Deer Valley residents challenge Leduc city council

Residents in west Leduc asked city council for help at Monday’s meeting. Concerns were raised about how the ravine in the Bridgeport and Deer Valley neighbourhoods is being utilized.

Residents in west Leduc asked city council for help at Monday’s meeting.
Concerns were raised about how the ravine in the Bridgeport and Deer Valley neighbourhoods is being utilized.
Two residents offered a presentation to council on the matter.
“Imagine if so many people showed up in your backyard, swearing, yelling, cutting down your trees for forts, making fires and leaving garbage?” Diane Bergevin asked.
Bergevin and fellow resident Allan Schneider expressed concerns about an influx of homeless people setting up camp in the ravine, as well as children playing without any regard to the natural habitat. But the biggest concerns are over fires including a large one which broke out last June.
“There have been about eight fires in Deer Valley over the years, but this one was the most severe and caused the most damage,” Bergevin said. “Firemen told us the fire was caused by kids igniting the popular fluff and the wind spread the fire balls.”
Residents have safety concerns because there are dozens of residences and businesses in close proximity with the ravine.
City council was asked for improved fire prevention initiatives, better response when the homeless set up encampments and a bylaw to help enforce usage of the ravine.
Schneider told council there is a noise bylaw, but nothing else on the books which governs the behaviours of people in the ravine.
Councilors Ryan Pollard and Lars Hansen asked questions and made brief remarks about conditions in the ravine, but council as a whole made no decisions on how to proceed once the presentation was complete.