Sturgeon County pulled the plug on a long standing planning agreement with St. Albert yesterday, over the city's objections.
County councillors voted unanimously to repeal the intermunicipal development plan (IDP), ending a process they started in the spring and freeing Sturgeon to push ahead on several projects to which St. Albert had objected.
The IDP was developed almost a decade ago and set out a plan for development along the municipalities' shared borders. It allowed both to review and approve proposed developments in a fringe area around St. Albert.
The IDP also set out a process for possible future annexations and set up regular planning meeting between the two communities.
That joint planning committee proposed earlier this year to amend the document, removing from the plan area two subdivisions in Sturgeon County — Quail Ridge and Northern Lights — and all of St. Albert's annexed land.
This would have allowed development in those areas to move ahead more quickly.
After receiving significant backlash from landowners whose properties would have remained under the control of the IDP, county council moved toward repealing the bylaw entirely.
Coun. Ken McGillis, told council Tuesday it was no longer serving either community well, but that doesn't mean the relationship is in trouble.
"I believe that we are taking a positive step today," he said. "It is time to move on in our relationship with our neighbour and I have every confidence we will be able to work together."
Coun. Tom Flynn, whose Division 2 encompasses much of Sturgeon Valley, which is in the IDP boundary, said Sturgeon and St. Albert will have to work together without legislation.
"There has to be a will to work together with municipalities and you can't legislate that."
Flynn said mandating or legislating co-operation simply didn't make sense.
Mayor Don Rigney has previously said the newly formed Capital Region Board does everything the IDP has done and keeping it would be redundant.
St. Albert objects
St. Albert city council voted Monday night to officially ask Sturgeon not to repeal the IDP and sent a letter to Tuesday's public hearing to that effect.
The city's planning department will also continue to reference the document when responding to proposed developments in Sturgeon County.
According to a report from city administration to council, the IDP was necessary and the Capital Region Board (CRB) would not fill the void.
The report said the CRB deals with about broad regional issues, not issues between two communities like the IDP. The report also said the city had planned some of its future utility infrastructure on the assumption it would, at some point far in the future, annex more land in Sturgeon County.
Without a plan for orderly annexations, which the IDP provided, the report said that work would no longer make sense and future annexations would have to start from scratch.
Mayor Nolan Crouse said the city wanted to formally register its view on the IDP, but said it respects the county's decision.
Crouse said his concern is that the process and structure the IDP gave the two communities needs to be replaced.
"The key priority for us as elected officials is to make sure there is a process for the years ahead."
He said he would have rather tried to change the document than start all over again.
"We have a process already. I would have preferred that we update the process or modernize the process rather than eliminate one and start over."
James Burrows was the only city council member against sending the letter, saying the document has outlived its usefulness.
"It was probably put forward with the best intentions of the time, but as it stands now this document has no relevance. You have to stand behind the creation of the Capital Region Board."
In recent years, the IDP has only hindered growth in both communities. Without it they will still be able to work together, he said.
"There is a genuine positive relationship that has been established in both jurisdictions."
