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The land in question

The land at the heart of the plan is in Mackenzie County. Former sales comprised close to 120,000 acres in blocks spanning across the county, from just north of Carcajou northeast to Wilson Prairie, around the La Crete area. Another pocket lies between Tall Tree North and Beaver Ranch.

Photo by Courtesy of Mackenzie County.

Copies of the Alberta Gazette from 2010 through 2014 list a series of land auctions in the county, each subject to a reserve bid with land sold on an “as is, where is” basis. Ownership of any unsold parcels could then go to the county.

The Gazette doesn’t record the auction outcomes, but Mackenzie County council meeting minutes for one of the parcels sold in 2014 showed a reserve bid of $52,700.

Crown land sales floated with NDP

Environment Minister Shannon Phillips said Mackenzie County contacted her a couple of years ago about the possibility of more land sales.

“We said, ‘OK, let’s undertake the requisite number of consultations,'” Phillips said.

“There’s all kinds of processes that work alongside the public land process. There are also other disposition holders that have to be consulted.”

Knelsen said his council has been advocating for more agriculture land for 20 years. Still, he said, he realizes there are “competing interests and rights to Crown lands, and respects that the process takes time to allow for the appropriate conversations to take place.”

Phillips said the local Dene Tha First Nation is “very opposed to moving forward with” more land sales. Fred Didzena, director of the Dene Tha’s lands department, told Postmedia via email he was unable to comment on the plan at this time.