April 2024 Newsletter

This is the quarterly newsletter informing the BLESS membership about ongoing environmental issues, events and achievements around Big Lake. We hope the membership finds this newsletter useful and interesting. Comments, questions and suggestions from anyone reading this newsletter would be much appreciated. Please submit your feedback to the BLESS board of directors at board@bless-env.ca.

Welcome Spring!

Current Board Members

President – Al Henry

Vice President – Kevin Aschim

Treasurer – Miles Constable

Secretary – Teresa Marshall

Directors at Large – Pat Collins, Lyn Druett, Tony Druett, Linda Brain, Jillian Dyck, Nick Parayko, Dan Stoker, Ciara Fraser

Regular Board Meetings

These are usually held at 7 p.m. on the first Wednesday of every month. Board meetings are currently conducted using ZOOM. In addition to the board, all members of BLESS are welcome to attend the meetings. Anyone wanting to be added to the list of ZOOM invitees should submit their request to board@bless-env.ca.

Financial Report

Financially, BLESS is currently in a stable position for the summer. However, with our Casino event scheduled for late May, the funds won't be available until October. This delay could pose a challenge, prompting us to explore organizing a fundraiser to support our programs. Keep an eye out for upcoming details.

2024 BLESS Annual General Meeting

Thank you to everyone who came out to our AGM on March 26, we appreciate your support! And a special thank you to our BLESS Vice-President, Kevin Aschim for his wonderful presentation on Backyard Regenerative Agriculture and the Global Landscape.

World Migratory Bird Day Event | May 11 at Big Lake

BLESS is delighted to announce that this year’s Bird Day event will be cohosted by Nature Alberta (Nature Kids). The event will be held on Saturday, May 11 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Big Lake and Lois Hole Centennial Provincial Park (LHCPP). Displays and activities will be set up in and outside the Shelter at LHCPP, along the Boardwalk, and at the BLESS Viewing Platform. The theme for 2024 is Insects and How They Affect Bird Migration. The slogan is “Protect Insects, Protect Birds”.

With the additional input and connections provided by Nature Kids, this year’s event will add several new groups offering displays and activities for the public to enjoy. Throughout the day there will be two short, guided walks and two talks/presentations centered around insects. It should be an interesting and informative festival, which will include fun activities for children.

Over the past few months, we have seen an increase in the number of people viewing the BLESS website and our quarterly newsletters. All members of BLESS, old and new, are encouraged to come out and join in the Bird Day event. This will be an excellent way to meet Board members, learn about BLESS’s stewardship and activities, and enjoy a day in the fresh air with like-minded folk. Volunteers are always greatly appreciated for this one-day annual event.

Once the Bird Day schedule is finalized, details will be posted on the BLESS website and Facebook page. We are looking for volunteers who can help assist with the set up of tables and chairs (generously delivered to the site by St. Albert city employees), take-down at the end of the day, and generally help out during the event. Volunteers can participate for just an hour or two or join us for as long as they would like. The main goal of BLESS is to see as many people as possible come out to celebrate and welcome our feathered friends back to Big Lake. If you are interested in volunteering, please send your name, email and availability by emailing board@bless-env.ca, or directly to event organizer Lyn Druett at ldruett@shaw.ca. You will be contacted by the end of April.

City of St Albert’s Proposed Millennium Park Development

This proposed Millennium Park development is located on approximately 10 acres of City-owned land west of City Hall and south of the Sturgeon River. The City originally initiated detailed planning for the development of this area in 2016. Following extensive public consultation, a plan was prepared and submitted to Council. In 2018, the Council decided not to proceed with that plan.

At a special meeting of the Committee of the Whole on December 12, 2023, the City administration presented a new plan for the Millennium Park development to the St. Albert Councillors. On January 23, 2024, St Albert Council gave first reading to a Borrowing/Spending ByLaw that allocates $20,800,000 for this revised project. At that time Councillor Sheena Hughes and Councillor Shelley Biermanski voted against this ByLaw. The second, and possibly third, reading of this Borrowing Bylaw is now scheduled to occur at the Council Meeting on the afternoon of April 16.

The BLESS Board of Directors are strongly opposed to this current Millennium Park plan for the following reasons:

It proposes the removal of 56% of the existing tree cover in this very unique area of the City adjacent to the Sturgeon River.
It specifies major infill of existing wetlands and will significantly impact both the surface and the subsurface environment.
It includes the installation of approximately one acre (0.5Ha) of non-permeable pavement.
Despite the magnitude of these changes, there has been virtually no fully transparent public consultation regarding this latest version of the project.

Some other issues of concern with this proposed development include the following:

It will significantly reduce the existing natural biodiversity of the area that is home to a unique combination of wildlife and vegetation, e.g. pileated woodpeckers.
It specifically contradicts the City’s recently released Green Environment Strategy and also contradicts St Albert’s “The Botanical Arts City” designation.
It contradicts the recently released Green Environment Strategy.
It will significantly impact existing features that are currently available to the public in the area, including the food and pollinator garden area at the rear of the Seniors Centre.
It will open sightlines to sensitive native vegetation.
Parking is already a problem in this area, and this project will significantly add to this problem.
Existing businesses and facilities adjacent to this area have expressed significant concern about this project.

Since the details of the project were released, and then almost immediately presented to the Council for first reading for the borrowing bylaw, there has been an outpouring of public protest. Consequently, in late February a petition was launched by a concerned resident of St. Albert named Ciara Fraser. Several members of the public immediately joined her in this endeavour and assisted her in collecting signatures from members of the public. BLESS has expressed its strong support for this petition, and several BLESS members have assisted in collecting signatures. This has been a totally non-funded exercise, and there has been no financial reward for the volunteers who have donated many hours of their time.

Despite the cold weather and the volunteers’ lack of previous experience, they were able to collect more than 4,500 signatures prior to the closure of the petition process on April 1.

The Millennium Park Borrowing Bylaw is now scheduled to go for second and third reading at the council meeting on April 16th. BLESS will be making a presentation at that meeting. We will be requesting the following:

That Council does not give second reading to the Millennium Park borrowing bylaw.
That the City now implements a fully transparent public input process regarding this proposed project.

During the petition process, the BLESS volunteers have observed very strong public opposition to this proposed project. This has been demonstrated by almost everyone we have talked with. Once the specific details of the project have been explained to random passers-by, they have almost universally wanted to sign the petition. Even on Easter Sunday, people were coming into the otherwise empty City Hall just to add their signatures.

Planning for the SE Corner of Lois Hole Park – Order in Council

In January, the Government of Alberta passed an Order in Council amending the formal boundaries of Lois Hole Centennial Provincial Park (LHCPP). That Order in Council added more than 200 acres of land to the area of the Park. In particular, it added all of the Province’s 90-acre parcel north of 137 Avenue and a 20+ acre parcel southwest of the Ray Gibbon Drive/LeClair Way intersection. It also added a parcel of land in the northwest corner of the Starling Neighbourhood in the City of Edmonton.

The revised LHCPP boundaries are outlined on the following plan:

BLESS feels that this Order in Council is extremely good news – for all current and future users of the Park, and for anyone who is committed to protecting and enhancing the Big Lake environment. We have been suggesting that this Order in Council be enacted for the last three or four years. Our previous newsletter provided the details of our November 20 meeting with the Alberta Parks Department planners. During that meeting, they indicated that they wanted the Park to encompass their entire 90-acre parcel. They also stated that they would resist having the proposed LeClair Way extension run across the eastern side of the Park. This Order in Council is a major step towards achieving those two objectives.

This Order in Council has also resulted in some changes to planned road work at the NW corner of Starling Neighbourhood. The City of Edmonton and the Rohit Group (the main developer in Starling) were planning a major road realignment at the 137 Avenue/199 Street intersection. We have recently been informed that this realignment has now been put on hold as a result of concerns raised by the Province. The Province’s planners are requesting that any planned road work be reviewed and revised to avoid any future road work that will prejudice the environment in this corner of LHCPP.

BLESS strongly supports this request. In our previous newsletters, we have outlined our suggestions for revised future roadway alignments which will not encroach into this very important SE corner of LHCPP.

Long Term Planning for other areas of LHCPP

The Order in Council also added several other parcels in the Counties of Sturgeon and Parkland into LHCPP. While these additions are currently somewhat disjointed, BLESS is very pleased to learn that they have been added. They indicate that the Province is still looking for ways to increase the area of the Park and to conserve and enhance the entire area surrounding Big Lake. BLESS is advocating for there to be an overall long-term plan that will coordinate the protection of the Big Lake environment in the Counties of Parkland and Sturgeon, as well as in the Cities of St. Albert and Edmonton.

One other initiative of note that impacts LHCPP is being promoted by the County of Parkland. They are now moving forward with plans to have a multi-use trail installed along the south shoreline of Big Lake from Range Road 263 to Range Road 261, which is the west boundary of the City of Edmonton. This trail will provide a connection from the Province’s proposed SW Facility Zone of LHCPP to the Hawks Ridge development area in Edmonton. There is already a right-of-way that accommodates a major sewer line running along this alignment. The County of Parkland is currently in discussions with Arrow Utilities, who is the utility company that operates this sewer line, regarding the possibility of a partnership to construct and maintain the walkway in the existing right-of-way. BLESS supports this initiative and has been asked to attend future meetings of the two future partners. We hope that this new trail in the County of Parkland will be the next step towards having an environmentally appropriate trail that extends along the north boundaries of Hawks Ridge and Trumpeter in Edmonton, and links with the current LHCPP trail system in St Albert.

St Albert West Area Structure Plan

The Province’s Order in Council has significant relevance for the City of St. Albert’s proposed St. Albert West Area Structure Plan (ASP). Tracy Tsui at the City has informed BLESS that the proposed ASP is now being revised to conform with the Park boundaries specified by the Order in Council. We are assuming that this will mean that all parcels of land in St Albert south of the Sturgeon River and west of Ray Gibbon Drive will now be designated to be future Public Open Space, with the exception of the 60-acre parcel that is owned by Wind Dancer Properties. We also assume that other aspects of the ASP document, including the major roadway plans, will be adjusted to conform with this revised designation.

Tracy Tsui has informed us that a Public Information Session regarding the proposed ASP will occur at the Progress Hall (next to the Arden Theatre) from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on April 25. Details are posted at https://stalbert.ca/events/calendar/lub-asp-info-session/. We are assuming that the revised draft of the ASP document, including all the plans, will then be made available to the public and be posted on the City’s ASP website. The only version of the draft ASP plan that has been posted on the website to date is the Interactive Map which was prepared in 2022. The draft plans for the area have been changed very significantly since that Map was posted in mid-2022. However, none of those revisions have been posted on the website.

Tracy has also informed us that the technical reports and documents that would normally form the basis for an ASP will be posted on the City’s website during the “circulation period”, which will extend over a period of a few months. Given the significant revisions that have apparently been made to ASP since the previous public consultation process was concluded in the fall of 2022, BLESS has requested that the public and the stakeholders now be provided with a series of opportunities to review the proposed ASP document and the accompanying reports, and then formally submit their opinions and suggestions regarding the revised ASP. There should be a full public and stakeholder review process, prior to the ASP being submitted for first reading approval by City Council.

NEW! Stewardship Reporting for Big Lake

BLESS has rolled out a new online Stewardship Reporting system that has been tailored to Lois Hole Centennial Provincial Park (LHCPP). BLESS members and the public can submit reports online including observations on natural conditions and human activities while visiting LHCPP and Big Lake. Once a stewardship report is submitted, BLESS will receive the report and can forward them as needed to Alberta Parks. Stewardship reporting helps BLESS monitor conditions at LHCPP and Big Lake, and alert us of any concerns or issues. BLESS’s Stewardship report form can be accessed here.

BLESS has also printed business cards that contain a QR code to direct users to the online stewardship report for ease of access when visiting the park. The cards will be available at our Migratory Bird Day event on May 11.

Latest Wildlife Sightings

Photos taken at Lois Hole Centennial Provincial Park on April 9, 2024, by BLESS Board Member, Teresa Marshall.

If you have any observations or photos of Big Lake or Lois Hole Provincial Park to share in our newsletter or Facebook Page, please send them to board@bless-env.ca. Thank you!

Millennium Park Issue