Alice Sanctuary set to host tours, events, volunteers again after county approves appeal

The Alice Sanctuary is now allowed to host tours, events and its volunteering program again after its appeal against a previous business permit denial was approved on Thursday.

The sanctuary, home to around 200 rescued farm animals about an hour northeast of Calgary, has officially received its home-based business permit by Wheatland County's subdivision and development appeal board.

The permit allows sanctuary staff to hold 14 summer tours and two events annually, plus its volunteering program, until it expires in December 2024.

Founder Janneane Madill says it's taken a year to get to this point — and now she feels like she can breathe.

"We're all just ecstatic today," Madill said. "It's such a decent outcome and I'm really grateful for that. I'm grateful for the appeal board and I'm grateful for the officers that helped us with the development plan application."

The county's municipal planning commission denied the initial permit in March, saying the sanctuary doesn't fall into the category of a business, it's negatively impacting neighbours, there will likely be more issues if the permit is approved, and other reasons.

Madill fought the decision before the county's appeal board — a different committee — in a hearing on April 20 with over 100 letters of support.

Permit conditions

According to the appeal board's notice of decision, the permit approval is subject to 10 conditions, including no parking on the main road and applying annual dust control measures that the sanctuary must pay for.

Madill says dust control will be expensive but it's the respectful thing to do.

The notice of decision also notes that the board recommends continuing to record the number of vehicles that visit the sanctuary and not walking along the shared fence line with the adjacent neighbour.

"If that's what we have to do so that we can bring people out and enjoy a day and an afternoon out here, meeting our residents and connecting and building love, kindness and compassion, then we'll do that," said Madill.

Wheatland County reeve Amber Link and the subdivision and development appeal board did not respond to CBC's requests for comment.

Coexisting in agriculture-focused county

Iris Gill, a longtime volunteer for the Alice Sanctuary, says she's relieved the team can move forward and plan summer tours.

"The unknown has been hard," said Gill. "I'm walking around on cloud nine today."

She says permanently losing the full volunteer crew would have been detrimental to the sanctuary's fundraising — as would losing the tours.

"When people come out and they get to have connections with our residents, that's where the magic begins … That's where I started. I went on a tour and I fell in love with the place."

"It's OK to have a farm animal sanctuary within a vicinity that's 99 per cent animal agriculture. We're not a threat," said Madill. "Hopefully conversations can be approached without defensiveness … and with common respect and civility and decency."

She says she hopes the process will be easier when she reapplies for the permit after December 2024.