The following pdf file provides a synopsis of what is being proposed. Helpful public input has been received.
Please let us know what you think by following this link to the Vulcan County website: https://www.vulcancounty.ab.ca/news-announcements/notices-and-advisories/455-linear-tax-incentive-bylaw-open-house
According to the Alberta Districts Irrigation Association, McGregor Reservoir and Lake Newell Reservoir have stored water since 1914. This makes them the oldest irrigation storage reservoirs in southern Alberta!
McGregor Lake Reservoir, like other irrigation reservoirs, provides Vulcan County with water for economic development, be it agriculture or recreation. It is a tremendous asset to have in our back yard.
I am running to be your Division 6 County councillor. My motivation for running is my determination to see economic development and community growth keep Vulcan County a vibrant place to live, to raise a family, and to realize economic opportunity.
This determination is born over the last 10 years. It is a journey that began as a volunteer in the Milo and District Agricultural Society and a life-long member of the Milo community. For nine years I have served in local government, working first for the Village of Milo, then the Villages of Arrowwood and Milo, and now the Village of Arrowwood. I also live on and help operate our family farm 11 kilometres southwest of Milo, where my great-grandfather homesteaded in 1906.
I love my community and this region we call home. Volunteering in the community has been a privilege, and I appreciate the friendships that come with it. I also have had the good fortune of serving three years on the Vulcan County Subdivision and Development Appeal Board, being a great education on the appeal process.
I respect my opponent in this election. Ryan Fleetwood is a good and honourable guy. He has served us well, and I can tell you that he is a considerate and respected voice at the table. He loves Alberta. He loves this county where we both share deep roots. I wish him well on his campaign.
I am running on my experience in local government. I believe I have something to offer over the next four years that will help move the ball forward for future generations. I believe in the importance of inter-municipal collaboration and “limited local” government.
With the province mandating inter-municipal collaboration in 2017, along with the completion of Intermunicipal Development Plans and Collaborative Frameworks with adjacent municipalities, it is my belief that we need to forge meaningful collaborative partnerships between our municipalities.
I believe our priorities should be:
1.) Establishing Vulcan County as an attractive place to invest so we can continue to grow our tax base.
2.) Strategic land-use planning that minimizes conflict between competing land uses and adjacent land owners while maximizing mutually beneficial investment opportunities.
3.) See fair and reasonable cost sharing for joint services that includes municipal partners in the long term capital planning process.
4.) Lobby with municipal partners for responsive action from the RCMP on rural crime and public education in crime prevention strategies.
5.) Build political consensus for an emergency response to the COVID 19 pandemic that respects the central role of the Alberta Emergency Management Agency.
Big government and regionalization are not the answer. Intermunicipal collaboration and limited local government is a critical piece going forward, keeping our communities viable and thriving.
For right now, I hope to get people thinking about the strategic direction of our county and where we need to go as a region.
To have a conversation, feel free to call me at 403-990-0720. For more information, check out my website, christophernorthcott.com.
My opponent and I share the good fortune of having deep roots in the success of Vulcan County.
Born in 1881 and arriving in Canada in 1903, my Great Grandfather, Charles James (C. J.) Northcott, homesteaded here in 1906.
He married Clara Fremstad in 1908, celebrating on her family’s homestead east of Carmangay before riding a horse and wagon north, across the Little Bow, and beginning their life together in the MD of Marquis. The construction of an irrigation reservoir was on the horizon, what would prove to be a significant driver of economic development and community growth in Southern Alberta.
The picture below is a map of Alberta from 1930.
C. J. Northcott ran the Lake McGregor Post Office which appears on the map.
The Province of Alberta amended the Municipal Government Act to mandate collaboration between neighbouring municipalities.
Used correctly, we can deploy the strategies necessary for:
– growing our taxable assessment,
– minimizing conflict between different land uses through good planning, and
– encourage more people to consider calling our region home.
Consider the following from the Municipal Government Act
As the administrator for the Village of Arrowwood (since 2014) and the Village of Milo (from 2012 until 2018), I have enjoyed good working relationships with other municipal leaders in the region.
I also worked directly on the Intermunicipal Development Plan (IDP) for the Village of Arrowwood and Vulcan County.
There are common planning principles and joint strategies across all IDPs in Vulcan County.
Through the policy framework set out in these agreements, we have a starting point to work on:
– “Joint Development Initiatives,”
– “Community Growth Initiatives,”
– fair and reasonable cost and revenue sharing for joint services, and
– work collectively in lobbying the province to fund improving the transportation linkages identified by statutory plan as a priority.
Vulcan County has significant liabilities given its massive network of roads and bridges. Especially bridges!
These roads exist as the transportation arteries of our communities.
The maintenance and improvement of this road network remains a cornerstone of economic development and community growth in our region.
Here is the IDP where I was directly involved:
