Please Say "No" to Inappropriate Development Near Waterton Lakes National Park

A private developer wants to put a grouped residential subdivision at the doorstep to Waterton Lakes National Park. On March 12th, Cardston County Council approved third reading of by-laws which would rezone the land to allow at least 23 houses to be constructed on open prairie along the main entrance road and along the Waterton River directly east of the Park gate. This decision was made notwithstanding a public opinion poll which indicated that 69 percent of lovcal resident opposed the decision, or wished to have the decision postponed until the implications were better understood.

This proposed development is contrary to the area's ranching tradition which is compatible with protecting ecological integrity. It will harm wildlife, including grizzly bear and elk. The breath-taking viewscape of prairie against towering mountains, for which the County of Cardston and Municipal District of Pincher Creek are world-famous, will be diminished. If this proposal is approved, other developments along the Park boundary will be difficult to deny.

Waterton Lakes National Park is a World Heritage Site and a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Pictures of the Park with rolling ranchlands in the foreground are seen in tourism displays around the world. More than 400,000 visitors come to the Park annually and stop in local communities along their way contributing in excess of $20 million to the southern Alberta economy. Wildlife and scenic vistas are the two qualities they value most. This development is viewed as the biggest threat to those qualities in over 70 years.

There are places in Cardston County which are appropriate for grouped country residential development, but this is not one of them. Citizens interested in conservation support the right of private property owners to sell their property, at fair market value, when they wish to whom they wish. However, a developer should not be allowed to garner huge private profit by pushing through subdivisions which violate the intent of municipal land-use plans, are environmentally unsound, and are not in the local and broader community interest.

If you care about the future of Waterton Lakes National Park and about a sustainable future for communities near the Park, please make your views known to Cardston County Council, Alberta Premier Ralph Klein and Prime Minister Jean Chretien by sending one or more of the pre-drafted messages below or, better yet, by composing your own letter or e-mail.

Is this our desired future?
(Note: This is an artistic depiction of residences on the site of the proposed development. The buildings are not to scale, but the footprint of development is accurate.)

The Hon. Ralph Klein Premier of Alberta 307 Legislature Building Edmonton, AB T5K 2B7

[email protected] www.gov.ab.ca Fax: (780) 427-1349

Dear Premier Klein:

Re: Please Say "No" to Inappropriate Development Near Waterton Lakes National Park

I do not believe a proposed residential subdivision at the doorstep of Waterton Lakes National Park is in the best interests of Albertans. Please take action provincially to intervene and ensure this does not occur.

Sincerely,


Name(s):
Address:

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Rt. Hon. Jean Chretien Prime Minister of Canada 80 Wellington St. Ottawa, ON K1A 0AZ

E-mail: [email protected] Fax: 613-941-6900

Dear Prime Minister Chretien:

I do not believe a proposed residential subdivision at the doorstep of Waterton Lakes National Park is in the best interests of Canadians. Please take action federally to intervene and ensure this does not occur.

Sincerely,


Name(s):
Address:

cc:

Hon. Sheila Copps, Minister of Canadian Heritage
12th Floor, Jules Leger Building
Terrasses de la Chaudiere
15 Eddy Street
Hull, Quebec K1A 0M5
Phone: (819) 997-7788
Fax: (819) 997-5987
E-mail: [email protected]

The Honourable David Anderson
Minister of Environment
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A6
Phone: (613) 996-2358
Fax: (613) 952-1458
E-mail: [email protected]