A recent federal court ruling has opponents to the proposed Springbank dry dam cautiously optimistic.
Last month, federal court Judge Douglas Campbell ruled in favour of a federal court action made by several families from the Don’t Dam Springbank movement.
The judge has ordered Environment Minister Catherine McKenna to make the final decision on whether the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency (CEAA) should conduct an environmental impact study or an independent agency should.
Campbell set aside the June 2016 decision for the CEAA to self-conduct the dam review.
Concerned landowner Lee Drewry said he is hopeful to see an objective review conducted by the federal government – given the “tremendous environmental and First Nations impacts” at stake.
Drewry said opponents feel strongly that the province already has its mind made up that the Springbank option is the most viable – leaving Don’t Dam Springbank with no faith the province is capable of an objective, independent environmental review.
Don’t Dam Springbank, with more than 3,000 social media followers and a small army of roughly 30 families who would be directly impacted by the dam, has struck a chord with the bulk of the public.
Drewry said this detail did not go unnoticed by the judge and that the vast majority of write-in comments during the public consultation period expressed considerable concern with the potential dam.
Tsuut’ina First Nation publicly revealed it was withholding consent of the project in March, announcing its support for the McLean Creek dam option – which has the popular vote for more comprehensive protection capabilities on already-impacted public lands.
“The federal process is our only chance at this point,” explained Dick Koetsier, founder and spokesperson of dammclean.org.
“It’s been four years since my house floated away … the McLean option is not a pipe dream.”
Opponents of the Springbank option argue the flood mitigation solution is nothing short of a political vote grab to falsely quell fears of flooding.
They maintain the province-preferred mitigation solution project would not protect some of the region’s most hard-hit flooding areas – including Bragg Creek, Redwood Meadows and the Tsuut’ina Nation and the impacts of privately-owned land are viewed as invasive and destructive.
The province has been wanting to move forward with the controversial flood mitigation project with its $250 million price tag to protect Calgarians from a repeat of the 2013 flood that resulted in more than $5 billion in damages.
