Residents of Hanna, concerned about a solar power installation in the community, have organized.
Pace Canada Development LCC has been working towards the Harvest Sky Solar Development. It is planned to be installed on a 360-acre site North of the Ag Centre and airport. It applied to the Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC) in August of this year for a 15Mv installation. Its website says it has proposed construction in Q2, 2025.
The installation has drawn concern from residents, and in December of last year, the Town of Hanna Council penned a letter of non-support for the project.
Since then, residents have begun to organize the Hanna Land Owners Group and have posted a new website.
Carol Lenfsty, who doesn’t live in Hanna, but is representing her parents who do, explains earlier in the project, community members completed a petition asking the town to remove Solar Power Plants as a permitted or discretionary use in any and all districts in the Land Use Bylaw.
The Municipal Government Act allows petitions to request a new bylaw or repeal a bylaw. However, certain sections cannot be petitioned, including Part 17, which is the section that empowers a municipality to do planning and development. The MGA requires that a municipality have a Land Use Bylaw, and this falls under Part 17.
Because of this, it was outside the legal scope of petitions.
The concerned landowners have retained Ackroyd LPP. On its website that is asking “occupants, residents, and landowners (both commercial and residential) within 800 m of the project area are asked to submit the concerns and comments questionnaire to the lawyer by October 7, 2024, in order to give the lawyer time to process them before the AUC deadline.”
Ackroyd will put in their statement in intent to participate, and then Ackroyd represents the people when the hearing happens,” said Lenfesty.
One major concern is that it is close to an unmanned airport. She says she understands the airport group has submitted its concerns to the AUC.
She has concerns but she wants the community to express theirs.
“I want the community to speak for itself,” said Lenfesty. “That’s our goal, it is to allow the community to have their voice in speaking. If whether they wish it to proceed or not. If the community can set up their parameters of what things they want the council to watch for if the company must come in.”
More information on the project is available at https://info.pathfinderce.com/. The Landowners group can be found at www.hannalog.ca
