A charity that seeks to protect public land and water is raising an alarm about the Alberta government’s splitting of Environment and Parks into two new ministries, including one that contains forestry.
Parks are meant to be areas that protect the environment while allowing people to enjoy nature through responsible recreation, said Chris Smith, conservation analyst for the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) Northern Alberta.
However, Premier Danielle Smith has stated forestry is a major economic driver and a way to open up parks through things such as forestry backroads.
Read Also
Key actions identified to address canola tariffs
Federal and Saskatchewan governments discuss next steps with industry on Chinese tariffs
“At this point, we’re just kind of waiting for some clarification as to the direction and mandate of these new ministries,” said Chris Smith.
After winning a leadership race Oct. 6, Danielle Smith replaced Jason Kenney as Alberta premier and leader of the United Conservative Party (UCP). Her new 27-member cabinet was sworn in Oct. 24.
She placed former Energy Minister Sonya Savage as the head of the new ministry of Environment and Protected Areas. Savage drew widespread criticism, including by producers, for plans as energy minister that would potentially have opened much of the Eastern Slopes of Alberta’s Rocky Mountains to open-pit coal mining.
An Order in Council passed Oct. 24 stated the Provincial Parks Act and the Willmore Wilderness Park Act are now under the authority of the new separate ministry of Forestry, Parks and Tourism, which will be led by Todd Loewen.
“This was really amazing because we couldn’t understand why a new ministry that is explicitly addressing protected areas — I mean, it’s in the name,” said Chris Smith.
“Why would they then divest more than 90 percent of our existing protected areas in Alberta out from under that ministry and put it into the Forestry, Parks and Tourism ministry whose focus is not protected areas?”
The change affects all provincial parks, provincial recreation areas and wildland provincial parks, along with the Willmore Wilderness Park southwest of Grande Cache, Alta., said a statement by CPAWS Northern and Southern Alberta.
A request for comment Oct. 28 by the Western Producer was not immediately returned by Miguel Racin, press secretary for Savage. Forestry was previously part of the ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Rural Economic Development, which is now Agriculture and Irrigation.
Contact doug.ferguson@producer.com
