Bear Hazard Assessments for Alberta Municipalities
Bear Hazard Assessments for Alberta Municipalities
A series of assessments to determine the sources of human-bear conflict in specific Alberta communities.
The Issue / Idea
Can municipalities better plan for reducing conflict with bears by assessing their attractants and hazards?
The Project
As the urban and rural footprint and associated human activity in Alberta continues to increase so does the potential for human-bear interactions and conflicts. Alberta Sustainable Resource Development (ASRD) has developed the Alberta Bear-Smart Program (ABSP) as a province-wide initiative with the goal of reducing human-bear conflicts. The potential benefits of a successfully implemented ABSP include increased human safety, reduced bear mortalities and relocations and enhanced habitat security for bears.
The Bear Smart Program is a community driven process that is usually initiated with the development of a bear hazard assessment for the region of concern. A bear hazard report identifies historical and existing locations and practices that have led to human bear conflicts. These report identify gaps in the existing knowledge base in relation to bear-human conflicts and provides recommendations for reducing existing and potential conflict in the region of interest.
Three separate Bear Hazard Assessments were completed: Municipality of the Crowsnest Pass (2006), Fort McMurray Urban Service Area (2008), and the Smoky Region of Alberta (2011).
Smoky Region
Fort McMurry
Crowsnest Pass
Organization
These assessments were undertaken by
The Miistakis Institute
Status
These assessments were conducted in
2006, 2008, and 2011
Supporters
Alberta Sustainable Resource Development, Fish and Wildlife Division
Municipalities and Brownfields
Municipalities and Brownfields
Part 4 of the Municipalities and Environmental Law Series
The Issue / Idea
Municipalities need to better understand what authority they have to regulate brownfields within their boundaries.
The Project
Brownfields are located throughout Alberta and can contaminate the environment, detract from the appeal of communities, and hinder economic and social development. Meanwhile, brownfield redevelopment can provide environmental, economic and social benefits for Albertans. The fourth and final publication in the Environmental Law Centre’s Municipalities and Environmental Law Series explores when and how municipalities can manage and regulate brownfields and their redevelopment.
Report: Municipalities and Brownfields
Organization
This project was undertaken by
The Environmental Law Centre
Status
Development of this publication began with the Municipalities and Environmental Law information series in Fall of 2016, and was completed in
June 2018
Supporters
Max Bell Foundation
Anonymous Foundation
Municipal Management of Industrial Development
Municipal Management of Industrial Development
Part 4 of the Municipalities and Environmental Law Series
The Issue / Idea
Municipalities need to better understand what they have to regulate industrial development within their boundaries.
The Project
The interface of municipal planning and industrial development poses a challenge for municipalities. The third publication in the Environmental Law Centre’s Municipalities and Environmental Law Series explores the sources of, and challenges to, municipal authority to regulate industrial development within its boundaries.
Report: Municipal Management of Industrial Development
Organization
This project was undertaken by
The Environmental Law Centre
Status
Development of this publication began with the Municipalities and Environmental Law information series in Fall of 2016, and was completed in
May 2018
Supporters
Max Bell Foundation
Anonymous Foundation
The Scope of Municipal Powers and the Environment
The Scope of Municipal Powers and the Environment
Part 1 of the Municipalities and Environmental Law Series
The Issue / Idea
Municipalities may be unclear as to the role they can play in environmental management.
The Project
Municipal decision-making is increasingly vital to effective environmental management. Today’s municipalities play a central role in developing human settlements and green spaces, managing water bodies, and regulating the ways in which these are impacted. In order to do so, municipalities rely on a variety of legislation that empowers them to make decisions and take action in this regard. The following publication is intended to clarify the sources and the scope of municipal authority with respect to the environment.
Report: The Scope of Municipal Powers and the Environment
Organization
This project was undertaken by
The Environmental Law Centre
Status
Development of this publication began with the Municipalities and Environmental Law information series in Fall of 2016, and was completed in
November 2017
Supporters
Max Bell Foundation
Anonymous Foundation
Municipalities and Environmental Assessment: Primer and Model Bylaw
Municipalities and Environmental Assessment: Primer and Model EA Bylaw
Alberta’s Municipalities and Environmental Assessment: A Primer and Model Bylaw for Alberta’s Municipalities
The Issue / Idea
Through regulation of private land uses and through local land use planning, municipalities play an essential role in the management and protection of Alberta’s environment. While Environmental assessment is a tool that enables better decision-making considering environmental, social, cultural and economic impacts of proposed land uses, municipalities may need support in developing supporting bylaws.
The Project
To enable municipalities to implement effective environmental assessment (EA) processes, the Environmental Law Centre developed a Model EA Bylaw. The Model EA Bylaw is accompanied by a primer which provides relevant background information.
The Model EA Bylaw provides a template for a municipal EA bylaw along with explanatory annotations. The template includes provisions addressing:
- objectives/purposes,
- application of the bylaw,
- process,
- prohibitions, and
- definitions.
The companion primer provides background information on:
- municipal authority over environmental matters,
- municipalities and EA, and
- the elements of a municipal EA bylaw.
Municipal Environmental Assessment: A Model Bylaw for Alberta’s Municipalities
Alberta’s Municipalities and Environmental Assessment: A Primer to the Model Bylaw
Organization
This project was undertaken by
The Environmental Law Centre
Status
Development of the primer and model bylaw began in the Fall of 2016 and was completed in
January 2018
Supporters
Max Bell Foundation
Anonymous Foundation