Indus solar farm gets time extension
Rocky View County (RVC) council granted a development permit expiry deadline extension for a proposed 949 acre solar farm that would be developed north of Indus.
Originally before council back in January, councillors decided a decision on the development permit deadline extension requested by Arcadis, the solar farm developer, would be put on hold until the moratorium placed on wind and solar projects by the provincial government was lifted.
According to the report presented to council, the original development permit for the solar farm was approved in February of 2023. Arcadis then submitted a written request to County administration to extend the expiry deadline one year, to December 31, 2024, to, “keep the development permit active and allow for the additional time to meet all conditions.”
Most of the councillors supported the approval of a time extension for the development permit, except for Division 5 Coun. Greg Boehlke, who argued that the solar farm was not an appropriate use for the land, which had previously been zoned for agricultural use.
“The controversy surrounding land use is quite simple, when you bring it down to basics,” argued Boehlke. “Do you want to eat or do you want to have some power that's questionable?”
No one joined Boehlke in opposing the development permit, which was granted a time extension to meet prior-to-release conditions until December 31, 2024 by a 5-1 vote. Division 7 Coun. Al Schule was absent during the vote.
County renews service agreement with Town of Crossfield
Council unanimously approved an Intermunicipal Collaborative Framework agreement with the Town of Crossfield. The agreement, which is typically renewed every four years, governs shared servicing, identifies which municipality delivers the service, the method of service delivery and cost sharing for that service.
As per the council report on the subject, the agreement falls under the Municipal Government Act, and the approval of the agreement will “ensure that the County complies with its legislative requirements and continues to strengthen the relationship with the Town of Crossfield.”
The report also states that “should the municipalities wish to implement new intermunicipal cost sharing agreements in the future, the agreement can be amended during its term and will be brought to each municipal Council for adoption.”
RVC and the Town of Crossfield approved their first Intermunicipal Collaborative Framework agreement in March 2020, with an expiry date of 2024, hence the need for a new agreement.
Council had no questions regarding the substance of the agreement, and it was approved unanimously.
