Detailed comments to inform the South Saskatchewan Regional Plan (SSRP) survey

November 25, 2024

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The government of Alberta is currently doing their 10-year review of the South Saskatchewan Regional Plan (SSRP). AWA encourages all  members to participate in the provincial government’s survey, open until Dec. 6, 2024.

Used to guide sustainable land and water-use, the purpose of the SSRP is to ensure that our communities, industries, and environment are managed in a way that is beneficial to all and viable long-term. After a decade since its implementation, we now have a better idea of the challenges hindering the plan from achieving its full potential, as well as the successes possible when it is effectively utilized.

In correspondence with government employees, AWA has been told that significant public interest is required to convince the minister that updates are necessary. That is where you come in!

The survey has both a short form and long form option; should you fill in the short version, the key thing to emphasize is that the SSRP requires updating to fulfill past promises, tackle existing challenges, and address new pressures (like climate change). Also take the opportunity to mention:

• More components must be made mandatory and binding to ensure compliance.
• Disturbance limits for future development must be established.
• Human footprint must be reduced and consolidated.
• The protection of critical ecosystems and key biodiversity areas must be prioritized.
• The plan must ensure no further loss or damage to headwaters, native grasslands, and wetland habitats.
• The SRRP must address how it will restore and meet the instream flow needs of the region’s rivers.

If you can complete the long version, AWA has created a guide with detailed comments and recommendations to help inform your answers, available here.