On May 23, 2009, Premier Ed Stelmach (who grew up nearby), Minister for Aboriginal Affairs Gene Zwozdesky, and County Reeve Cory Ollikka congratulated the individuals and groups who had spent years getting National Historic Site designation for Victoria Settlement.
Less than two years later, the County of Smoky Lake has approved gravel mining within the Historic Site, less than a kilometre from the historic buildings and only metres from an historic walking trail.
The County's Land Use Bylaw recognizes the historic significance of Victoria Settlement, but chooses to ignore it for a bit of gravel, treating it much the same as a permit request to build a shed on your property. The proposed pit owner wants to recoup his investment, but adjacent landowners have invested much more, as have the many people who have worked for decades to preserve its historic value and its national and provincial historic designations.
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