By Don Patterson
Staff Reporter
A provincial report investigating strategies to prevent damage from future floods in Alberta remains on-hold almost a year and a half after it was held up by the race to replace Ralph Klein.
Highwood MLA George Groeneveld had hoped to identify specific flood mitigation projects by now and to have determined what funds would be available for flood protection work.
“We were getting to that point of putting the numbers together and then seeing if the feds would come on-side with it, which they said early on they would. But, that window closes once the rainy season goes away, so to speak,” Groeneveld added.
Groeneveld, who headed up a committee working on the report prior to being named the province’s agriculture minister, said it was not completed before the leadership campaign and is currently sitting in Alberta Municipal Affair’s hands.
He hopes to see the work he began completed and the report released.
“I guess I’m a little disappointed that the report hasn’t been made public or hasn’t got to the point where I wanted it to,” said Groeneveld.
The committee was part of a task force involving three provincial ministries organized after the floods of 2005 to look into ways to reduce damage from future floods.
Groeneveld said potential costs had been determined, but it is unknown how much the federal government would contribute.
Alberta Municipal Affairs spokesperson Tim Chander said the report still has to be presented to the cabinet for comment.
He said the report is nearly complete. However, Chander added, it would have to be added to the Legislature’s agenda once the house is back in session.
“The committee has created the report, it has to go to the government now so it can have an opportunity to comment on it and form a response to the report,” he said. “The big thing is having a session ready to go for the house to have a look at it. I believe it may be at that stage.”
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