On Monday, Albertans gathered in Drayton Valley not to learn more about a government proposal to develop and protect the Bighorn Country region, as was once planned, but to rally against it.
The province suggested in November investing $40 million in Bighorn Country, and launched a series of public information sessions.
The four remaining meetings—in Drayton Valley, Red Deer, Sundre and Edmonton—were cancelled on Saturday due to a lack of confidence in guaranteeing the safety of participants.
Environment and Parks Minister Shannon Phillips said she had heard “stories of Albertans afraid to attend community events, Albertans berated in public, Albertans followed home, and Albertans feeling intimidated to not speak their mind or participate in this important discussion.”
Tom Hinderks of Rally Canada told CTV News the opposition is not to the plan, but how it is proceeding.
“People aren’t getting good clear information, that’s the biggest problem,” he said. “That’s why this thing needs to shut down and restart.”
The proposal included a mixture of recreational opportunities, environmental protections and economic development.
However, Hinderks feels the province is rushing the plan: “You’re saying we can still develop oil and gas, but you say there’s restrictions. Well, what are these restrictions?”
At the time it cancelled the remaining public sessions, the province said telephone town halls would be scheduled to finish public engagement.
However, the United Conservative Party of Alberta issued its own statement, saying “the reality of social media only makes a stronger case for in-person community consultation.”
According to environmentalists, there’s urgency to move on the plan for the sake of wildlife preservation and water quality. Thirty-seven retired biologists have signed a letter of support for the proposal.
Lorne Fitch, a retired fisheries and habitat biologist, believes there is a segment of the opposition who “either fails to see, or cannot see, or does not want to see the damage that they cause.”
“As a consequence, I think there is a lot of lashing out at change.”
Hinderks said he was unaware of and against any use of intimidation tactics, adding that residents of the Drayton Valley area want protection for the environment and their livelihood.
“This is a long-term project that has some important implications. Let’s just do it right.”
The consultation period has since been extended to Feb. 15.
RCMP were unable to provide any further information related to the risk at public engagement sessions, but the Government of Alberta said the decision to cancel was based on allegations made by the public, vendor concerns and advice from government safety and security officials.
With files from Dan Grummett
