Keep the Wheat in Wheatland

A key policy in the Wheatland County Municipal Development Plan (pg 27) is "Preserving Our Heritage." In it you will find statements like -the agriculture is the backbone of the County, how land is a finite resource, it is a priority of the County to protect farmland and rural lifestyles and the protection of land for agriculture practices are a major priority. Why is the County allowing the land use bylaw to be amended taking away over 1500 acres of incredibly fertile cropland which produces some of the best yields in the county? 

Food security is a daily story in the news. Agriculture land in Alberta is dercreasing at a rapid rate yearly due to desertification, urban sprawl and commercial/industrail developments. Increased competion for farmland causes challenges in the Ag sector which leads to higher food prices. It also has leadsto the decline of family farms when a numbered company walks in and pays almost twice the price of the going rate raising prices in the area. 

This land contains a permanent wetland home to frogs, deer, moose, red fox, ducks, geese, storks, cranes, herons, bald eagles, hawks, golden eagles and 4 types of owl and most importantly the burrowing owl.

We are operating a 5th generation farm adjacent to the project and must unequivocally dispute this development unfortunately. We are in favor of providing employment opportunities and economic growth for the community, however, in our opinion there must be a more suitable location in the 4505 square kms in this county that would align with the County's MDP. 

There is no question De Havilland is a leader in innovation and aviation and we are not disputing the incredible opportunity for the County but...a runway, manufacturing centre, aerodome, commercial bays, distribution centre, cement plant, and 1500 workers coming and going is difficult, to say the least, in your backyard!