Calgary Regional Partnership disappointed in Growth Management Board membership

The Calgary Regional Partnership (CRP) is disappointed that neither Turner Valley nor Black Diamond will be represented on the new Calgary region Growth Management Board (GMB).
“Leaving out turner Valley and Black Diamond I think is a huge slap in the face for those two communities,” said CRP Chairperson and Mayor of Okotoks Bill Robertson.
Both of those communities have been integral members and part of the CRP since it started.
“Over the last four or five years [they] have had a member on the executive,” said Robertson.
The GMB’s mandate is to guarantee regional collaboration and decision making.
This includes the promotion of long term sustainability, environmentally sustainable growth and the economic competitiveness of the region.
Represented on the board are the Cities of Chestermere, Calgary and Airdrie, the Towns of Okotoks, Cochrane, Strathmore and High River, Rocky View and Wheatland Counties and the MD of Foothills.
Turner Valley and Black Diamond where excluded because neither has a population of over 5000.
“The population threshold of 5000 was because of some problems they had in the capital region area regarding some very small municipalities holding up development,” said Robertson.
He states that this has never been an issue for the CRP.
“We think that there’s certainly two different cases between the Calgary Regional Partnership…and the Capital Region Board,” he said.
Despite this disappointment, Robertson believes that there will still be a role for the CRP after the Growth Management Board comes into being later this year.
“I really see, ideally the Calgary Regional Partnership transitioning as an arm of the Growth Management Board,” he said.
“This would be sort of running the operations of the Growth Management Board,” said Robertson.
The specific governance model, roles and responsibilities of the board are still being developed.
Draft regulations for the establishment of the GMB is scheduled to finish in February.
This will be followed by a meeting of the Minster, Mayors and Reeves to review the draft regulations in March. The draft will be finalized and sent for approval by the provincial government in April followed by a 60 period for public feedback.
While this process is occurring, the CRP will continue its work including a two-year regional transit pilot project.
“The Calgary Regional Partnership has been moving forward projects and has been accomplishing things for more than a decade,” said Chestermere Mayor Patricia Matthews who hopes that the voluntary partnership can continue in the future.
The CRP is also one of the nine provincially legislated Regional Economic Development Alliance (REDA).
“That’s basically trying to stimulate economic growth on a regional basis,” said Robertson.
Since the REDA is also provincially mandated either the new board will have to assume this role or the CRP will continue to fulfill this role.
“If the Calgary Regional Partnership were to dissolve totally then there needs to be some sort of authority set up to run the REDA or there’s a huge void,” he said.
Since the specific role of the GMB is still being defined, Robertson said it is hard to say what specifically the CRP will continue to do and what it will give up once the GMB is in place.
“That’s all to be determined by the 10 members that have been suggested by the province,” he said.