general meeting of the Calgary River Communities Action Group Tuesday evening.
It included information on what’s being done to protect communities after the 2005 and 2013 floods.
Attendees listened and talked about what governments are doing with regards to projects for the Elbow and Bow Rivers.
Kevin Littlelight, with Tsuut’ina public relations, says they support flood mitigation for Calgary but adds they continue to be ignored when it comes to the Springbank Dam.
“We put an eight page letter to the federal government and the province and we’ve never had a response from it,” he said.
He expects people will do everything they can to slow down the project if it goes ahead.
Mary Robinson with ‘Don’t Dam Springbank’ tells a similar story of struggling to get information, adding that getting anyone to listen to them is exceedingly frustrating.
“It truly is our heritage, our businesses and our personal homes and you really can’t make any plans for the future, any long term business plans or anything when someone else is in charge of your life,” she said.”
Alberta Party leader Greg Clark spoke with both groups after the meeting.
“I do think there’s a way to bridge this,” he said. “I believe the Springbank project, all the evidence shows it’s the right project to do, the regulatory process is going to show us exactly what the impact is going to be”
Federal MP Kent Hehr says the federal government remains committed to various flood mitigation projects around the province.
He admits consensus is difficult, but notes many studies show Springbank is a viable option.
