Response to Mayors of Turner Valley and Black Diamond from Minister of Community Development - Gary Mar

In a letter to Mayor Straub and Mayor Magee from the Minister of Community Development Date June 6, 2005

Six posed questions were identified from a letter to Minisiter Mar from the two mayors the ministers responses to these questions are as follows:

1.Safety of the site for public tours
The site is safe for public tours. The entire site has undergone environmental remediation and meets clean up to standards agreed upon with both Alberta Environment and Calgary Health Region(CHR). When CHR indicated to my staff that pregnant women and children under six should not tour the site, the specific concern was about mercury contamination that existed in limited locations on the site. The mercury contamination resulted from equipment gauges that were broken over the many years of the gas plant's operations. Mercury remediation was completed in 2004, and a final report was sumitted to CHR. Staff recently met with CHR to discuss the report, and as a result, two final action items were identified which will be addressed by early June. At that time, staff will work with CHR to issue an announcement lifting the advisory regarding tour limitations. Staff will continue to provide the public with the information they need to make an informed decision as to whether or not to tour the site. Staff does not ask visitors or parents of school children touring the site to sign waivers prior to visiting the site.
2. Safety of the Sheep River
There is an ongoing, annual water monitoring program in place at the Turner Valley Gas Plant. The results of this program are submitted to Alberta Environment who confirmed that the Turner Valley Gas Plant is neither contaminating the Sheep River nor making it unsafe for swimming and other recreational purposes. I would encourage you to contact Alberta Environment for further assurance on this point should you wish.
3. Status of the Containment System
In 2004, the Sheep River was diverted to its pre-1995 channel, to re-establish a significant gap between the site and the river. This work has done much to prevent contaminants from entering the river. While the remainder of the project was identified as a priority in the last budget process, I was not successful in securing funding. I am meeting with my colleagues, the Ministers of Alberta Infrastructure and Transportation and Alberta Environment, to discuss how to advance this project.
Promotion and Advertising of Turner Valley Gas Plant
While I regret the Town of Turner Valley will not promote or advertise the historic gas plant this year, this decision is the Town's to make. Please be assured that my Ministry would not be making the site available to the public for guided tours if staff were not confident about the safety and wellbeing of visitors and staff. The safety of public tour offerings is confirmed through ongoing consultation with CHA, Alberta Environment and my Ministry's Occupational Health and Safety consultant. Over the years, hazards such as the mercury contamination have been identified and remediation plans have been developed and implemented.
Project Funding
While I can appreciate your frustration at the delays in securing funding for the Turner Valley Gas Plant project, our government has committed to using budget surpluses in a responsible and sustainable manner. My coleagues in Cabinet and I continually face the challenge of prioritizing many competing funding requests for new or expanded programs and capital projects. The funding requests in any given year exceed the available resources. As well, our government is committed to contributing annually to a sustainability fund, the purpose of which is to provide funding stability and security at a future time when Alberta's economy might not be so vibrant. However, as noted above, I will continue to work with my colleagues to advance this project.
Your letter implied that project funding delays may be causing my Minisitry to be in violation of the provinical Water Act and the Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act, as we as the federal Fisheries Act. I must address this point specifically, as my Ministry takes its responsiblities under these Acts seriously. Community Development is not in violation of any of these Acts in relation to our activities at this historic site; we have confirmed this with Alberta Environment.
Future Communications and Timelines regarding Turner Valley Gas Plant
I am committed to keeping the lines of communication open with the towns of Black Diamond and Turner Valley. My staff, in particular Catherine Whalley, Director of Historic Sites and Cultural Facilities and Gary Duguay, Project Manager for the Turner Valley Gas Plant project will continue to be available to update both municipal councils about site developments and any changes to the project status and budget. They can both be reached at (780) 431-2300. My staff is interested in participating in another open house for residents of both communities when there is something new to report on. As well, the Turner Valley Gas Plant Historic Site website (www.turnervalley.gov.ab.ca) continues to be a reliable source of accurate and up-to-date information about the project to date.

Sincerely,
Gary G. Mar, Q.C.
Minister of Community Development
M.L.A. Calgary MacKay