Fears for fate of Glenbow and Haskayne Parks as province seeks input

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A public input process is being accelerated to help determine flood mitigation measures on the Bow River that could devastate two parks, says an advocate for Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park.

And a philanthropist who helped create another park that could be threatened by a potential dam is furious at the prospect.

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On April 15, the province announced an online consultation platform that will gather public input on two reservoir options upstream of Calgary, aimed at preventing the severe flooding that devastated the city in 2013 and storing water in times of drought.

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That process will end on May 6, leaving little time for people to voice their opinions on the options, one of which could flood large portions of Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park west of the city and the new Haskayne Legacy Park within Calgary, Jeromy Farkas said. CEO of this last park.

“I have not seen any consultation so short and limited only online. . . it was done very quietly,” said Farkas, a former Calgary city councilor and mayoral candidate.

“The problem is urgency.”

He said a call to action he initiated has sparked considerable interest from people who were unaware of the feedback initiative.

At stake, Farkas said, is the viability of Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park: He said a third of its 3,300 acres would be flooded during a severe weather event if the province chooses the option called Glenbow East.

Even without flood conditions, a dam near Calgary’s western limits would cause some water damage to the park, he said.

“It would be nothing short of catastrophic for the park,” he said, adding that the CPKC rail line that runs along that stretch of the Bow River would have to be moved further into the park.

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Conservation areas at both ends of the park would also be severely affected, Farkas said, as would a stretch of the Trans Canada Trail and pedestrian connectivity to Calgary.

And he noted that a 2020 conceptual assessment conducted for Alberta Environment and Protected Places shows that a dam berm for the Glenbow East option would cut through Haskayne Legacy Park’s pavilion building and potentially submerge the newly opened western portion of the park. Opened. to the public last October.

That dam, whose location the report said could be changed by a kilometer or more, would be just a few kilometers above the existing Bearspaw Dam and would extend its current reservoir upstream to Glenbow Ranch Park.

Lois Haskayne, whose family donated much of the land and several million dollars to develop Haskayne Legacy Park, expressed anger that the land could be affected.

“It’s just ridiculous, it’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard in my life,” said Haskayne, whose $2 million family donation built the park’s pavilion building.

“We certainly wouldn’t have invested all this money if we knew it would flood.”

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He said his family’s generosity goes beyond money and becomes a desire to see people improve their health by enjoying the outdoors.

Another option being considered by the province in a current feasibility study is a reservoir between Seebe and Morley in the Stoney Nakoda First Nation, which is not part of the current public consultation, although provincial officials have not said why it is not being considered. . including.

A third possibility is to relocate Ghost Dam and expand its existing reservoir, one Farkas and his allies prefer because it is based on an existing body of water and would pose less disruption to people and wildlife.

And he said that, unlike the Glenbow East option, the Ghost Dam relocation plan would also protect Cochrane.

“It’s not about fighting a dam, it’s about advocating for (the best) solutions,” Farkas said.

Nearly $100 million of public and government dollars have been invested in the two parks, “not to mention all the time and volunteer hours, and for a government decision to raze them in an instant would be terrible,” Farkas said.

In the 2020 assessment, the estimated cost for Glenbow East would be $992 million, with the Ghost Dam and Morley options at $917 million and $922 million respectively. But Morley’s price does not include land swaps or other potential compensation.

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While the report says all possibilities would cause some environmental effects, it concludes that those affected by Glenbow East would be the most pronounced.

“No environmental differentiators were identified along the entire study corridor, except for impacts on the existing Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park, on the Glenbow reach of the river,” he says.

At least 14 homes, he said, would be inundated by the reservoir created by the dam, while “wildlife corridors on both sides of the river would be affected.”

But the report also says Glenbow East’s downstream effectiveness would be very good, compared to Ghost Dam’s good and Morley’s so-so.

The province says it will announce a decision on the Bow River options early next year and insists it does not favor any of them.

A spokesperson for Environment and Protected Places Minister Rebecca Schulz’s office said that over the past three years, public consultation has been extensive.

“Engagement conducted between 2021 and 2023 included live virtual sessions, in-person meetings with landowners, online webinars, and dozens of meetings with stakeholder groups, including the Glenbow Ranch Park Foundation,” Ryan Fournier said in an email.

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“Today’s public engagement is a continuation of that important work.”

The city of Calgary supports the Bow River study and remains engaged with the province as the potential effects on Haskayne Park need to be clarified, a spokeswoman said.

“As the province-led feasibility study is still in progress, the province will need to identify and study any potential impacts to Haskayne Legacy Park as they continue to advance their work,” Nicole Newton, manager of natural environment, adaptation and climate. and environment, she said in a statement.

Successive provincial governments have already navigated controversy and opposition surrounding the construction of the SR1 dry dam at Springbank on the Elbow River, which is also intended to defuse the threat of flooding in Calgary.

That project, which would divert water from the Elbow River during extreme weather events and then return it to natural flow, is expected to be completed next year.

Farkas said he requested a meeting with Schulz that would include a tour of Glenbow Ranch Park, adding that he was told his office is trying to accommodate him.

Meanwhile, the Glenbow Ranch Park Foundation is hosting a trio of public meetings on the topic, the first taking place at Cochrane’s Frank Wills Memorial Hall on May 4 from noon to 2 p.m.

[email protected]

X: @BillKaufmannjrn

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