Live Updates - Joint Public Hearing of the Tri-Area IDP
People are arriving at the meeting, about 40 people in the audience so far. There’s 25 people at the table including representatives from Redcliff, Cypress County and Medicine Hat.
There are written submissions from
Green Valley Water Association Board
Robert and Sheila Schmunk
Dallas Lazar
Medicine Hat Rifle and Revolver Club
6:34pm About 80 people in the audience right now.
Reeve Dan Hamilton has been selected as the chair for this meeting.
All people who wish to present must sign in. They must leave comes of documents referred to with the administration. Everyone gets 5 minutes to present, your mike may be cut off if you go over that time.
6:38 starting with the presentation now.
6:41 preamble - this plan has not been passed yet, the public hearing is for people to give their input.
TRI-AREA INTERMUNICIPAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN
6:46 pm Concept Maps up now
6:57pm they want to restrict new development in certain areas that are not aligned with he planning - eg - no residential building in industrial areas.
2nd and 3rd readings will be in early March 2025
Reeve Hamilton is asking for questions from elected officials.
6:59 Ramona Robins asking about harmonizing land use bylaws and the timeline.
Answer - have been discussing amendments to LUB specifically on Cypress County’s behalf, been working with staff at the City and the Town.
Intentions of the harmony is to get the language aligned and to prevent issues with border development, making sure the border have the same type of zoning.
7:02 pm Public Hearing is now - In Support of the Bylaw
Kathy Lenowski is first to speak - retired MHC instructor, active with local groups (Grassland Naturalists, etc). Want to ensure environmentally sensitive area issues are considered. Has concerns about historical areas not included, especially First Nations historical resources. She want them to have provisions to identify these historical resource areas and include indigenous input.
Answer - duly noted, province has a process for historical areas which they use in their everyday point but says it is “a very fair point”.
7:06 Mayor Clark asking if historical resources are included and protected under other legislation
Answer - yes
7:07 Shelia McLeod is speaking now. Is president of Grassland Naturalist Assoc of Med Hat. She supports the plan but is concerned about natural areas and expects all three council to protects these natural areas, people come and move here for the natural areas.
Against the Bylaw
7:09 Randy Adam - MH Rifle and Revolver Club - there are 4 other clubs in the area and he can sort of speak for them. Asking why the existing clubs are now incompatible with the area, the Revolver Club was moved there by the City in the ‘90s. When will the rec clubs matter to the City? If the City of Medicine Hat wants to relocate us (the clubs) then financial support would be required. Will the IDP support that?
7:12 Answer - the IDP is not to remove anyone from that area but to protect that area by restricting incompatible uses for that area, they are not intending to remove anybody or any activities from the premises. The bottom line is they are not forcing anyone out that area, whatever is there can continue to exist.
7:14 Carina Cain from the MH Speedway - they have been told they can be asked to leave at any time. Can the new proposed IDP g guarantee that we can be there in 20 years. She said we need growth but there are no recreation areas being added - what are we doing for downtime for people? “You said no expansion, does that mean we can’t do repairs out there”, wants a definition of expansion.
7:16 Mayor Clark is asking for clarifications on discretionary use in areas etc.
Answer - we call it a collaborative area, speaks about baby steps. What we are trying to do is take the first steps to establish an industrial zone so that they are integrated with one another, make things happen a little bit faster. When it comes to LUB we do have discretionary uses. We would not allow for expansion or allow new uses to come in and this needs to be worked out later. He says upgrades are fine, but the expansion of a footprint is something that would be restricted. A full fledged industrial zone would help development a little bit faster.
7:21 Carina Cain gets back up and speaks again - “we’re still going to be on pins and needles if someone wants to do a carbon, capture, will we get our 90 days (to vacate)?” Wants a guarantee. Says they are very noisy, yes and would not be suitable for a residential area. The clubs help create memories for families.
7:24 Mayor Clark says this IDP does not change their ASP (Area Structure Plan) which may need to be amended. This bylaw is not changing anyone’s ability to operate.
7:25 John Popoff - works for City of Medicine Hat. Address core items of the IDP, says we nee dot have heavy industrial land available with access to railroads. It was never ever considered to move anyone that is there now. Recreation is important. Perhaps they can bring in buffers or other considerations. The clubs are legal in their use, they will be considered in future planning and not intending to remove them.
7:28 Past president in Rifle and Revolver Club, spent over $2 million so far. RCMP, MHPS, Boy Scouts, Army Cadets all use the range. They needs all of that land they have to keep going. Are looking to invest more millions. The next closest range is Bow Island - maybe. They have 2400 members. We have reached lout to Council Members and said “Support us or else” and were not afraid to do it again.
7:31 Tyler Talbert - active director of MH Rifle and Revolver Club - concerned about county and town to possibly remove the clubs. Relocating the range is cost prohibitive and closing it will be protested.
7:35 Darrell McLean - MH Speedway, racer #69, races every year. Talks about a big race family, kids can be kids and get dirty, also an outside attraction - they re 41 years old. They believe in giving back, put their cars on display for numerous occasions, very good causes. Racing has saved him in many ways, they have brought troubled kids to the track and changed their futures.
He’s all for growth but all for having fun and creating positivity as well.
7:38 Mayor Clark notes the younger kids in the audience. Clarifies that the clubs will not change anything unilaterally for the clubs that are already there - that land is within Medicine Hat. John Popoff verifies this. Says we are collaborating as a region and make sure we have land available to you for industrial use etc.
7:42 Curtis Vester (sp?) - representing Meadowlands Development - understands it more represents the needs of the area and there is needs for country residential and area. Meadowlands owns land south of the city inside the urban growth area. Has concerns that this IDP affect them, want them to consider previous ASPs.
7:45 Dave Toth Drag Racing club - they were put there over 30 years ago. Says they have millions and millions of dollars invested between all the clubs, they wonder if they will be there 3 years from now. They have been told they can be evicted any time with 90 days, they re trying to raise half a million to repave their drag strip. They all have leases out there. “How do you justify anybody giving us money to upgrade when we could be gone in 3 years?”
More people coming up
Repeat speaker - calls the clubs the “Redneck Recreational Centre”. Wants to have their portion zoned “recreational” so they can continue to invest in their facilities
Connie Kapler - speaking for agriculture - farms just south of Medicine Hat, sees the City wants to expand in the irrigated lands of Cypress County - why not in the other direction?
Answer - we at Cypress County know that urban areas need to expand but how much do they need? Until the land is needed the agricultural lands will be protected.
7:54 Public Hearing is concluded
