After the Great Flood: A Municipal Perspective Impacts of Evacuation, Displacement, and Mitigation The Next Step is a Big Step Municipal District of Bighorn #8
You are here in Cochrane (1909) 23,084 since 1988 population 1,341 20 minutes from Bighorn
Canmore (1965) 13,077 adjacent
Alberta’s Green Jewel; home to us! Local First Nations Pictographs – circa 1100 BP
Grotto “slot” Canyon – three km west of Exshaw Courtesy of Cliff Hansen
First record of a regional meeting in the Bow Corridor Local First Nations Pictographs – circa 1100 BP
Grotto “slot” Canyon – three km west of Exshaw Courtesy of Cliff Hansen
First record of a regional meeting in the Bow Corridor Five Elected Councillors and CAO But there are seven dwarfs?
Dopey – Sneezy – Bashful – Doc – Happy – Grumpy – Sleepy Answer: Answer:
Firstly, to be very clear there are no “Snow Whites” in politics! Answer:
Firstly, to be very clear there are no “Snow Whites” in politics!
Secondly, “Dopey” is always best left at home! Answer:
Firstly, to be very clear there are no “Snow Whites” in politics!
Secondly, “Dopey” is always best left at home!
Thirdly, no you can not “try on” the tiara! No, we are not going in camera “to discuss this”. Answer:
Firstly, to be very clear there are no “Snow Whites” in politics!
Secondly, “Dopey” is always best left at home!
Thirdly, no you can not “try on” the tiara! No, we are not going in camera “to discuss this”.
Why? Robert’s Rules of Order “must” cover this somewhere. We’re resource extraction specialists.
“Heigh-ho. Heigh-ho. Off to work we go!” We’re resource extraction taxation specialists.
“Heigh-ho. Heigh-ho. Off to work we go!” Municipal District of Bighorn #8
Starts approximately 20 minutes west of Cochrane Estimated Boundary Perimeters
for the
MD of Bighorn
listed by
Adjacent Jurisdiction • Stoney First Nation, #142-144 166 km or 36% • Banff Park, ID #9 98 km or 20% • MD of Clearwater, #99 59 km or 12% • MD of Rockyview, #44 47 km or 10% • County of Mountain View, #17 46 km or 10% • Kananaskis Country, ID #5 38 km or 8% • Town of Canmore 27 km or 6%
Total Perimeter: approximately 481 km
Estimated Boundary Perimeters
for the
MD of Bighorn
listed by
Adjacent Jurisdiction • Stoney First Nation, #142-144 166 km or 36% • Banff Park, ID #9 98 km or 20% • MD of Clearwater, #99 59 km or 12% 56% with Government of • MD of Rockyview, #44 47 km or 10% Canada lands • County of Mountain View, #17 46 km or 10% • Kananaskis Country, ID #5 38 km or 8% • Town of Canmore 27 km or 6%
Total Perimeter: approximately 481 km
Estimated Boundary Perimeters
for the
MD of Bighorn
listed by
Adjacent Jurisdiction • Stoney First Nation, #142-144 166 km or 36% • Banff Park, ID #9 98 km or 20% • MD of Clearwater, #99 59 km or 12% 16% with former CRP • MD of Rockyview, #44 47 km or 10% member municipalities • County of Mountain View, #17 46 km or 10% • Kananaskis Country, ID #5 38 km or 8% • Town of Canmore 27 km or 6%
Total Perimeter: approximately 481 km
Estimated Boundary Perimeters
for the
MD of Bighorn
listed by
Adjacent Jurisdiction • Stoney First Nation, #142-144 166 km or 36% • Banff Park, ID #9 98 km or 20% • MD of Clearwater, #99 59 km or 12% With only 2 km of shared • MD of Rockyview, #44 47 km or 10% developable boundary at • County of Mountain View, #17 46 km or 10% Dead Man’s Flats • Kananaskis Country, ID #5 38 km or 8% • Town of Canmore 27 km or 6%
Total Perimeter: approximately 481 km
Municipal District of Bighorn #8
Incorporated in 1988, the MD of Bighorn is without any imbedded cities, Cut Blocks towns or villages. Spray Lakes Mills
Bighorn’s population is 1341
40% of the MD of Bighorn is held in Don Getty and Bow Valley Wildlands Ghost Lake Park. TransAlta Town of Canmore
Alberta’s Green Jewel; home to us! since 1988 2700 square kilometres; 1000 square miles
Nakoda . since 1831 Morley . Bighorn is defined by its since 1873 geology, topography, Cochrane. climate, hydrology, flora, since 1903 fauna, history, infrastructure, . . and people. . Exshaw . since 1905
With a population of 1,341 residents,
we occupy four times the area of Calgary
and 100 times the area of Canmore. since 1988
The Bow Valley, looking eastward (Dead Man’s Flats in foreground; Exshaw in the distance.)
This is a story about: rock industries - lime, coal, cement - (1882), the Canadian Pacific Railway railhead (1883), and Canada’s first national park, Rocky Mountains Park (1887).
The Bow Valley, looking eastward (Dead Man’s Flats in foreground; Exshaw in the distance.)
1800 David Thompson and Duncan Until 1930, this was McGillivray in Rocky Mountains Park, now Banff The CPR 1883 Park The Blue Trail, now Highway 1A The original park 1924 gates were located just east of Exshaw The TransCanada Highway 1956
Lime manufacture Wildlands was the first rock Provincial Park industry circa 1882 2000 Rocky Mountains Park Gate – 1915 to 1930 (3 km East of Exshaw)
1887 Rocky 1867 Mountains Park Dominion of GoC Canada
1906 Exshaw 1905 Province of Alberta 1930 Unorganized 1906 Exshaw GoA 1909 Town of 1953 Improvement Cochrane District #46 1965 Town of 1960 Improvement Canmore District #946
1969 Improvement Special Places District #8 2000 Wildlands Parks 1988 Municipal District #8 Courtesy of the
Staple Family
First and foremost we are a Municipal District.
since 1988 Our land distribution: - Eastern Slopes about 95%. - Bow Corridor about 5%.
Remote Rural - Sparsely Populated - Ranching - Industrial - Nodal Settlement Municipal District of Bighorn #8
Bighorn’s population is 1341 We are a community of unique communities. Five hamlets, populations: History is about time, people, Benchlands 42 and place. Dead Man’s Flats 121 Exshaw 362 Harvie Heights 175 Benchlands Lac des Arcs 144
June 19 and 20 ……., 2013 are etched in our memories. Harvie Heights Exshaw Dead Man’s Flats Lac des Arcs
Alberta’s Green Jewel; home to us!
Mount Laurie Road, Exshaw – 9:58 a.m. June 20, 2013
The Main Weather Event
Three low pressure cells moved into Alberta, pushed up against the frontal ranges of the Canadian Rockies, and it rained hard for three days.
The high altitude snow pack had not melted, the higher alpine areas were frozen and the total precipitation over three days was about 270 mm.
The result was a catastrophic rain-snow event expected once every 350 years or so.
The Rain-Snow Event produced two very different kinds of horrific flooding:
1. River Flooding with river erosion issues - Calgary, High River, Bragg Creek, Black Diamond, Siksika Nation, Medicine Hat, Canmore, ID 5, ID 9, and Bighorn.
2. Alpine Torrent Flooding (Steep Creek Flooding) with steep creek erosion issues - Canmore, ID 5, and Bighorn.
That another rain-snow event will occur equal to or greater than the 2013 event is a statistical certainty. Every year has an equal risk of the occurrence. Red Deer River Complex Panther River Little Red Deer topography Fallen Timber dictates Burnt Timber complex hydrology
Ghost River Hamlet Locations Waiparous River Harvie Heights Dead Man’s Flats Exshaw Lac des Arcs Benchlands Bow River Spray River River Flooding Locations Kananaskis River Cascade River Hamlet of Benchlands, Ghost River - June, 2013 Hamlet of Lac des Arcs, beside the Bow River – June 22, 2013 Trans-Canada Highway, between Lac des Arcs and Dead Man’s Flats Exshaw Beach, at Bow River – June 21, 2013 Exshaw Beach sign reads “Day Use Only”
Municipal District of Bighorn #8 Major River Erosion damages occurred at 186 persons in two Lac des Arcs on the hamlets required Bow River and at $13 million in projects. Benchlands on the Ghost River. “Making room for the river”
Benchlands was not covered by GoA grants. Ghost River Hamlet of Benchlands, $7 Million Lac des Arcs was effectively covered by GoA grants.
Bow River Hamlet of Lac des Arcs, $6 Million Alberta’s Green Jewel; home to us!
The Main Weather Event
Three low pressure cells moved into Alberta, pushed up against the frontal ranges of the Canadian Rockies, and it rained hard for three days.
The high altitude snow pack had not melted, the higher alpine areas were frozen and the total precipitation over three days was about 270 mm.
The result was a catastrophic rain-snow event expected once every 350 years or so.
The Rain-Snow Event produced two very different kinds of horrific flooding:
1. River Flooding with river erosion issues - Calgary, High River, Bragg Creek, Black Diamond, Siksika Nation, Medicine Hat, Canmore, ID 5, ID 9, and Bighorn.
2. Alpine Torrent Flooding (Steep Creek Flooding) with steep creek erosion issues - Canmore, ID 5, and Bighorn.
That another rain-snow event will occur equal to or greater than the 2013 event is a statistical certainty. Every year has an equal risk of the occurrence. Red Deer River Panther River Complex Little Red Deer Fallen Timber topography Burnt Timber dictates complex hydrology
Ghost River Hamlet Locations Waiparous River Harvie Heights Dead Man’s Flats Exshaw Lac des Arcs Benchlands Bow River Spray River Alpine Torrent Flooding Kananaskis River Cascade River Complex Alpine Torrent topography damages about $48 million dictates complex Bighorn’s hydrology Bow Corridor population about 900 Hamlet Locations Harvie Heights Torrent mitigation Dead Man’s Flats costs about $20.4 Exshaw million Lac des Arcs Benchlands
Alpine Torrent Flooding Face of Mt. McGillivray – June 20, 2013 – note water rushing down.
Streams become mighty rivers. Hoe working in Jura Creek east of Exshaw – June 20, 2013
Jura Creek fills with sediment and flows overland. Highway 1A at Jura Creek – June 20, 2013
Highway 1A is cut by 2 a.m. Digging out buried vehicles at Grotto Creek – June 27, 2013
About the car? Home on Pigeon Mountain Drive Exshaw – June 20, 2013
75% of the houses were damaged. Same home, two days later – June 22, 2013
The water receded quickly revealing silt sediments. Torpedo Log, Pedestrian Bridge, Exshaw Creek – June 20, 2013
A moving torrent of water, mud, rocks, boulders, and torpedo logs. Home on Exshaw Creek – June 20, 2013
The bridge remains in place as the creek channel totally fills in. Torpedo Tree The water flowed from the top end of the hamlet to the lowest elevations. Foot Bridge Municipal District of Bighorn #8
Hamlet populations: Benchlands 42 Dead Man’s Flats 121 Exshaw 362 Exshaw and Lac des Arcs, Harvie Heights 175 about 0.2% of our Lac des Arcs 144 landscape with about 40% of our population, requires Total Alpine Torrent damages 92% of our mitigations. estimate $48 million
Total Alpine Torrent mitigations Benchlands N/A estimate $20.4 million
Harvie Heights $1.5 million Exshaw $15 million. Dead Man’s Flats unknown Lac des Arcs $3.9 million
Alberta’s Green Jewel; home to us! Exshaw Creek
Jura Creek
A quadruple confluence of three Lafarge Exshaw, 362 creeks and the Bow River occurred at LDA and Exshaw requiring $19 million in mitigations. Lac des Arcs, 144 Bow River Heart Creek Heart Mountain is The newest of six in the background rock kilns operating in Bighorn’s Bow Corridor. LDA’s motto is “Home is where the Heart is” The reflective Eco-Dome is a Exshaw’s motto is materials handling “Heart of the Valley” facility
On Revenues Generated from Natural Resources: • Bighorn’s landscape contributes about $4 Billion annually to Alberta’s $313 Billion Gross Domestic Product (GDP) • The new $600 million Lafarge expansion at Exshaw will add another $700 million to the Alberta’s GDP for the next 50 years or $35 billion Rural Alberta pays its way!
The Municipal District of Bighorn is grossly disadvantaged by government grants distributed on a population basis.
The Alberta Municipal Sustainable Infrastructure (MSI) Grants for example:
• The education tax submissions from Bighorn were estimated at $25 million over 10 years.
• The return across Alberta was designed at 100% potential recovery.
• Under MSI rules, Bighorn received $10.5 million or only 42% potential recovery.
Reason: The tax is collected on assessment and returned on a per person basis.
• Actual approved MSI grant returns to date are less than $5 million or 20% of potential recovery.
Long-term Mitigation Costs
It is Council’s responsibility to direct and protect.
• Mitigation cost for three of five Hamlets: about $20.5 million • Local Requirement: about $4 million • Total Revenue collected in Bighorn: about $4.5 million per year
• Bighorn would have to double its residential taxation for six years
• These costs are protecting the CPR railway, the TransCanada Highway, other numbered highways especially 1A, electrical distribution lines, major gas distribution lines, and communications installations.
• These mitigation projects, that will protect life and property, are in real danger of never being built. Frankly, the demands for 30% local contributions are completely beyond our local taxation capacity.
The Green Jewel is a working forest providing: water,* oil and gas, hydroelectric power,* lumber,* cement, lime, hydrate, and limestone, magnesium oxide, gravel, sandstone, shale, and rip rap, agricultural products,* and recreational opportunities.* Many of these products are shipped provincially, nationally, even internationally. Now that is natural capital at its best! The Green Jewel is a working forest providing: water*, oil and gas, hydroelectric power*, 75% of revenues lumber*, come from cement, non- renewable lime, hydrate, and limestone, resources magnesium oxide, gravel, sandstone, shale, and rip rap, agricultural products*, and recreational opportunities*. Revenues must transition from non-renewable resources to commercial sectors. Now that is natural capital at its very best! The MD of Bighorn seeks to continue to provide the highest quality resource products, in adequate quantities, to all Albertans, over the longest period of time.
since 1988