Places & Spaces: Castle Mountain Resort

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Council pushes back on provincial gravel pit rules

Written on September 23, 2026. Posted in Civic & Government, Environment.

MD of Pincher Creek council will tell the province it has concerns about changes that give provincial gravel pit approvals priority over local planning, following its Sept. 8 meeting.

Council also heard a neighbour’s objection to a proposed gravel pit east of Pincher Creek and agreed to keep subsidizing waste service at Castle Mountain Resort.

Provincial gravel pit approval changes

Council directed administration to send the province the MD’s concerns about proposed changes to how gravel pits are approved.

Alberta Environment and Protected Areas is updating its Code of Practice for Pits. The changes follow amendments to the Municipal Government Act through Bill 28 and recommendations from the provincial Sand and Gravel Task Force.

The province and municipalities have each played separate roles in approving aggregate pits on private land, with the province focused on environmental impacts and municipalities on land-use planning.

Bill 28: Municipal Affairs and Housing Statues Amendment Act, introduced a new section to the MGA that makes provincial approvals paramount. Municipalities are required to bring their land-use bylaws and planning documents in line with decisions made at the provincial level rather than running a parallel approval process.

The MD received information from Rural Municipalities of Alberta, which said in a Sept. 18 statement: “Based on what is known and not yet known about how x. 619.1 will be implemented, the change may introduce significant risks to municipalities, landowners and industries.”

The RMA lists:

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—Impact of poor co-ordination and alignment across different government processes.

—Limited ability to appeal a pit registration coupled with a lack of public hearing or community engagement in the provincial registration process.

—Unclear division of roles and responsibilities with potential unintended consequences.

—Need for improved communication and inspection and enforcement measures to prevent expansion of operators with a poor history of compliance.

Proposed gravel pit rezoning

Council also held a public hearing on Bylaw 1374-26, which proposes changing the land-use designation of a quarter-section east of Pincher Creek (NE-7-9-1-W5) from agricultural to direct control. The proposed rezoning would allow gravel pit development on the property.

The public hearing drew a written objection from an adjacent landowner, but no one appeared in person to speak against it.

The neighbour argued there is no need for a third gravel pit within less than a mile of the site, urging the MD to explore alternative sites or expand existing pits rather than disturb native grassland.

The letter raised concerns about dust, noise, traffic and groundwater contamination, and said the pit could put the writer’s property, livestock and family at risk, and permanently harm land values. The letter asked council to reject the application and prioritize conservation of the grassland over further extraction.

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Gavin Scott, senior planner with the Oldman River Regional Services Commission, outlined the history and reasoning behind the proposed amendment.

An open house is scheduled for Oct. 1 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the MD council chambers.

Castle Mountain Resort to keep free recycling and garbage service

Council agreed to continue providing Castle Mountain Resort Inc. with a fully subsidized cardboard recycling service and residential garbage bin after reviewing the expense of the arrangement.

Administration will write to the resort to say the service continues at no cost for now but could be revisited.

The cost varies, says Jessica McClelland, executive assistant for the MD. The landfill picks up a full cardboard bin at an average of $317 a trip, plus the landfill’s tipping fee.

“Some months it’s once; some months it could be twice,” she says.

Library seeks support for dark sky event

Pincher Creek Municipal Library asked the MD for financial support for a dark sky event planned for January 2027. The library plans to expand the program to two days, running 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. each day.

The total cost is expected to be $8,200. The library has already secured $6,000 through grants, leaving $2,200 to raise.

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Council received the request as information and recommended the library contact the MD’s grant writer to explore other funding options.

Lundbreck growth study

Council gave second and third reading to Bylaw 1373-26 after a public hearing at which no one spoke and no written submissions were received.

The bylaw amends the MD’s municipal development plan, replacing an existing hamlet policy with new wording that requires the Lundbreck Hamlet Growth Study be referenced in all future development matters in the hamlet.

It also calls for the study to be periodically updated with current data and progress on its action items.

Council approves ALUS letter of support

Council also approved a letter of support for Alternative Land Use Services, which is applying for funding through the Ecosystem Services Grant Program.

ALUS pays farmers and ranchers to maintain wetlands, grassland and other habitat on working land.

Committee meeting

The MD council committee met earlier the same day. Committees make recommendations rather than decisions.

Food centre reports increase in demand

The Pincher Creek and District Community Food Centre told the committee it served 427 people between May 2025 and April 2026, including 282 existing clients and 145 new clients.

The number was up from 412 people in 2024-25 and 197 in 2023-24.

The centre provides free food hampers to eligible residents in the town and MD, based on a means test.

An average of 77 households were served each month. The centre recorded 785 deliveries and 140 pickups. People in Pincher Creek can have hampers delivered, while rural residents generally pick them up in town.

The centre reported $392,314 in income and $341,895 in expenses for the year. Board chair Davina Brown also reviewed the centre’s strategic priorities and outcomes with the committee.

Councillors discussed ways the MD could help promote the food centre, including a program that allows ranchers to donate beef in exchange for a tax receipt.

Tourism group seeks $12,500

Representatives from the South Canadian Rockies Tourism Association told the committee the organization is seeking municipal funding for the 2026-27 year to support regional destination marketing and management.

Senior board adviser Sacha Anderson and executive director Erin Fairhurst outlined the association’s work, which they said helps secure additional partner funding and supports tourism projects without adding to the workload of municipal staff.

The association said the municipal contribution would form part of an 80-20 funding request to the province, with the town and MD of Pincher Creek, and Improvement District No. 4 providing the 20 per cent local share.

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The association outlined several areas of planned work. One is a resident sentiment campaign aimed at helping rural residents understand tourism and provide feedback about its growth.

It is also developing a detailed inventory of tourism assets across the MD. The inventory will include attractions, recreation sites, events, accommodations, short-term rentals and visitor services. The association said the inventory could help identify needs such as signage, parking, washrooms and trails.

Another proposed focus is public education around responsible recreation. The association plans to promote Leave No Trace principles, safety guidelines and appropriate recreation areas.

The association also detailed its regional advocacy work involving transportation, signage, trails, parking, cellular coverage and recreation access. It said a regional approach could help connect local priorities with provincial tourism strategies and future funding opportunities.

The association is also exploring a destination marketing fee, a levy on hotel and other accommodation bookings that funds tourism promotion. It said any such fee would require local discussion, industry participation and municipal consideration.

RMA convention plans finalized

The committee also reviewed plans for the Rural Municipalities of Alberta fall convention and trade show, running Nov. 2 to 5 in Edmonton.

Couns. Dave Cox and John MacGarva will take a budget and finance course Nov. 2, then join the remaining councillors, the chief administrative officer and the public works manager for the convention.

Dogs, chickens and livestock: what the MD animal bylaw allows

Written on September 16, 2026. Posted in Agriculture & Rural Life, Civic & Government.

Municipal District of Pincher Creek council has closed a regulatory gap between two of its bylaws, passing an amendment to the animal control bylaw after giving it all three readings the same day.

The amendment, Bylaw 1375-26, adds the “hamlet transitional agriculture” land-use designation to the animal control bylaw, adopted in June 2025, bringing it in line with the MD’s land-use bylaw.

The amended bylaw does not create a new set of animal control rules. Instead, it ensures the rules already in place also apply to the fewer than 10 hamlet transitional agriculture properties in the MD, said development officer Laura McKinnon.

“There were no enforcement challenges,” she said, noting the gap was caught by administration during a routine review rather than a real-world dispute.

McKinnon said residents in hamlet transitional agriculture locations will now follow the same guidelines as those in grouped country residential districts.

While the amendment directly affects a small number of landowners, the broader animal control bylaw applies across the municipality. It sets rules for keeping dogs, licensing dogs, keeping livestock and chickens, and keeping prohibited animals and bees.

Dogs

Under the bylaw, most households are limited to four dogs, though that number drops to three for anyone living in a hamlet, a grouped country residential district, the Castle Mountain Resort or hamlet transitional agriculture areas.

Households wanting to keep more dogs need a development permit for an animal care service, or must show the dogs are used for an agricultural purpose, such as herding or guarding livestock. Exceptions can also be made for dogs temporarily gathered for a cultural or community event.

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Any dog six months or older kept in those same areas must be licensed with the municipality.

Owners must apply in person, providing a description of the dog, disclosing whether it has been spayed or neutered, and paying a fee. Licences and tags cannot be transferred to a new owner, and giving false information on an application is an offence.

The one-time licence fee is $15 for spayed or neutered dogs and $30 for unaltered dogs.

Owners must keep their dogs from running at large. The bylaw also sets rules for dogs left unattended in vehicles or on properties accessible to the public.

Owners are responsible for cleaning up dog feces, preventing excessive accumulation on their property and ensuring dogs do not create excessive noise that unreasonably interferes with another person’s enjoyment of property.

A separate section lists threatening behaviours owners must prevent, ranging from chasing bicycles to biting or attacking a person or another animal.

Working dogs actively engaged in livestock management are exempted from some of these provisions when the behaviour in question involves livestock.

Vicious dogs

The bylaw treats vicious dogs as a distinct category with tighter obligations.

A court process determines whether a dog is formally declared vicious. This generally happens when an animal has caused severe injury to a person.

The designation follows the dog even if it is sold or given to a new owner. Once declared vicious, a dog must be microchipped or tattooed, spayed or neutered, and licensed annually. This annual licence costs $250.

In some circumstances, an enforcement services supervisor or designate can require a dog to be surrendered for a behavioural assessment while the matter is before the court.

On its owner’s property, a vicious dog must be confined indoors or kept in a secure, properly built pen. Off the property, it must be muzzled and leashed on a line no longer than one metre, under the control of an adult.

The owner must also maintain a secure enclosure on their property and post warning signs at entrances and on the enclosure.

Livestock

Livestock rules vary by land-use district. Farm animals generally cannot be kept within a hamlet without a development permit.

In grouped country residential districts and hamlet transitional agriculture properties, the number of animals allowed is capped according to a schedule tied to parcel size, covering species such as horses, cattle, sheep and llamas.

For example, the bylaw allows up to five horses, cattle, swine, donkeys or mules per parcel, with the number also tied to available land. The limit is one such animal per 0.4 hectares, or one acre.

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Sheep, goats, llamas and alpacas are limited to one per 0.2 hectares, or half acre, with a maximum of 10 per parcel. Rabbits are limited to one per 0.1 hectares, or quarter acre, with a maximum of 20.

The limits are not cumulative. A parcel cannot use the maximum allowance for multiple livestock categories at the same time.

Owners of properties where livestock are bred, raised or kept must keep the sites in clean condition and dispose of waste in a timely manner.

Chickens

Rules for chickens differ between hamlets and larger residential parcels.

In hamlets, residents can keep up to four urban chickens. As per the bylaw, an urban chicken is a hen that is at least 16 weeks old, with a hen defined as a domesticated female chicken.

Roosters and hens that do not meet the bylaw’s definition of an urban chicken are not permitted.

In grouped country residential districts, the number of chickens depends on the size of the parcel. The limits range from 30 chickens on parcels between three and 3.99 acres, to 45 chickens on parcels between four and 4.99 acres, 60 chickens on parcels between five and 5.99 acres, 75 chickens on parcels between six and 9.99 acres, and 90 chickens on parcels of 10 acres or more.

The amendment extends those same limits to hamlet transitional agriculture properties.

Chicken care comes with its own set of standards. Each chicken must have adequate coop and outdoor enclosure space, food, water, shelter, ventilation and veterinary care.

Coops and enclosures must be kept sanitary and secure. Owners must prevent rodents and other animals from entering and remove leftover feed, trash and manure in a timely manner.

Owners must also follow biosecurity procedures recommended by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and keep chickens for personal use only.

Other animals and enforcement

A short list of species remains banned outright anywhere in the municipality, including wild boars, Norway rats and venomous snakes.

Bees and beehives are also prohibited in hamlets, Castle Mountain Resort and grouped country residential districts, as well as within 500 metres of a hamlet or grouped country residential area. The amendment adds hamlet transitional agriculture to those restrictions.

Penalties for violations vary widely by offence.

For example, having more than three dogs in a hamlet, grouped country residential district or Castle Mountain Resort carries a minimum $200 penalty. An unlicensed dog also carries a minimum $200 penalty.

Running a dog at large has a minimum penalty of $300, while excessive accumulation of dog feces carries a minimum $400 penalty.

Penalties increase for more serious dog offences. The bylaw lists minimum penalties ranging from $500 for injuring a person to $1,200 for attacking a person and $1,700 for an attack causing severe injury. Some matters require a court appearance.

Vicious-dog offences carry higher penalties. Depending on the offence, minimum penalties range from $550 for several licensing or containment violations to $2,000 for a vicious dog causing the death of an animal or livestock. Attacks causing the death of a person require a court appearance.

Specified penalties can also increase when the same provision is breached repeatedly within a 12-month period.

Animal Control Bylaw, Chickens, Dog Licensing, Dogs, Land-Use Bylaw, Livestock, Vicious Dogs