Notice Board

The Southern Alberta Council on Public Affairs (SACPA) presents a session discussing the ramifications of the Alberta Irrigation Modernization Program.

The Alberta Irrigation Modernization Program

Thursday March 17, 2022 – 12 to 1 p.m. MT 

YouTube Live link: https://youtu.be/LXLANa6mWi0

The development of large irrigation projects in southern Alberta over 100 years ago brought secure water supplies to a previously arid landscape, establishing irrigation as an integral part of our society and environment. On October 9, 2020, the Government of Alberta and the Canada Infrastructure Bank announced an $815 million investment in partnership with eight irrigation districts to “modernize irrigation district infrastructure and increase water storage capacity,” which is now known as the Alberta Irrigation Modernization Program. The announcement projected over 200,000 acres of new irrigated farmland would be created from this “single largest irrigation expansion in Alberta’s history.” On November 12, 2021, it was announced that two more irrigation districts and numerous additional projects were included, with the program value increased to $933 million. The presentation will cover details of the Alberta Irrigation Modernization Program and compare its projected impact to past irrigation modernization and expansion programs.

Speaker: Richard Phillips

Richard is the chairman of Irrigating Alberta Inc., the consortium of irrigation districts participating in the Alberta Irrigation Modernization Program. He has been with the Bow River Irrigation District since 1996, initially as the district engineer, and as the general manager since 2004. He serves as vice chair of the Alberta Irrigation Districts Association and the Bow River Basin Council and chair of the Vauxhall and District Regional Water Services Commission. He has a BSc in Civil Engineering from the University of Alberta and is a professional engineer. He enjoys fishing and a variety of other outdoor recreational activities.

In order to ask questions of our speaker in the chat feature of YouTube, you must have a YouTube account and be signed in. Please do so well ahead of the scheduled start time, so you’ll be ready. Go the YouTube Live link provided in this session flyer and on the top right of your browser click the “sign in” button. If you have Google or Gmail accounts, they can be used to sign in. If you don’t, click “Create Account” and follow along. Once you are signed in, you can return to the live stream and use the chat feature to ask your questions of the speaker. Remember, you can only participate in the chat feature while we are livestreaming.

Link to SACPA’s YouTube Channel:  https://www.youtube.com/c/SouthernAlbertaCouncilonPublicAffairs.

For further information on the Southern Alberta Council on Public Affairs, visit the SACPA website.