Transportation minister Brian Mason can say what he wants but landowners impacted by the proposed Springbank Off-Stream Reservoir (SR1) are sticking to their guns and will not willingly sell their land.

Today, Mason announced an additional 10-month delay in the project as it awaits regulatory approval, but Ryan Robinson, spokesman for Don't Damn Springbank, is confident it will be much longer because the only way the government is going to get the land is by expropriation.

"To be super clear, the land is not for sale. No one is interested in selling to the government," says Robinson, "We'll fight them every step of the way and that's going to lead to longer and longer and longer delays."

Robinson believes Calgary continues to face the threat of flood after five years because the government has ignored the option of completing the mitigation project at McLean Creek.

"The fact is if they had chosen McLean Creek, which is a better option--protects more people, it's on crown land--Calgary would already have flood protection. But instead they insist on a project that requires them to purchase thousands of acreage of private land and remove folks from their homes, where they've lived for five generations, so it's not surprising that the project is mired down in regulatory red tape and Calgary's no closer to getting flood protection than they were five years ago."

Mason said the government continues to negotiate in good faith for the land but if push comes to shove they'll expropriate the land.

Robinson says there hasn't been any meaningful dialogue, period.

"Minister Mason is great at issuing threats to expropriate us and forcibly take our land, but nothing has happened and it looks like nothing is going to happen for the foreseeable future."

In April, the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency (CEAA) confirmed the project conforms to agency's guidelines and delays in that entire process is part of the reason for the project's delay, says Mason. They now expect to have the off-stream reservoir partially completed by fall 2021 and fully completed by December 2022.

He also restated their position that a project at McLean Creek is not the answer.

"In addition to the technical and the environmental challenges with McLean Creek, which are significantly higher than SR1, starting over with that proposal would result in delaying critical flood protection for Calgary by at least an additional two years," says Mason.

Public feedback now being accepted by the CEAA and in addition two information sessions are being held by Alberta Transportation next week, Mason asks people and business to step forward to show their support, calling Calgary the economic heart and brain of the province that has many lives and billions of dollars in assets at risk in flood zones.

"I would like to ask the residents of Calgary, our political leaders and the business community to make their voices heard. This project must continue to go ahead."

The May 22 information meeting is at the Wild Wild West Event Centre, 47 Commercial Court, in the Springbank area from 5 to 8 p.m. The May 24 session is in Calgary.