Resources

A list of the documents and websites we refer to throughout the Commons. Pour yourself a big cup of coffee, set your brain to hyper-drive and dig in!

Alberta Spacial Price Survey

How do we know Canmore is the most expensive place to live in Alberta? The Alberta Spatial Price Survey tells us. It measures the price differences among various major communities in the province; from food to gasoline to housing costs, the results of the survey are based on figures collected by Statistics Canada for a "basket" of goods and services regularly purchased by Albertan consumers.

Banff-Bow Valley: At the Crossroads Technical Report

A landmark document that resulted from a comprehensive two-and-a-half year study by an independent team of experts in the Bow Valley. The project blended science and public policy, and an approach to public involvement not previously tested by Parks Canada. The 500 recommendations presented to the Minister of Canadian Heritage by the study task force serve to guide Banff National Park and Parks Canada. This paper examines the study process that was used from the conception of the study, through its conduct, to the release of the final report. 

BCEAG Guidelines

The overarching goal of the Bow Corridor Ecosystem Advisory Group, or BCEAG, (a partnership involving the Government of Alberta, the Town of Canmore, Banff National Park and the Municipal District of Bighorn) is to ensure the viability of a system of wildlife corridors in the Bow Valley (BCEAG 1998). BCEAG developed and issued a set of science-based guidelines for the design and assessment of wildlife corridors and habitat patches. 

In 1999 the BCEAG wildlife corridor and habitat patch design guidelines received a Premier’s Award of Excellence. 

Canmore Community Monitoring Report

The Canmore Community Monitoring Program (CCMP) was established to monitor and evaluate trends developing in the community. It is published bi-annually with updated indicators and information that reflect changes in Canmore’s demographics, economy, social fabric, and environmental sustainability. The most recent edition was published in 2018.

Canmore Undermining Review Regulation

This document was revisited in 2020 as a result of undermining issues that continue to complicate development on Three Sisters property. It provides guidance and definitions for developers and municipalities planning to build on undermined lands. Among other things, it specifies that: (1) every professional engineer and independent third party engineer engaged by a developer must maintain professional liability insurance coverage to insure against claims for damages in an amount of at least $5,000,000 per claim for a period of 10 years; and (2) the developer must maintain general liability insurance in an amount of at least $5,000,000 per occurrence for the period of time that the developer is involved in the development plus 2 years. Who maintains liability beyond these time frames of 2 and 10 years is not clarified by the Canmore Undermining Review Regulation.

Comments received on the Three Sisters proposed wildlife corridor, 2016

A summary of feedback received during both sessions of the Wildlife Corridor Application and Smith Creek ASP Open House, held at the Coast Canmore Hotel on March 16, 2017 with representatives from QuantumPlace Developments, Golder Associates, the Town of Canmore, and Alberta Environment and Parks.

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) Policy

An Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) outlines existing conditions, identifies significant natural and ecological features, determines the nature and scale of the potential impacts generated by a proposal and provides recommendations for how best to avoid or mitigate those impacts. The purpose of an EIS is to provide sufficient information to a decision making authority (like town council) in order to make an informed decision on a proposed development. [source: 2016 Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) Policy]

Fiera Biological Consulting is the independent firm currently hired by the Town of Canmore to create an EIS on the Three Sisters property.

Land Use Bylaw

The Land Use Bylaw establishes rules and regulations for land development as well as the process of making decisions for development permit applications within the Town of Canmore.

Livable Canmore

The Town of Canmore refers to the term "livability" as the sum of factors that add up to a community's quality of life. Check out the multitude of ideas they've got going on at Livable Canmore. And click on the buttons below for a glimpse into some of the concepts being addressed.

Mining the Future (MTF)

In the autumn of 2005, Canmore’s council asked the community to create a vision for the future of the town.  At the heart of the project is the question: “What kind of community can we as citizens imagine Canmore becoming in the years ahead?" 

The Canmore Vision was created over a period of eight months through engagement with more than 600 participants - including more than 40 neighbourhood and community groups.

Download the executive summary here.

Municipal Development Plan (MDP)

This document guides the community’s long term land use plan by integrating the community’s vision (in Canmore, it's based in Mining the Future — also known as MTF — a community-wide process that gathered extensive feedback and was adopted in 2006) with day-to-day and year-to-year town planning and council decision making. The document includes policies to deal with cultural, economic, environmental, social and governance issues from a land-use perspective. 

The Municipal Government Act (under review)

The MGA is one of Alberta’s largest pieces of legislation and provides the governance model for cities, towns, villages, municipal districts, specialized municipalities, and other forms of local government. It lays the foundation for how municipalities operate, how municipal councils function, and how citizens can work with their municipalities.

You will find the "Canmore Clause" in section 619. 

Undermining issues compiled by Raymond Haimila

Ray Haimila is a second-generation Canmore miner whose expertise was sought in the 1992 NRCB hearings on Three Sisters, and served on Canmore’s first Undermining Review Committee which set the guidelines for development over areas of past mining activity. Read Ray’s letter to Canmore’s mayor and council, which includes numerous maps and insights into the workings of the mine and explanations about why there are concerns to this day on the Three Sisters lands.

Wildlife Corridor: Decision to approve Three Sisters proposal, 2020

Alberta Environment and Parks made the decision to approve a revised proposal for the Smith Creek wildlife corridor, submitted by Three Sisters Mountain Village Properties Ltd on January 28, 2020. The province’s rationale is contained within the agenda for a March 3rd, 2020 Canmore council meeting, and begins on page four of the document.