Saturday, February 26, 2011

Strathcona County Council Raises the Ante as the AUC Power Line Hearings Draw Nearer


Recently, Council allocated more resources to supporting its challenge to the mega power lines. Increased support has come in the form of financial allocations to RETA, a public advocacy group and the legal firm of Brownlee LLP which has been diligently working on behalf of every resident in our municipality for two years - securing internationally respected experts and building the case against the proposed dual circuit 500kv lines. These lines will be about 73 meters or 240 ft tall – twice the height of any existing power line in Alberta. Council also expanded the options for proponents of the lines. We had said if the lines have to be built – bury them. Now we say bury them or go west. Take the alternate route brought forward by Alta Link and EPCOR where there are no dense populations, no schools and no hospitals.

The formula for burying lines in high density areas makes sense. Each side in this debate has powerful arguments on the cost factors that make up this equation: citizens’ health, sustainability, and economic health.

Public Health
The World Health Organization and Canada Health agree that there is ‘little to no risk’ but both say ‘more research is necessary’. The precautionary principles seem to have been shifted from the corporations to the public. How did that happen? Does anyone think we should just lay down and let these mega power lines roll through our County...and then see if the cancer rates increase in our municipality? I will not agree to our children and families being put into this type of mega watt research project as the lab rats.

Sustainability
Initial Capital cost - proponents Alta Link and EPCOR were telling open house attendees in 2009 that the cost of burying the lines was twenty times overhead lines. Now the costs being quoted are 1.7 to 3 times the cost of above ground. Roads and power lines are critical infrastructure to the economic well being of our province that needs to be paid for by all.

Efficiency –European studies show that there is less line loss to the environment through heat. In fact it has been proven that underground lines are actually 1/3 more efficient.

We have been led to understand that there are high maintenance costs. But, after ten years of maintaining an underground 500 kv line in Tokyo, the results show that maintenance costs were actually lower because of the lack of environmental stressors of wind, lightening and storms.  
Governments regularly accept high initial costs for projects and justify them to the public on the principles of future cost savings.

Economic Health
The province has put multi millions of tax payers’ dollars into promoting Alberta’s natural beauty – does this include a sky full of power lines? It seems to me that there will be serious impacts from this proliferation of lines.

One of the most disturbing aspects of this case is the lack of understanding that the Heartland Transmission Lines project is only the beginning. It is the test case for more lines to come- the first of six mega power line routes legislated to transect Alberta.
All levels of government need to look into the future with an eye to protecting the quality of life of our citizens.   

While European countries are legislating the burying of lines our provincial government is standing firm on their admittedly visionary allocation of the Utility corridor of twenty years ago. Yes, that was a good move – twenty years ago. It’s time to refocus and recognize that two different levels of governments allowed population density to increase exponentially adjacent to these corridors. Shame on them for not respecting their own visionary plans for a vast power corridor not close to high population nodes.

It is time to ensure that overhead lines of this magnitude do not over shadow the densest population areas in the province. The solution is clear – bury the lines near all dense populations and do not route mega power lines through existing populous areas.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Council Meeting Highlights - Feb. 22, 2010


Annual report on RCMP and Bylaw Enforcement statistics for 2010
The RCMP department believe that automated traffic enforcement is having a positive impact on the driving habits of our community. In general automated speed violations issued are down an average of 13% from the year previous. Over the past four years Councillor Wlodarczak and myself have advocated at every opportunity to increase the number of officers dedicated to traffic. The seven Peace Officers have written a 40% more tickets over last year to directly impact on the safety of pedestrians.

Residents often talk to me about drug investigations creeping along at a snail’s pace. It is frustrating to see suspicious behaviour happen on your street for months – sometimes years on end...Well 2010 was a banner year for drug surveillance teams. Long term undercover operations such as “Operation Kompression” ended with the arrest of 15 traffickers and 56 charges. It is said that Edmonton drug traffickers avoid crossing the Strathcona County line when they can. At the same time, on the negative side property crimes are up by 7%. Domestic abuse also has risen from 332 incidents 2008 to 408 incidents in 2010.

            High Voltage Transmission Power Lines
Council unanimously passed a motion to supplement its previous motion and enforce its stand against placing overhead power lines in Strathcona County. The motion of March 2009 stated that high voltage lines should not be placed in our municipality unless put underground because the proposed routes were too close to dense populations, schools and enviornmentaly sensitive areas. Council’s latest motion expands the stand to recommend that power lines be allocated to the identified alternate western route which does not come close to schools and dense population.

           Affordable Housing
Council unanimously approved five million dollars to the Pioneer Housing Foundation in grant funds from the Provincial Municipal Sustainability Housing Program and Capital Enhancement Program. Pioneer Housing will be creating a 70 unit community housing building to be built adjacent to the Silver Birch Lodge and Manor site. The sustainable housing project will go a long way to address the affordable market rental housing gap in our community.


         Retail Market Analysis
The Department of Economic Development brought forward a report that advises existing businesses of subsector opportunities. This is also a valuable tool in attracting the appropriate and desirable commercial retail projects to our community. The Analysis identifies land supply to allow for projected retail growth.

       Councillor Reports
During my report I brought forward a Notice of Motion which: directed administration to research the feasibility of creating a funding program to equal 75% of the revenues accrued from ISDs (Intersection Safety Devices)in Strathcona County – for the purpose of purchasing and installing countdown timers for lights at high priority intersections for the budget year 2012. These intersections would be prioritized on traffic volume and high risk local.
This Notice of Motion was in response to concerns expressed by residents about intersection safety and an equal concern about the significant revenues collected from fines through the Intersection Safety Devices (which not only capture red light violations but capture speed violations during all phases of the traffic lights).

Friday, February 11, 2011

Pothole Repair

As soon as the snow and ice melt on our major arterial roads, we find the potholes - or more accurately, they find us!

We have been receiving increasing calls from residents about potholes that have started to appear on our major arterial and collector roads.

The end of the snow clearance and the warmer weather will allow road crews to focus on pothole repair.  Beginning last night, our crews were out repairing the potholes on Baseline Road and Wye Road. This will be completed over the weekend. 

Subject to weather conditions, pothole repair will be on-going through the next couple of months.

Here is a link to a "spring conditions" web page that includes information on potholes and also provides direction on how to communicate pothole locations to the Department.

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Feedback from Residents

I get feedback from residents on a variety of different issues. Sometimes the feedback is positive and sometimes it isn't. We don't always agree and that's ok, I value everyone's thoughts and opinions. 

In a recent Council meeting, I asked administration to  look into why taxpayers are paying for vehicles towed during snow removal. Why don't we tow and then issue a fee for towing?

A resident responded to that article saying:
"I just read the article in the Park News on the cost of towing vehicles for snow removal. I was not aware that taxpayers are paying for this?  I can not believe that this is a reality?
How did this come to happen?  Why are taxpayers responsible for someone who is neglecting the no parking signs?  If I park in a no parking zone anywhere in the County and happen to be towed, are taxpayers paying for the tow charges?  I would expect that to be the case based on the no parking towing for snow removal. If no parking signs are in place, wether they be a permanent sign or temporary sign, there should be no difference.  Who decided this was a fair and good idea to have taxpayers pay for towing charges?"

In keeping with the snow clearing theme comments are coming in for and against the proposed sidewalk clearing bylaw! 

One resident said:
"Within one block of xxxx Crescent there are four widows living and trying to stay in their homes. As they are in their 70s and living on a fixed income it gets harder every time they are forced to hire a snow removal company. Yes they know about having it done through Snow Busters ,but pride prevents them from going to the County on bended knees. I am certain that if you check out how many one resident homes we have in Sherwood Park you might get a glimpse of the potential fallout on our tax base if all these people become forward enough to get it done by the County.

I also invite you to visit our home and see how much harder it is to keep the sidewalk clear as we face north and the sun is low in the southern sky thus houses shadow the front yards lleaving ice while across the street the sidewalk melts off clear." (A physical disability prevents me from lifting snow)."We have been able to have family come from Edmonton to clear our snow but it hasn't always been within 48 hours as they work and have their own property to clean. I guess we will also be forced to go to the County on bended knees to get Snow Busters to keep us within this Big Brother bylaw..What next??"

but others express another view:
A lady called to tell me that she wanted to see a sidewalk snow clearance bylaw - the sooner the better: "Seniors can hire a landscaping company to clean their snow. Or have family do it. My thirty year old neighbours haven't cleaned their walks in two years!"

Speaking of snow removal, Chuck, a County resident had this to say: 

"I have recently made my trek to a community in SW Edmonton.  This year the community streets have been bladed to near pavement, and the snow 'windrowed' to each side of the street.  (This was completed five weeks after the snow fell)  The two way streets have been reduced to one way streets, with no on street parking, even so, this is much better than last year, where there was no winter maintenance or snow removal.  By January last year, the streets were rutted so bad most vehicles were stuck when making a trip.

Compare this to my Sherwood Park - where my community was cleared of snow a week after the snow, and not once, but twice.

I suspect the efficiency of the Sherwood Park operation has results costs which a fraction of those of Edmonton, on a per house basis, from my observation the two operations
."

Keep the input coming!