Checklist released in anticipation of land use framework

Alberta is at a turning point with respect to how we manage and care for our land and water. A new report by the Pembina Institute and the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) provides a checklist for objectively assessing the new land use framework about to be released by the Alberta government.

Download the Checklist

“It is commonly acknowledged that the existing system of land and resource management is broken,” says Steve Kennett, Senior Policy Analyst with the Pembina Institute. “The government’s new land use framework represents an opportunity for putting Alberta back on the path towards genuine progress and environmental sustainability.”

The checklist provides a summary of the key elements the land use framework must include in order to achieve the land use outcomes voiced by Albertans during public consultations. The core elements include the following:

• A new policy foundation for land and resource management: Implement outcome-based land and resource management that focuses on long-term sustainability and improvements in quality of life.
• A new planning process enshrined in legislation: Establish the rules of the game for land-use planning in new legislation that makes integrated regional planning the centerpiece of the land use framework.
• Tools to manage cumulative impacts: Give planners the tools they need to achieve landscape-scale environmental objectives, including limits on cumulative impacts.

“Many Albertans feel the province is losing ground in terms of true prosperity – economically, socially and environmentally – and they are worried about the legacy being created for their children and grandchildren,” says Rick Schneider, Senior Policy Analyst for the Northern Alberta Chapter of CPAWS. “The government has spent over a year consulting on land and water use — we will soon see if the call for meaningful change has been heard.”

CPAWS is Canada’s voice for wilderness protection. With 13 chapters across Canada and nearly 20,000 members, it has helped to conserve over 40 million hectares of Canada's most treasured wild places since 1963. It is a signatory to the Boreal Forest Conservation Framework, along with other leading conservation organizations, resource companies and First Nations.

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