MD OF BIGHORN – A proposed new heliport along the municipal boundary of Canmore and in the MD of Bighorn remains up in the air.
The province is continuing to wait on feedback, with no specific timeline for when or if it will move forward.
“As part of the standard review process for disposition applications, the proposed project has been referred to local authorities, subject matter experts like wildlife biologists and others who may be directly impacted,” said Pam Davidson, press secretary for the Ministry of Forestry and Parks.
“Their feedback will be considered as part of the decision-making process. We are awaiting additional information, and no decision has been made at this time.”
The tourism-based helicopter business Rockies Heli Canada applied to the province in early 2023 to launch a new sightseeing business in the Bow Valley.
Located in the MD of Bighorn on provincial Crown land, the potential site is on Canmore’s doorstep near the intersection of Highway 1A and Elk Run Boulevard.
An attempt to reach Ralph Sliger, president and CEO of Rockies Heli Canada, was unsuccessful.
Lainie Norden, vice president of Aurora Consulting Ltd. and the consultant listed on the application, said the company is bound by client confidentiality in its service agreements and unable to give any information.
Canmore council previously expressed concern for the potential heliport, given its proximity to the existing municipal heliport and possibly impacting residents in that area.
In February 2023, feedback from the Town outlined several concerns related to flood hazards, lack of sewer and water servicing, location and the potential flight paths, noise and the land being a wildlife habitat patch.
A subsequent March 2023 email from Mayor Sean Krausert on behalf of council “strongly encourage[d]” the province to deny the application.
The letter cautioned the impact a commercial helicopter operation at the site would have on thousands of residents in the area as well as wildlife in the area.
“In the big picture, adding this operation to the Canmore-area would be negative for tourism and it would work against the protection of the natural areas and wildlife that draw people here,” Krausert wrote. “We need sustainable, regenerative tourism-related operations in the Bow Valley that are respectful of place, and this operation does not fit that requirement”
The proposed site is a 3.3-hectare location near the intersection of Elk Run Boulevard and Bow Valley Trail. It’s less than two kilometres from the Canmore Municipal Heliport, but also a short distance from the Alpine Club of Canada’s clubhouse, Bow Valley Riding Association and Canmore’s industrial area.
The company used to have a lease for sightseeing tours out of Stoney Nakoda Resort and Casino, which is now leased by Alpine Helicopters.
Sliger also owns Kananaskis Heli Tours and Kananaskis Mountain Helicopters. A pilot died in a high profile incident in 2012 when his helicopter crashed into Grotto Mountain. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada found the cause was pilot error.
The original 11-page business plan stated the company was unable to use the Canmore Municipal Heliport due to Alpine Helicopters having the lease and, therefore, had to look for other locations.
As part of the proposal, $550,000 was for a hangar, offices and residences and it would cost $779,300 to get the base running. The company is asking for a 60-year lease on Crown land.
It estimates 30 per cent of the business would come from Calgary and the remaining 70 per cent would be tourists travelling through the area. At the time of the proposal, the starting price for a seat would be $99.
A landscape analysis report noted there are grizzly bear habitat linkages as well as wildlife and biodiversity areas.
“The Canmore base will be created in response to several international tour operators’ identifying the need for a heli-tour operation capable of efficiently providing a sightseeing experience to motorcoaches travelling between Banff and Calgary on a daily basis,” according to the business plan.
To move forward, the province would have to give its consent and CPKC Rail may have to allow for a controlled crossing. A spokesperson for CPKC Rail said nothing has been received for them to review.
The company would then apply for a development permit with the MD of Bighorn. Though metres from Canmore’s municipal boundary, the potential site is in the MD of Bighorn, meaning a development permit would go through its approval process and be considered by its Municipal Planning Commission.
Thomas Judek, MD of Bighorn’s communications coordinator, said the municipality has not received a development permit for a helipad at the site.
In 2017, the MD of Bighorn opposed a commercial helicopter tour operation from Rockies Heli Canada at the base of Mount Yamnuska.
At the annual Canmore monitoring heliport committee on June 10, the Town’s manager of facilities Stephen Hanus said the applicant had received supplemental questions from the province to proceed with consideration.
“There’s no update, but it’s still an active application. They have a year to submit an application and there’s not much time left on that,” he said, adding if it didn’t meet the deadline it could always be resubmitted.
Hanus noted since it’s in the MD of Bighorn, the province doesn’t have to consult with Canmore even though it was metres away from the municipal boundary.
“It is outside of the Town of Canmore limits, so the province does not have a requirement to consult with the municipality,” he said.
Despite being roughly two kilometres from Canmore’s municipal heliport, a spokesperson for Transport Canada said the federal agency looks at several factors if two helipads are near one another.
Sau Sau Liu, a senior communications advisor with Transport Canada, said there’s “no specified minimum distance between aerodromes, Transport Canada makes assessments with regards to safety in the granting of aerodrome (airport or heliport) certificates.
“Aspects of safety which are considered cover a wide range of issues, such as the limitation of obstacles surrounding aerodromes, dangers caused by wildlife, air traffic, environmental impact and social acceptability. Aerodromes which are in close proximity to one another could be subject to special considerations or procedures, as determined by Transport Canada.”
Liu said Transport Canada approves flight operations ranging from training and maintenance programs and company manuals before providing an air operator certificate to any flight-related business. However, NAV CANADA completes flight plan filing services.
Maryam Amini, manager of media relations for NAV CANADA, said in an email it could be possible to have two flight-related operations within two kilometres of one another. Pilots who use visual flight rules have to follow Transport Canada regulations such as communication practices to “support situational awareness for operators in the area.”
“In most cases, pilots flying in Canadian airspace must also file flight plans with NAV CANADA before takeoff,” Amini wrote, adding pilots access weather and flight information from their centre in Edmonton.
Nick Servos, chair of Canmore’s Heliport Committee, noted the proposal is “in limbo” and “it seems the whole process can happen without us knowing about it”.
