Expert Review of the Government of Alberta’s Draft Land-Use Framework

Summary

The goal of this project was to inform the development of the Alberta Land Use Framework by providing policy makers with key recommendations from various stakeholders and facilitating informed debate. The Land Use Framework was announced by the Alberta government as a response to concerns over Alberta’s land resources that allowed development without clear direction or consideration for land use sustainability.

Grant Outputs

Making It Real Checklist: Benchmarks for Implementing Alberta’s Land-Use Framework – http://cpawsnab.org/uploads/MakingItRealChecklist-final.pdf

This checklist identifies key preconditions for the success of the Alberta Land Use Framework and benchmarks for implementation. It is based on recommendations in Making It Real: Implementing Alberta’s Land-Use Framework, published by the Pembina Institute and the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society. The checklist specifically calls for provincial leadership, establishing clear policy development plans and expected regional outcomes with expectations for monitoring and reporting after implementing the new land-use policies.

Making it Real: Implementing Alberta’s Land Use Framework – http://www.pembina.org/pub/1715

In this report, the Pembina Institute and the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society recommend specific actions for the Government of Alberta to take in six key areas in order to translate the Land-Use Framework’s policy direction into meaningful change on the ground. They suggest that the government should establish clear provincial and regional goals that are shaped by a participatory, inclusive and transparent process that would reflect public land use values. Further, they argue goals should be determined with consideration for environmental limits, provincial policy reconciliation, trade-off analysis, and the exploration of alternative futures.