On April 5th, 2011 the Government of Alberta released the draft Lower Athabasca Regional Plan (LARP) to the public.
The Land Use Secretariat is leading a consultation process on the draft plan from early April to early June, 2011. As part of this, consultation sessions will be held throughout the Lower Athabasca Region, neighbouring communities, as well as Edmonton and Calgary. A workbook is also available online or at these consultation sessions for Albertans to submit feedback on the draft regional plan. The draft plan, details on the consultation, and other related documents including the draft management frameworks are available online at www.landuse.alberta.ca.
It is expected the Lower Athabasca Integrated Regional Plan will be finalized and submitted for approval by the Government later this year.
In addition to the process outlined above, Alberta Environment is hosting sessions with key stakeholder groups to review and discuss the draft environmental management frameworks. These sessions are intended to raise awareness and understanding of the draft management frameworks and seek feedback on elements related to their implementation. A focused, technical session is being planned for ENGOs and relevant members of AEN caucuses. An offer has been extended to meet on April 19, 21 or 26 in Edmonton but the date has not yet been set. As much as possible, these sessions will be aligned with dates and locations of the public consultation sessions. The LARP is expected to set the precedent for how environmental management will occur in all of Alberta's land-use regions.
If you would like to participate please contact Kathleen Rich at [email protected], and copy your reply to [email protected]. Meeting dates will be set based on feedback and interest received. Participants will be informed accordingly.
Please note, the deadline to reply is Friday, April 15th.