CANMORE, Alta. – The ongoing concerns by residents on plans to pave the West Bow River pathway hit a new level in Canmore council chambers when the RCMP were called.
Two officers arrived at Town Hall when residents interrupted the decorum of council’s Tuesday (Nov. 1) meeting in an attempt to have concerns addressed on the planned paving of the West Bow River pathway.
Canmore Mayor Sean Krausert read three letters from residents prior to the start of the meeting and provided answers, which led to gallery members voicing dissent.
Several points of order were called by both Town staff and council members when gallery members were speaking – which is against council’s procedural bylaw if someone is not a planned speaker or delegate – and had Krausert and CAO Sally Caudill ask some residents to leave council chambers.
The 10-minute back and forth with residents led to some councillors leaving chambers and the meeting was adjourned for three minutes. The homeowners left the chambers without incident.
“Quite frankly, they don’t like the answers. It’s the only answer I have to give is this is an operationally approved infrastructure that is going ahead,” Krausert said during a break in the meeting. “They’re doing the design now and it’s going to be paved at some time in 2023.”
Among the concerns raised by residents are safety issues, the cost of the project, the potential to change the character of the area and the impact on wildlife.
Bev Service, a member of Friends of the Path, a local group against the paving of the path, started a petition earlier this year that has more than 1,600 signatures from residents and tourists. She said she’s witnessed multiple incidents of high-speed cyclists or e-bikers hitting pedestrians.
“This isn’t everyone, but it’s becoming more evident. It’s a problem," she said. "I’ve witnessed an e-cyclist hit a person walking a dog. … Once it becomes paved, there will be more high-speed cyclists on the pathway.”
Service, who has lived in the area since 1998, said if it’s paved it could lead to more safety issues and the gravel pathway remains useable by residents and visitors.
“It’s already walkable," Service said. "So many people come from downtown and they go out to where the pavement starts and come back. They’re enjoying the river, the elk, there’s cyclists at a nice speed, walkers.”
She said the homeowners first learned of the project in May when workers with ISL Engineering were doing work in the area in preparation for the project.
Town council approved funding in the 2022 budget and $1.5 million has been committed to the first phase. The budget for the paving aspect has yet to be set and will come forward in the upcoming budget.
The plan will replace the Prospect and Homestead stormwater bridges and realign portions of the path. It is part of the Town’s Integrated Transportation Plan (ITP) which was approved in 2018 and aims to reduce vehicle traffic by 40 per cent by 2030 to help reduce greenhouse gases.
Krausert noted the ITP had multiple open houses and information sessions during its development. He added when the plan went into the implementation aspect, homeowners would’ve been notified of the project.
Since it’s on existing infrastructure, is on Town-owned land and not in any environmentally sensitive areas, the public engagement is limited in informing the public as opposed to a public hearing.
The path is a major link between the downtown and Three Sisters Mountain Village area of Canmore.
Friends of the Path's Nancy Pon said they understand having the path be three metres in width, but once the path is paved it will encourage people to cycle and bike faster.
“When you pave a surface, it becomes smoother and it makes people more comfortable to go faster," she said. "Without e-bike regulations, what happens with a road designed for speeds of 30 kilometres an hour with no speed limit,” she said. “You have people going less than five km/h walking with pets or kids and you have people going more than 30km/h on bikes. … The gravel makes people slow down.”
Longtime resident and Friends of the Path's Elizabeth Jennings added “the plan to pave it is going to be a high-speed catastrophe and it’s going to change the whole ambiance. It’s the last little piece of low-key walking path.”
There were also concerns about recommendations made in the Bow River Pathway conceptual design by ISL Engineering that was released in November 2021, particularly with suggestion lighting should be added, though Krausert said lighting has not been added to the project scope.
Service, Pon and Jennings all said the issue should go to a public hearing to allow residents to voice support or opposition.
“We don’t believe we’re the only people against the path,” Pon said. “In a thriving and healthy democracy, it’s really important to hear people’s opinions and to understand where the community sits before the Town invests in this project.”
Service said she’s hopeful for a public hearing, noting “when you pave paradise, it’s gone.”
Krausert noted council has heard concerns from residents, but have also heard from far more people in favour of the project after advertising appeared in local newspapers.
Krausert said there was no plan to hold a public hearing since public engagement took place during the ITP process.
He said it was similar to the development of a paved path along Cougar Creek following the flood for what was once a gravel path.
It also allows snow to melt when the sun is out, while a sweeper can traverse the length of the path to keep it clear and safer.
He said the role of council is to ultimately act in the interests of the community.
“This group is not happy. They do not understand the protocols and the procedural bylaws that govern our meetings," said the mayor. "They do not understand the obligations of council are to focus on the benefit to the community as a whole instead of one particular group.
"As members of council, we do not have the luxury to engage in a single topic and do whatever we would like to do. We have to respond to every issue in what we believe is in the best interest of the community as a whole.”
