Danielle Smith’s government is moving forward with its plan to split wildlife management responsibilities. Her plan includes creating a shiny new fishing and hunting department that the Forestry, Parks, and Tourism Ministry will handle.
According to a memo obtained by The Canadian Press, this is supposed to “increase focus and capacity on supporting hunting and fishing activities in Crown lands.”
This is bad news for Alberta Fish and Wildlife, which protects fish and wildlife populations and their habitats in the province.
Currently, Fish and Wildlife responsibilities are handled by Alberta Environment and Protected Areas. But Alberta’s new fish and hunting department is taking over some of these responsibilities.
Specifically, this department will be responsible for setting sport fishing limits and issuing hunting tags and trapping licenses. But some critics worry that this split will cause more harm than good.
This includes Lorne Fitch, an award-winning biologist and retired University of Calgary professor. Fitch believes splitting these responsibilities between teams will make managing Alberta’s fish and wildlife harder.
“How do you manage sheep, how do you manage elk, how do you manage grizzlies without understanding what land uses are occurring and what the effects of those land uses will be?” Fitch told The Canadian Press.
Why are we handing over such vital responsibilities to the Forestry, Parks, and Tourism ministry? Tourism is the ministry’s forte, not environmental protection. That’s like asking an accountant to be a surgeon.
To make matters worse, Todd Loewen is the Forestry, Parks, and Tourism minister. This man receives at least $5,000 a year from a business that offers guided hunts for wildlife in Alberta.
If that isn’t a red flag, then I don’t know what is.
The bottom line is that this split will make it harder to manage Alberta’s fish and wildlife. Not only that, but this decision will put essential conservation responsibilities in the questionable hands of the Forestry, Parks and Tourism ministry.
“It will be increasingly hard to ensure that the lands and waters and all the wildlife that depend on them are managed holistically,” said Katie Morrison of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society.
Is this split meant to help Alberta’s fish and wildlife? Or is it just another way for the province to make a pretty penny? Only time will tell, but things aren’t looking good.
