WOODLANDS COUNTY - After a lengthy delay, Clear Rock Aggregates received the word they had been waiting for — they can proceed with their plans to expand their gravel pit operation.
Woodlands County councillors, on Dec. 6, following a public hearing at the Fort Assiniboine municipal office, unanimously voted 5-0 to grant a Class 1 gravel pit application on two parcels of land roughly 1.2 kilometres north of the Athabasca River within its flood plains. Whitecourt West Coun. John Burrows and Fort Assiniboine/Timeu Coun. Devin Williams were absent.
Councillors also instructed administration to schedule a meeting with Alberta Environment and Protected Area (AEP) officials to discuss the approval process for gravel pits in flood-prone lands.
During the public hearing, no one in the public gallery spoke in favour of the development, with one person, Bryan Radke, speaking in opposition, voicing environmental concerns as well as that the expanded operation would have a detrimental impact on residents' ability to enjoy their properties while bringing little to no benefits to the community. He also questioned whether the county would receive any financial benefit, especially after the impact on the area's infrastructure, i.e. roads from the extra heavy truck traffic. He also noted the proposed operation is in an area prone to flooding and passed around photographs showcasing the point to councillors. N7 Energy also stated via a letter that they opposed the project. They did not state their reasons for their opposition.
Community and planning services manager Joan Slootweg said the application has been on council's radar for some time, noting that the public hearing held earlier in the evening was the second, with the first almost 11 months prior on Jan 16, 2023.
The public also discussed the proposed development at an impromptu public meeting at the Fort Assiniboine Friendship Centre and Museum in early March.
At the meeting, Woodlands County Goose Lake/Freeman River Coun. Peter Kuelken said he instigated the unsanctioned meeting, which quickly degenerated into a free-for-all of topics including 15-minute cities, provincial regulations, crime, and the influx of several dozen newcomers of the Edmonton-based Oasis group over his concerns about Clear Rock Aggregates application and potential gravel hauling routes.
Administration recommended the development's approval.
The land is zoned for natural resource extraction and is in a direct control district. Slootweg added the application meets the requirements under the Pride Valley-area Structure Plan and the land-use bylaw; therefore, the administration recommended that councillors approve the project.
She added that the issues the municipality had with the previous landowner, the Whissel Land Corporation, who also applied to expand the pit, have been rectified.
Slootweg also stated that regardless of council's decision, councillors, through the Pride Valley Aggregate Oversight Committee, would need to discuss long-term gravel haul options for Clear Rock Aggregates and the current and potential future operators in the Pride Valley, reviewing uses of the aggregate levy collected from area operators and earmarking it, at least in part, for community projects.
She also noted that administration staff is drafting a new municipal development plan (MDP) for the area, adding it would likely be ready for council to give first reading in early January, followed by a public hearing.
Slootweg said administration staff and council will also review its land-use bylaw starting in the new year, and in 2025, she expects council will review the Pride Valley-area Structure Plan.
In February, councillors requested more information, citing they would like Clear Rock Aggregates to submit a traffic impact assessment (TIA) on all potential haul routes using county roads and a socioeconomic impact study. In October, they revised their request to just the TIA as the socioeconomic impact study was beyond council's authority.
Blue Ridge Coun. Bruce Prestidge and Kuelken expressed their concerns about the development slotted for a known floodplain.
"Pictures tell us a lot," referring to the photos Radke circulated during the public hearing. "One of the things discussed when [Lafarge Canada's application for a gravel pit in 2015] is that they wouldn't be able to develop in the 100-year floodplain. In the last six or seven years, we've had two [where Rock Aggregates proposes to develop its site]."
Prestidge agreed, saying council needs to hear from provincial environment officials on why they have approved the application.
Earlier in the meeting, Slootweg said it was her understanding that AEP has decided to give the green light to the project pending the municipality's decision.
"We are between a rock and a hard place," Keulken said. "Under our structure plan, we should approve the application as they are doing everything right. But on the other side of it, we have this white elephant that could derail their plans because the [Athabasca River] will continually flood."
Although Whitecourt East Coun. Jeremy Wilhelm agreed with Kueklen and Prestidge's concerns; in the end, it isn't the municipality's project, stating that Clear Rock Aggregates had done all that was asked of them, and they know the risks.
"They are willing to take the risk, and clearly, the Alberta government is willing to allow them," he said. "And as a municipality, we must continue to promote business as much as possible."
However, Kuelken argued that the municipality is taking a risk, saying they invest in the infrastructure, allowing gravel producers to market their product.
Reeve Dave Kush said he supported approving the application as the company had met all the requirements. Still, he suggested that they instruct their bylaw officers to keep close tabs on them to help ease residents' concerns about noise and hours of operation.
