EDMONTON – The Alberta government has acted on one of Premier Alison Redford’s campaign promises and mashed a land deal that could have seen a large tract of native prairie sold off for an irrigated potato farm.
In a terse, three-paragraph announcement Wednesday, the province’s Sustainable Resource Development has pulled a request for proposals to buy nearly 65 square kilometres of grassland for an irrigation project that was once personally backed by the department’s minister.
Former minister Mel Knight had acknowledged a Taber-area potato farmer was expected to bid for the land and said the land’s development would bring investment and jobs.
But during her campaign for the leadership of Alberta’s Conservative party, now Premier Alison Redford promised to suspend the offer until advisers delivered a final report on the best use for the land.
Nigel Douglas, a spokesman for the Alberta Wilderness Association, praised Redford for following through.
“It’s great to hear that we have premier that seems to be actually listening to what people in Alberta are saying,” he said.
The sale had been widely opposed by environmentalists, who pointed out the land southwest of Medicine Hat is home to endangered species, including burrowing owls and ferruginous hawks.
The Alberta Fish and Game Association wrote a letter of protest to former premier Ed Stelmach. Area ranchers, who lease the land for grazing, were upset as well.
The move also seemed to contradict advice from the government’s own experts, who warned against tearing up any more prairie and pointed out the region’s water supply was already an issue without any more irrigation.
Government spokesman Dave Ealey said the offer was cancelled because of public concerns over lack of consultation and because of doubts over the wisdom of the sale.
“This is something that is seen as a priority for Premier Redford’s government, that there be public input on decisions,” he said. “That’s not incompatible with other concerns that have been brought forward.”
Douglas pointed out, though, that legislation allowing ministers to sell off public lands without going to the public is still on the books.
“This deal has been cancelled, but the process that allows this sort of deal to go ahead is still in place.”
Ealey said he wasn’t aware of any attempts to reform relevant legislation.
Douglas said the association will now be watching to see how seriously the Redford government takes its other campaign commitments to protect wildlife.
He said a Sept. 29 email to the group from the Redford campaign team said she believes it’s vital to keep the sage grouse from being wiped out in Alberta.
Alberta has a sage grouse recovery plan and is bringing in birds from Montana to supplement local populations. But the prairie bird’s habitat has been badly impacted by agriculture and energy development and there are believed to be only 13 breeding pairs left in the province.
The association will also watch Redford’s action on preserving Alberta’s rapidly declining woodland caribou populations.
“Those are the ones that are going to be tough decisions, because there’s going to have to be some serious measures put in place and the status quo is going to have to change,” Douglas said.
Still, he called Wednesday a rare win for the environment.
“It’s a great first step and great to see that the premier is listening to Albertans.”
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