Color .pdf copy of map available at cyberclark@shaw.ca

ALBERTA SUSTAINABLE RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
Office, of the Minister
RM-6532
September 27, 2004
John Clark
Edmonton, Alberta
email mmcardinal@assembly.ab.ca

Dear Mr. Clark:
Thank you for your September 9, 2004 letter regarding the Farm Holdings Consolidation Program. I appreciate the opportunity to provide the following information.

Leaseholders have, and have always had, the choice to request a sale of their leased land or to continue leasing. They are not required to make any of their leased land available for sale. The only change is to the sale process. Leaseholders will now have the opportunity to match the highest bid on up to one section (640 acres) of leased land, if the land is approved for sale.

It is important for Albertans to know there are about 100 million acres of public land in the province. Only five percent of these are leased for agricultural purposes. I draw your attention to this because there is some misunderstanding about the scope of this program, which involves a small amount of land in the White Area (settled area) only. As applications are received, Sustainable Resource Development will consult with other resource management agencies to determine if the land is suitable for sale. As always, land will not be sold if it is needed for conservation or other Alberta government programs. Green Area (forested area) land will not be sold (enclosed is a map of the Green Area).

As you are aware, the agricultural industry is going through some difficult times. We need positive initiatives that continue to strengthen and diversify Alberta's agricultural industry in the longer term. Further information is available on the government's website at
http://www3.gov.ab.ca/srd/land/index.html

Public lands with watershed concerns, including the headwaters of rivers, are considered conservation lands and will not be sold. Water rights are generally not sold with public land. If there are existing water rights associated with the land (e.g. for irrigation purposes), these may or may not be sold depending on the circumstances. The allocation of water rights and the management of water licenses is carried out under the Water Act, which is administered by the department of Environment. I have taken the liberty of forwarding a copy of your letter to Honourable Lorne Taylor, Minister of Environment, for his consideration.

I appreciate being made aware of your views on this matter.
Sincerely,
Mike Cardinal Minister
MLA for Athabasca/Wabasca Constituency

Enclosure
cc: Honourable Ralph Klein Premier
Honourable Pat Nelson Minister of Finance
Honourable Lorne Taylor Minister of Environment