Bellevue Revitalization Project - April 16, 2024

Crowsnest Pass Taxpayers’ Association Public Meeting - Bellevue Legion – April 16, 2024 Carmen Roman, President

Although residents acknowledge the need to update the antiquated infrastructure for Main Street Bellevue, there is concern that a fair public participation process was not implemented. The Alberta Municipal Government Act, Section 153, authorizes that all municipal governments establish a public participation policy that engages the voice of its citizens. The Municipality of Crowsnest Pass Public Participation Policy, 1302-01, serves this purpose. This policy acknowledges that council recognizes good governance by engaging citizens’ voice in a variety of ways. Creating opportunities for Municipal Stakeholders, who are affected by a decision to influence a decision (Policy 1.1), would have been vital to the decision-making process regarding the landscape design of Main Street Bellevue.

The Municipality of Crowsnest Pass Public Participation Policy states:

3. b. Public participation is a shared responsibility of Council/Administration and Municipal Stakeholders. Council/Administration has a responsibility to create the opportunity, and the Stakeholders have a responsibility to educate themselves and contribute;

There were significant reasons that the Bellevue Revitalization Project had opposition from the onset of the Open House. Placing “stickies” on a design, which had no public input, does not constitute a public engagement process or an opportunity to serve citizens’ voice. Residents and local business were not given the opportunity to give input to the original design. The design was merely a replica of the Coleman revitalization project. To say that two communities are similar does not give distinction to diversity, culture or environment. The Bellevue Revitalization Project is an example where the Crowsnest Pass Municipal Government “botched” in their ability to represent “best practices” for a fair democratic process. Engaging citizens’ voice, in a variety of ways, would have proven beneficial to the decision-making process regarding the landscape design of Main Street Bellevue.

3.3 Public Participation Standards

a. Public Participation plans will consider early, ongoing and diverse opportunities to provide input;

Downtown Bellevue is unique to the historic value it offers. It has a story to tell that shares a past rich in mining history of early twentieth century boom town coal miners dodging roadblocks during rum-running days of prohibition, a violent café shootout and a downtown view of Canada’s deadliest landslide. It is home to the original Bellevue Historic Mine, centrally located to the Hillcrest Mine Cemetery, Town of Lille and Frankslide Interpretative Centre. These capture the beauty of majestic mountain and valley views, suggesting the need for a downtown which is simplistic in design and that which holds an important past. Memories of Bellevue’s original streetscape would be significant and a valuable contribution to Southern Alberta Tourism. It would be important to maintain a street scape that is in keeping with the original coal mining era to ensure the knowledge of the past enriches the lives of present and future generations. This would align with the Crowsnest Pass Municipal Development Plan and Crowsnest Pass Historical Society and Heritage Initiatives.

Municipality of Crowsnest Pass Public Participation Policy 1.0:

Council recognizes that good governance includes engaging Municipal Stakeholders in Public Participation by:

1.2 Promoting sustainable decisions by recognizing various Municipal Stakeholder interests;

Of greatest concern to residents is the proposed downtown parking design and the implications for Bellevue’s quaint, historic, old-world charm. Taxpayers had suggestions which would encourage a slower-paced ambience for wandering tourists and visitors that would satisfy their curiosities about life and living in the past but, more importantly, offers measures for public safety. Citizens oppose the suggested “bump outs” and 60 stall parking lot. Measures need to be taken to control excessive traffic speed, as well as, offer better assurances of public safety regarding pedestrian crosswalks. Pedestrian crosswalk lights and traffic speed lights, similar to those located throughout the Crowsnest Pass, were recommended as a solution. The nearby park would warrant a crosswalk and suggest that 30 km signs be posted at both exits and entrances for Main Street. A feasibility study, of the Coleman Revitalization Project “bump outs,” would have likely shared the impracticalities of these structures, particularly with snow removal and parking. It was viewed that the sixty, stall parking lot, located on the busiest intersection of Main Street and, which faced and backed onto residential properties, was an unnecessary expense to the project. Letters to adjacent landowners were not distributed informing them of this proposal. This site has been used for snow removal. The suggestion that snow would be removed by truck from the townsite increases long term fiscal spending for the tax payer. To remove the “bump outs” and the sixty, stall parking lot would be a significant savings to the taxpayer and the final project.

Policy 3.2 Public Participation Principles state:

a. Public participation is a shared responsibility of Council/Administration and Municipal Stakeholders. Council/Administration has a responsibility to create the opportunity, and the Stakeholders have a responsibility to educate themselves and contribute;

There has been a lack of transparency regarding details for Borrowing Bylaw, 1171, 2023. Taxpayers have yet to receive the details for the initial $2.1 debenture, the increase of $1.1 m debenture, the December 2023 projected $4.0 m debenture and the final $5.1 m debenture. The details of each tender, ranging from approximately $4.7 m - $7.7 m, were also requested. The second and third hearings for Borrowing Bylaw 1171, 2023 were removed from the February 6, 2024 Crowsnest Pass Municipal Council Meeting agenda without public notice. When asked when this hearing would take place a response could not be provided however, borrowing Bylaw 1171, 2023 was posted, in the Crowsnest Pass Herald, the next morning (February 7, 2024). Borrowing Bylaw 1171, 2023 was an agenda item at the March 5, 2024 Council Meeting with no opportunity for citizens to participate.

3.0 Policy Statements

3.1 When to Utilize Public Participation:

The CAO shall determine when to trigger a public participation plan under the following circumstances:

a. When gathering input or formulating recommendations with respect to the Municipality’s budget and/or capital plans.

Letters were forwarded by the Crowsnest Pass Taxpayers’ Association to the Mayor, Chief Administrative Officer, members of the Municipality of Crowsnest Pass Council and Alberta Municipal Affairs Minister Ric McIver, February 27, 2024 and March 7, 2024. A response letter from Chief Administrative Officer was received March 19, 2024. Presentations were made to Crowsnest Pass Council, Mayor, and Chief Administrative Officer, March 5, 2024 and April 9, 2024. The April 9, 2024 presentation requested that a change order be made to remove the “bump outs” and the sixty, stall parking lot. This change would reflect a decrease in the debenture for Borrowing Bylaw 1171, 2023, as well as, support fiscal savings to taxpayers, the Crowsnest Pass Municipal budget and the Bellevue Revitalization Project tenders.

3.2 Public Participation Principles

a. The primary purpose of public engagement is to generate perspectives to help shape municipal action or policy;

Taxpayers acknowledge that local government officials are elected to make important decisions in the best interests of its citizens and for the community of Crowsnest Pass. However, should processes and procedures not be conducted in a fair and just manner, it would be important for taxpayers to express their concerns to their elected representatives. In the case of the Bellevue Revitalization Project, it was never a case of interfering with council members’ ability to make sound decisions. It was the inability of the Municipality of Crowsnest Pass Council to offer opportunities that engage its’ citizens in a fair and just public participation process as described in the Municipality of Crowsnest Pass Public Participation Policy 1302-01.

To propose a development of such magnitude, impacts a community significantly, and results in adverse effects without a fair and effective engagement process. When capital plans have implications for a municipality and implications for its constituents,’ public participation is vital in the decision-making process which impacts loans and debentures for a community. A public engagement process ensures public disclosure and the process is responsive to the Alberta Municipal Government Act, as well as, the Municipality of Crowsnest Pass Public Participation Policy, 1302-01. Understanding citizens’ best interests, concerns and priorities are important rather than being faced with continuous acrimony and conflict by our local Municipal Government.

Instead, constituents were witness to a request for a change to Procedure Bylaw, 1041-2020, that “Council have a discussion about Procedure Bylaw 1041-2020, regarding the Public Input Period, and whether a provision should be added on how often an individual can bring up the same topic” (Councillor Glavin, April 23, 2024). Part 4, Section 17.1 – Public Participation of Procedure Bylaw 1041-2020 states: “subjective to section 47, all council and council committee meetings shall be open to the public and no person prevented except for improper conduct as determined by the chair.”

This decision has concerns for the Crowsnest Pass Taxpayers’ Association. Under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, Guarantee of Rights and Freedoms, the Fundamental Freedoms state:

2. Everyone has the following freedoms:

b) freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression, including freedom of press and other media presentation;

c) freedom of peaceful assembly;

d) freedom of association;

Freedom of speech is foundational to our fundamental rights. The Municipality of Crowsnest Pass has an obligation to implement processes that allows citizens and taxpayers every opportunity to have voice in fair and just ways. It will be important for our Municipal government and administration to ensure that the re-writing of Bylaw 1041 gives voice to the citizen and reflects the democratic values instilled in the Municipal Government Act. It is not known which portion or portions of 1041-2020 will be changed. In this Council meeting, it was the perception of Council Members that unrest exists among a small group of Municipality of Crowsnest Pass citizens. Contrarily, the Taxpayers’ Association acknowledge that the citizens of Crowsnest Pass, for many reasons, continue to lose trust in their elected officials.