Take note, hunters in St. Albert and surrounding Sturgeon County – actually, all Alberta hunters – these are prosperous times for your sport.
The popularity of hunting is on the rise in this province. Albertans purchased more than 120,000 hunting licenses in 2017 – that’s a healthy bump from the 110,000 bought in 2014-15.
Seniors, 65 or older, accounted for more than 18,500 of those licences in 2017, and more women are participating.
Equally impressive is the youth movement, the “hipster hunters,’’ who are driving up numbers as well. This group is dedicated to the farm-to-table movement, a desire to procure food responsibly.
These are golden times or so one might think. But there is some trouble brewing among provincial bureaucrats and outdoor enthusiasts.
Last week, Minister Shannon Phillips of Alberta Environment and Parks suddenly announced that seniors’ game-bird and white-tail licence fees would be discounted. For seniors that means a combination wildlife certificate and bird-game permit will cost $8.25 – it used to be $44. At the same time a white-tailed deer licence will also cost $8.25, which used to be $39.95.
At first glance, on behalf of the Notley government, that may seem like a generous gesture towards our veteran Alberta hunters. But look below the surface and something else is lurking. By reducing revenue conservation projects will suffer because they are funded by licence fees.
Nearly 50 per cent of hunting licence revenue goes directly to the Alberta Conservation Association in support of projects such as species at risk, habitat restoration and Report a Poacher. These programs are an essential part of maintaining Alberta’s great outdoors. Some of that revenue will be lost.
Right after the minister’s announcement the Alberta Fish and Game Association fired back at the government in a not-so-subtle letter, stating it was “greatly perturbed.” Read between the lines and the anger was heated.
AFGA president Doug Butler said in a news release that all issues related to hunting go through the Alberta Game Policy Advisory Committee, which is comprised of conservation groups such as AFGA. The committee, Butler maintained, was never made aware of the discounted licence move and that the government didn’t follow its own process.
Butler is right – the province didn’t follow its own procedure and didn’t seek the committee’s expert advice. That was a mistake.
Phillips said at an Aug. 1 news conference in Lethbridge that one voter approached her, saying a seniors’ discount would be a good idea. And that was it – the seniors’ discount will now be a reality this fall minus any expert input from stakeholders.
Butler raised another great point, asking: “How many other decisions have been or are made in this manner?”
Is this just the tip of the iceberg? Is the Notley government conducting business this way on a larger scale?
The 2019 election is just around the corner. Voters, including tens of thousands of hunters in this province, need to know if this issue is just business as usual.
