Rimbey-Rocky Mountain House-Sundre MLA Jason Nixon has renewed his call for in-person open houses to be held regarding the Bighorn Country proposal.
Two government-sponsored telephone town halls were held last week, with Environment and Parks Minister Shannon Phillips taking calls and answering online questions.
Nixon calls those telephone town halls wholly inadequate.
“Open houses should be happening and it appears at this time that this consultation process is just a sham,” said Nixon. “Having these telephone town halls is not adequate. You can tell from the conversations that took place that there just isn’t enough time for people to ask questions.
“The telephone town halls are not adequate for this situation and it’s a shame that the minister continues to not consult with the communities.
“We still have a situation where every town and county that is associated with this have passed motions asking for proper consultation and for the minister to stop rushing through this process.”
The Bighorn Country proposal would see the creation of eight new provincial parks, including the Ya Tinda Provincial Park west of Sundre, as well as other changes to land use along the Eastern Slopes.
During the Jan. 15 telephone town hall for Sundre and Drayton residents, Phillips said the province is working on new dates for in-person information sessions.
“We know how much in-person sessions mean to you,” said Philips. “We understand that and that is why we are currently rescheduling those sessions as soon as possible.
“Albertans have the right to have their voice heard and be consulted, but Albertans also have the right to feel safe and secure at public engagements. We have both obligations as government.”
The in-person sessions previously planned, including one in Sundre on Jan. 14, were cancelled by the province on Jan. 5, with Minister Phillips citing security concerns.
During the Jan. 15 telephone town hall she reiterated her reasoning for the cancellations.
“Recently in consultation with government security officials and seeing some concerning reports from Albertans we chose to postpone the public information sessions,” she said.
“We did this while also booking these telephone town halls to continue providing information and answering questions from all Albertans. We did not take this decision lightly. It was based on the behaviour of a small minority of people.”
The consultation process for the Bighorn County proposal is set to wrap up on Feb. 15.
MLA Nixon says he believes the government is “out of time” to have adequate consultation before that date.
“The reality is we are not going accept a fake consultation process that is rush and not done adequately with the community,” said Nixon. “At this point this is what it appears to be.
“They should shelve this process and work with our communities. They should stop trying to do things before the election. It’s not acceptable.”
The Bighorn Country proposal is needed to improve protection of the vast area along the Eastern Slopes, Phillips said.
“Over a million people have moved to Alberta in the last decade and as more and more people discover the Bighorn area we are seeing pressures on the landscape,” she said during the Jan. 15 town hall.
“These pressures are reaching the tipping point and we are running the risk of losing the things that make Bighorn special in the first place.”
