Town of Hinton leaders say provincial red tape is slowing down business and development

Municipal leaders say provincial delays in approving the closures of undeveloped roads are slowing down business and development in a small town west of Edmonton.

Under the Municipal Government Act, smaller communities need permission from the transportation and economic corridors minister to pass a bylaw with a road closure.

Mayor Nicholas Nissen said the Town of Hinton has seen three recent examples of long waits for that ministry approval.

Hinton waited nearly a year for the ministry to approve two right-of-way closure bylaws it submitted in the fall of 2022 and the town is still waiting for approval on another one it sent in May 2023.

The bylaws related to an affordable housing project, a business expansion and a hotel development in the town of 10,000 about 300 kilometres west of Edmonton.

Nissen said the "roads" the town wanted to permanently close were not being used as roads and never had been. They were undeveloped pieces of land with a road right-of-way designation.

"This is not the kind of thing that needs ministerial approval," he said in an interview.

In a letter sent to the Ministry of Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction on behalf of the town's council in January, Nissen said the road closure approval process was "significantly time-consuming," posing challenges for development, subdivision and land sales. 

"The current delays in road closure approvals are not only hindering our growth but also negatively impacting our attractiveness to potential investors and developers," he wrote.

Developer Greg Hall, who owns a building that he leases to a Fountain Tire shop just off Gregg Avenue, said he wanted to buy an adjacent lot from the town so his tenant could expand the business. 

The town had to apply for ministerial approval so it could close the lane and road right-of-way surrounding the land.

"That's the frustrating part about the year-long wait because it's literally a back alley that's never been used," Hall said. 

"It's trees. It's just there on paper."

Hinton communications co-ordinator Alexa Wade said the town submitted the application for the project on Nov. 23, 2022 and it was approved on Nov. 15, 2023.