Planning & development advisory committee (Committee of adjustments)

The PDAC is a public advisory committee that is appointed by Parks Canada and the Municipality of Jasper to advise the Park Superintendent on planning and development issues in Jasper National Park where regulations and policies permit the Superintendent to exercise discretionary decision making authority. The committee meets as required, and holds public hearings on development applications that are referred to it by Parks Canada.

A separate terms of reference is available for the committee.

Who is on the committee?

The committee is made up of five members of the public living in Jasper National Park who are not employees of the Municipality or Parks Canada. One member of the committee serves as the chair.

What types of issues will the committee review?

The committee will make recommendations on the following types of issues:

• applications for discretionary land use
• applications for variances from the development regulations
• re-districting (re-zoning) of residential properties in the townsite

In addition, the PDAC may act as an ad hoc advisory committee to the Superintendent on planning and development issues outside the town of Jasper.

Public hearing procedures

The agenda for all public hearings will be advertised a minimum of two weeks in advance. Lessees within 45m of the property in question will be notified of the hearing by regular mail.

Only issues placed on the agenda by Parks Canada will be considered at the hearing. The chair will introduce agenda items and Parks Canada staff will provide background information.

The chair will invite scheduled speakers, who have previously identified their support or opposition to the proposal, to present their information. Letters, either in support or opposition, will then be read out. Anonymous submissions are not accepted. Presentations are limited to five minutes.

After hearing all the presentations, the committee will deliberate in camera. Within seven days of the hearing, the committee will submit written recommendations to the Superintendent, who has the final say on all land use planning and development issues.

The applicant will be notified by Parks Canada of the decision within 15 working days of receiving the written committee recommendation. “As well, the notice of decision will be posted on our Public Notice webpage.

Who can speak at a public hearing?

Anyone who feels they are affected by a development that is before the committee may request to speak at the public hearing. Presentations may be in person, or submitted by letter. All requests to present before the committee MUST be made through the Parks Canada Development Office prior to the meeting. Generally, the deadline for requesting to appear before the committee is the day prior to the meeting. No late submissions will be given consideration.

Restrictions on public presentations

Presentations to the committee are limited to planning and development related matters. The personal character of the applicant, or commercial competition, are not valid arguments. The committee evaluates each application on its own merit.

For more information, contact the Jasper National Park Development Office through email: jasperdevelopment@pc.gc.ca or phone: (780) 852-6123.