A group of Canmore residents is asking the Alberta government to follow its own legislation and refer two major developments in the mountain town for an environmental assessment.
Bow Valley Engage, a not-for-profit society, says in a statement that the Three Sisters Village and Smith Creek projects have the potential to almost double the population of Canmore, which is west of Calgary.
It says the developments could also damage the last area for wildlife to move between Kananaskis Country and Banff National Park.
The group says the developments were widely opposed by the community during a six-day public hearing in 2021 and rejected by Canmore’s town council.
A provincial tribunal then ruled that the developments could go ahead, which the town unsuccessfully challenged in the Court of Appeal of Alberta.
The group says an environmental assessment was done 32 years ago under less stringent legislation that no longer exists, and is asking the province to complete a new assessment under the current Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act.
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