Edmonton
Help build the North Saskatchewan Regional Plan
March 07, 2018
Albertans are invited to provide their input on how land in the North Saskatchewan Region will be used and managed.
Public feedback will help the Alberta government develop the final North Saskatchewan Regional Plan (NSRP), which will ensure government policies guide natural resource development, support local economic growth, enhance recreation opportunities, respect traditional Indigenous land use and protect the environment.
“The North Saskatchewan Region is home to about 1.5 million Albertans, as well as Alberta’s Industrial Heartland, some of the best farmland in the world, foothills and mountains with immense recreation opportunities, and prized headwaters that supply drinking water to many communities. It is important that Albertans are engaged in building a plan for the region that is good for the environment, good for the economy and good for Albertans.”
Shannon Phillips, Minister of Environment and Parks
NSRP will be the third regional plan developed under Alberta’s Land-use Framework.
To help develop the draft plan, a regional advisory council made up of 27 Albertans was appointed in 2014 to provide independent, strategic advice, analysis and options to government. The council provided 69 recommendations to government in six topic areas.
Council recommendation areas
- Managing wetlands and lakes as part of watershed management.
- Supporting biodiversity in the region.
- Inclusion of Indigenous peoples in land-use planning.
- Community growth and community land-use planning.
- Management of outdoor recreation.
- Economic development.
The council’s report and recommendations provide important perspectives for Albertans to consider. The government encourages all interested parties, including Indigenous communities, stakeholders and the public, to provide their input and ideas for development of this plan.
The consultation period runs from March 7 to May 4, 2018. To read the North Saskatchewan Regional Advisory Council’s recommendations and provide feedback online, please visit: https://www.landuse.alberta.ca.
Quick facts
- The North Saskatchewan Region covers about 85,780 square kilometres of central Alberta – 13 per cent of the total land base of Alberta.
- About 38 per cent of the provincial population of four million people lives in the region.
- The North Saskatchewan Region is home to prized headwaters that supply the drinking water to the City of Edmonton and surrounding communities, such as Red Deer.
- Banff is included in the North Saskatchewan Region to ensure that the key headwaters for the region are within the geographical boundary. The regional boundaries were based on major watersheds and adjusted to align with municipal boundaries.
- Rapid population growth in the North Saskatchewan Region, particularly in the Capital Region, has created pressures on regional transportation routes and recreation areas.
- From 2000 to 2013, the North Saskatchewan Region observed a 3.1 per cent annual growth rate in GDP, largely due to the Capital Region becoming a dispatch hub for goods shipped south to export markets or north for further natural resource development.
Related information
News release from ALERT (The Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team)
Nearly $2.5 million in drugs and cash was seized from a southwest Edmonton condo building. A warrant has been issued for an Edmonton man.
ALERT Edmonton’s organized crime team made the seizure on October 9, 2024 after searching an address in the Windermere neighbourhood. The Edmonton Police Service helped with the search warrant execution.
ALERT seized an estimated $2.3 million worth of drugs, which included:
- 17.7 kilograms of cocaine;
- 5.3 kilograms of MDMA;
- 950 grams of methamphetamine;
- 3.1 kilograms of ketamine;
- 5 kilograms of psilocybin mushrooms;
- 20,000 oxycodone pills;
- 4,705 illicit prescription pills;
- $41,000 cash.
ALERT searched the address following an investigation that dates back to June 2024. Investigators developed information about a high-level drug trafficker operating in the Edmonton area with a number of supply lines.
The drug seizure marks ALERT’s largest since a record bust earlier in the year. In August, 27 kilograms of cocaine were seized from a west Edmonton home. The two investigations are unrelated.
A warrant has been issued for the arrest of Minh Nguyen. The 36-year-old Edmonton man is wanted on charges of possession of drugs for the purpose of trafficking, possession of proceeds of crime, and possession of counterfeit money.
Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to contact police.
The investigation began in June 2024 after ALERT received information about a drug supplier based in the Edmonton area. ALERT alleges Nguyen was supplying other drug dealers in Edmonton and northern Alberta communities.
Members of the public who suspect drug or gang activity in their community can call local police, or contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). Crime Stoppers is always anonymous.
ALERT was established and is funded by the Alberta Government and is a compilation of the province’s most sophisticated law enforcement resources committed to tackling serious and organized crime.
News release from the Edmonton Police Service
The Edmonton Police Service (EPS) has seized more than 66 kilograms of methamphetamine, cocaine, fentanyl and heroin in a large-scale drug investigation in central Edmonton.
In December 2023, members of the Edmonton Drug and Gang Enforcement Section (EDGE) initiated an inter-provincial drug trafficking investigation.
During the investigation, three male suspects were noted to be involved in various aspects of inter-provincial drug trafficking, including transporting drugs into and out of Alberta, as well as distributing them throughout Edmonton, including the inner-city community. A storage location for the drugs was located in a central Edmonton high rise apartment.
On May 9, 2024, police executed search warrants at three residences and four vehicles. As a result of the search warrants, EDGE members seized:
- 55.7 kg of methamphetamine, worth approximately $250,650
- 8.7 kg of cocaine, worth approximately $696,000
- 2.5 kg of fentanyl, worth approximately $300,000
- 83.5 grams of heroin, worth approximately $28,400
- 20 kg of buffing agent
- Five handguns, three of which were loaded at the time of seizure and two of which had defaced serial numbers. Two were also reported stolen in Saskatchewan and Alberta, and one originated from the U.S.
- Four vehicles with hidden compartments
- Approximately $20,000 in various currency
Drugs and firearms located in one of EPS’ largest-ever drug seizures
“This investigation is believed to be one of the largest, if not the largest, seizure of controlled substances in EPS history,” says Staff Sergeant David Paton, with the Edmonton Drug and Gang Enforcement (EDGE) Section. “Intercepting this huge volume of extremely harmful street drugs before they wreak havoc in our city is a rewarding outcome for our investigators, who have worked tirelessly for months on this operation.”
Jesse Koble, 29, is facing 27 charges, Mitchell Steeg, 31, is charged with nine offences, and Steven Santillana, 34 is charged with two offences, for a total of 38 drug and firearms-related criminal charges.
The EPS takes a strategic approach to drug and organized crime related violence through its Guns and Gangs Strategy. This plan considers the unique factors driving serious crime in the city, identifying key focus areas that require increased and sustained effort to reduce victimization and improve community safety.
The strategy leverages EPS’ internal expertise and external partnerships with other enforcement and social agencies to strike a balance between education, suppression, intervention, and prevention. It encompasses immediate and long-term solutions that both hold those perpetrating violence accountable and lead willing individuals away from gang association.
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