The long-awaited and sometimes controversial Springbank Off-Stream Reservoir (SR1) project is now underway, the provincial government said Thursday, with the construction contract awarded to Vinci Infrastructure Canada.
The project aims to protect Calgary from floods such as the one that hit the region in 2013, causing widespread devastation. The event caused damage of approximately $ 5 billion, killed five people and forced tens of thousands to evacuate.
“After years of consultations, of preparation, construction has begun. This is an important moment and great news, “said Prime Minister Jason Kenny during a news event on St. Patrick’s Island in the Bow River, which flows through Calgary.
The prime minister said the project is likely to create about 2,200 jobs in construction. It is expected to be partially completed in 2024 and fully completed by 2025.
The reservoir will be built near the rural community of Springbank, Alta, located west and upstream of Calgary.
Aerial view of the 2013 Calgary flood (Jonathan Hayward / The Canadian Press)
Financing forecasts
The province allocated a total of $ 744 million and $ 474 million over the next three years to the project as part of the 2022-23 budget. It received up to $ 168.5 million in federal funding.
Vinci Infrastructure Canada has submitted the lowest bid for the $ 379 million project, according to the province.
But Kenny said Thursday that $ 576 million of that total budget will be provided by Alberta taxpayers through the provincial government; that’s up from a pre-fixed figure of $ 432 million.
“Since the budget was approved five years ago in 2017, the cost of construction, materials, utilities and relocation of pipelines has increased significantly,” said Rob Williams, spokesman for the Alberta Secretary of Transportation, in an email.
Office 5 pcs. Raj Daliwal said that given the changing nature of floods due to climate change, SR1 has become essential for protection in Calgary. (CBC News)
Office 5 pcs. Raj Daliwal, who attended a news conference Thursday, said the project would add security and economic viability to downtown Calgary.
“With SR1, we know we will have a sustainable city center that will not be adversely affected by floods,” Delival said.
SR1 will build a 3,700-acre tank, Kenny said. The project will divert water from the Elbow River to a dry reservoir in the event of extreme flooding.
The construction of the Springbank Reservoir project outside the stream is underway. (Helen Pike / CBC)
“We all know that there is incredible devastation that can happen in our city if we do not take proper action to mitigate the floods,” said Calgary Mayor Joti Gondek during a news event at the Glenbow Museum in Calgary.
“So a project of this nature and size is welcome news. This is also very good news for our economy. “
Some members of the community left dissatisfied
Karin Hunter, president of the Springbank Community Association, said the group first heard the news of the construction on Wednesday night from a local councilor from Rocky View County.
“So we didn’t know about announcing or starting construction for the SR1 project,” she said.
“And this despite numerous requests from community associations and interested Alberta Transportation residents for more information about the project.”
Karin Hunter, president of the Springbank Community Association, says community members want to ensure that the area is well protected during construction and that emerging issues are resolved quickly and efficiently. (Julie Fat / CBC)
Hunter said the delay in receiving this information was a failure in the engagement, given the “intimate involvement of the group in the project” over the past few years.
“I would make a public call to Alberta Transportation to step up and be better and talk to the community,” she said.
During Thursday’s event, Transport Minister Rajan Soney acknowledged that there had been controversy over the project for several years.
A number of speakers attended the announcement, including Environment and Parks Secretary Jason Nixon, left; Minister of Employment, Economy and Innovation Doug Schweizer; and Transport Minister Rajan Sony. (Axel Tardio / Radio Canada)
She said the project had had voluntary negotiations for the entire land acquisition, not including expropriation.
“Although we will never reach 100 percent agreement on the project itself, I think we have done a great job and the fact that we have not had an expropriation speaks volumes,” she said.
Last summer, the province said there was still work to be done to buy the land, which had received significant rebuff from nearby landowners for years.
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