Episode Details

This discussion highlights the critical importance of water management and environmental preservation in Alberta. Bruce Smedley emphasizes the need for comprehensive river basin modeling to ensure sustainable water usage amidst urban development. Ian Skinner raises concerns about declining water tables and inadequate governmental response. Mike Northcott and Neil Konner discuss the legal implications of environmental legislation and its enforcement. Christina McCharles criticizes the manipulation of water definitions to benefit industry. Lise Mayne shares a personal story of loss due to flooding and advocates for the protection of natural landscapes. Alex and Andrea Murphy address the psychological impact of environmental crises on youth, stressing the need for accurate communication and education. Nicole Chang calls for fostering a connection to nature through education. Kip Monaghan and Jenny encourage individual and community actions to make a positive environmental impact. Finally, Brad Chapin introduces a self-regulation skillset program to help individuals manage challenges and promote hope.

J. Bruce Smedley – 50-Year Engineer | International | Public | Private Industry | Government | Banking | Environmental Stewardship

I’ve been looking at some of the articles out of Germany and South Africa and they’re talking about water being more valuable than gold. We need to take that kind of approach to it. I’m not sure there’s planning for how we develop this province related to water availability. For instance, the city of Calgary wants to grow, and yet we’re not convinced that this is where the City of Calgary should be. We maybe should be growing in Canmore, not downtown down the Bow River here, because we just don’t know what the long-term availability of water is going to be here. And then you see, for instance, we’re approving a lot of developments up towards Banff and Canmore and those places and whether those developments should go ahead on a basis of the water that we’ll never get to Saskatchewan.

I don’t know. I mean, we have to answer these kinds of questions. And so that was the other aspect of what I was looking for from this province was some indication that they’re doing river basin modelling, which is all of the relationship between the rainfall that comes, whether the aquifers are being filled up, and whether or not the usage is meeting the supply and all of those aspects, plus the social aspects of irrigation water for fields versus urban water uses versus recreational water uses whatever. And we don’t even factor in the ducks or the birds or the fish for that matter. I’m just concerned that we’re not putting this science together at the level that we need to be able to appreciate what’s happening to our environment.

Ian Skinner – Environmental Resource Management | Calahoo-Villeneuve Sand and Gravel Area Resident

I’m Ian Skinner and I live in Sturgeon County, we’re within the area structure plan, the Calahoo-Villeneuve of Sand and Gravel area. Our concerns here have been, of course, the land use decisions made by the county regarding environmental legislation either being non-applicable or omitted during land use plan decisions. My background is 25 plus years with an environmental resource management background, and most recently we’ve identified a 10-meter water table decline in the area with an eight-kilometer cone of depression. And at this time, no level of government has come to us to advise of this huge decline in the water table. Also, there’s a perception that APEGA members are working outside of their jurisdiction or area of expertise.

Mike Northcott – Lac Ste Anne County Environmental Advocate

In the recent McLean’s magazine article about Beverly McLaughlin, they asked her what her job was when she was a Supreme Court judge. She says, my job was to apply the law to rectify inequalities that were not justif