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[The Alberta Environmental Policy Series highlights the many environmental challenges and related government policies in Alberta. SAGE welcomes feedback on these topics.] In 2020, the 1976 Coal Policy was rescinded without public consultation. Significant areas of the Eastern Slopes land were opened to coal leases, initiating a widespread response from concerned landowners, environmentalists, and Indigenous…
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Lorne Fitch, Jeff Kneteman, Richard Quinlan, Kirby Smith, George Sterling Executive Summary: As former Provincial Fish and Wildlife biologists with extensive experience with land use, our observations, monitoring and research provide the following conclusions on coal development in the Eastern Slopes of Alberta’s Rockies: – Despite the scope and scale of coal exploration programs, they…
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Submission for input to the Alberta online engagement on water availability Aquatic ecosystems include rivers, stream, lakes, ponds and wetlands as well as the riparian areas on their periphery. These landscape features capture, store, release and convey the water that falls as snow and rain. They are critical for sustaining life in a watershed and…
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Letter to Minister Joseph Schow, Minister of Tourism and Sport The notion that the designation of currently protected provincial parks, provincial recreation areas, wilderness areas, ecological reserves, natural areas or heritage rangelands may be rescinded on the recommendation of the Minister of Tourism and Sport to make way for an all-season resort contradicts the preamble…
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The Southern Alberta Group for the Environment (SAGE) has been a leading voice for a healthy and environmentally sustainable community in Lethbridge and region since 1984. SAGE was an active participant in the public consultations that eventuated the South Saskatchewan Regional Plan (SSRP). The SSRP articulated strategic directions for policy action that included the management…
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WasteLess.ca recently hosted a film titled Plastic People on the topic of microplastics. Microplastics are defined as pieces of plastic smaller than 5 mm. Microplastics much smaller than this, however, are being found in, well, everything. Imagine dividing the edge of a dime into 1000 slices – that is a micrometer. Invisible to the eye,…
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Letter to the University of Lethbridge The University of Lethbridge Business Corporation (ULBC) is in the process of conducting a market analysis that will guide the South Campus Development of approximately 100 acres owned by the University (1). Part of the area proposed for housing development has been identified in the City of Lethbridge Environment…
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This post was originally published on ABlawg.ca Conclusions This ABlawg post has critiqued the amendments to the Water Act that expand government emergency powers focusing on the ability of Cabinet to order an inter-basin transfer to deal with emergencies. With respect to inter-basin transfers, we conclude that as inter-basin transfers need prior long-term planning, have potential serious…
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A presentation by Cheryl Bradley, September 2024 Thank you for inviting me to this event that recognizes World Rivers Day, the 22nd of September 2024. World Rivers Day, launched by the United Nations in 2005, is a day to celebrate rivers and create greater awareness of the need to better care for our water resources.…
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The following summary is specific to Lethbridge. (Most decisions to make a residential home ‘greener’ depend on the local climate, solar incidence, water availability, sources of electricity production, costs of energy, etc.) Green Building Compared to our standard home, we have: Initial Total Heat Loss = 128 GJ Total Saved = 75 GJ Greener Home…
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There are a number of things you can do to reduce the energy consumption (and the associated greenhouse gas emissions) of your home. The following discussion is based on a 30 ft x 30 ft bungalow with a full basement in Lethbridge, Alberta. Heat loss from a home has two main paths. The first is…