SEPT 2019 Editor: CONTENTS Ian Urquhart SEPT 2019 • VOL. 27, NO. 3 Graphic Design: Keystroke Design & Production Inc. Doug Wournell B Des, ANSCAD Features www.keystrokedesign.com Printing: 4 Citizens: Putting the “C” Into Association News Topline Printing Conservation MIX Paper Jill and Basil Seaton - Jasper’s ® 7 A Family Trying to Help Save 30 FSC C013747 Humanity Refined Firebrands 10 Celebrating and Honouring the 32 Wild West Saloon Stewardship of Water: The 2019 Keepers of the Water Gathering 34 Owen Duke’s Wild Lemonade ALBERTA WILDERNESS Stand ASSOCIATION 14 Alberta’s Wetland Policy in the “Defending Wild Alberta through White Area: Shortcomings and Future Directions Wilderness Watch Awareness and Action” Dedicated to the conservation of Canada’s Environmental Law: 18 35 Updates wilderness and the completion of Promises Made versus Promises a protected areas network, Alberta Kept Departments Wilderness Association is a voice for 23 Canada’s biodiversity report card: the environment. Since 1965, AWA Progress made towards the Aichi has inspired communities to care for Targets, 2015-2019 39 Letter to the Editor Alberta’s wild spaces through awareness and action. With a provincial office 27 In Search Of…Conservative 39 Notice to Members and library in Calgary, AWA has active Champions of Conservation members, volunteers, and sponsors throughout Alberta and beyond. AWA Louise Guy Poetry Corner 28 is a non-profit, federally registered, charitable society. Donations and Cover Photo financial support are greatly appreciated, The first week of October please call 403 283-2025 or contribute along the Crowsnest River… online at Alberta Wilderness.ca not in 2019 Wild Lands Advocate is published © I. URQUHART four times a year, by Alberta Wilderness Association. The opinions expressed by the authors in this publication are not necessarily those of AWA. The editor reserves the right to edit, reject or withdraw articles and letters submitted. Please direct questions and comments to: 403-283-2025 • [email protected] Featured Art Subscriptions to the WLA are $30 per year. To subscribe, call 403-283-2025 It’s a privilege for AWA to feature the art of Lisa Brawn in this issue of the Wild Lands Advocate. Lisa is or see AlbertaWilderness.ca. a Calgary based artist specializing in painted woodcut blocks. Her work graces public collections such as The Alberta Foundation for the Arts, Calgary Civic Art Collection, and the University of Lethbridge collection. It also features in private collections across Canada, Europe, and the United States. In Calgary, her work has been featured on banners for Calgary bridges, Calgary parks, and Fort Calgary. There also is a large scale permanent installation of her woodblocks at Inglewood’s Festival Hall. In her twenty-year career as a professional artist, Lisa has had 25 solo exhibitions and participated in more than 40 group exhibitions across North America – from Victoria, Seattle, and Los Angeles to Halifax, Chicago, and New Orleans. She received international attention for Helios – her large scale, interactive, solar-powered sculptural installation at the Leighton Art Centre. Helios was featured on CBC’s As It 455-12 ST NW, Calgary, AB T2N 1Y9 Happens and reported in media outlets from Canada to Brazil. 403-283-2025 Please visit Lisa’s website at www.lisabrawn.com www.AlbertaWilderness.ca [email protected] Charitable Registration Number: AWA respects the privacy of members. Lists are not sold or traded in any manner. AWA is a federally registered charity and functions through member and donor support. Tax-deductible donations may be made to AWA at 455-12 ST NW, 118781251RR0001 Calgary, AB T2N 1Y9. Ph: 403-283-2025 Fax: 403-270-2743 E-mail: [email protected] www.AlbertaWilderness.ca ISSN 1192-6287 The Proverbial Glass

Is it half-empty or half-full? Conserva- Here, it’s the individuals you’ll read (https://www.bbc.com/news/science-en- tionists who think it is half-empty have about, people like Peter Sherrington, Jill vironment-49756280). It might change plenty of evidence to support their view. Seaton, the Viponds, Owen Duke, Patsy your mind. Look, for example, at a just-published Cotterill, and attendees at the Keepers There I found Peter Singer’s views par- study in Science. It documents stunning of the Water gathering, who help make ticularly compelling. A political philoso- losses in North American bird popu- the glass half full. It’s their individual pher, some of you may recognize Singer lations over less than 50 years. North actions, and the collective actions they for his support for animal rights. In the America has lost nearly three billion, contribute to, that cast some brightness BBC story, however, he discusses climate that’s right…billion, birds. Since 1970 on these times. change and invokes the idea of harm to the population has fallen by 29 per- If you’re unconvinced that individual others. As individuals, we have a mor- cent. Continent-wide, those losses are actions matter I invite you to read Justin al obligation not to behave in ways that greatest in Alberta’s two largest natural Rowlatt’s story, “Climate change action: harm others. For example, my individu- regions – the boreal forest and the grass- We can’t all be Greta, but your choices al freedom doesn’t give me the right to lands. Remember 1970? Surely some of have a ripple effect,” on the BBC website travel to the Arctic and wantonly slaugh- you do. That was the year the first Earth ter animals vital to the subsistence life- Day was held. I could go on. style of some Inuit. In this case, my But, despite plenty of evidence moral obligation to the Inuit is en- showing the glass is (at least) forced by the law. Singer regards half-empty, a healthy portion of my failure to cut my emissions as this issue of Wild Lands Advocate analogous to slaughtering animals aims to show the glass is half-full. in the Arctic. My failure to act, or It does this, not by congratulating to demand that governments en- governments for actions we know force this moral obligation in the are woefully insufficient, but in- context of climate change mea- stead by looking at what individu- sures, further endangers the fu- als are doing. It’s individuals… their ture of Arctic peoples. I’m harming recognition of the need to speak Arctic peoples whether I slaughter out and act if governments won’t… animals or don’t reduce greenhouse that gives me cause to think the gas emissions. glass may be half-full after all. The So why not try to think that, when same goes for the groundswell of de- it comes to climate change or other mands from publics all around the conservation issues, we have a mor- world that governments must deliver al obligation to other individuals much more than the platitudes and regardless of whether they live next half-measures they’ve concocted so door or a continent away. Let’s give it far. An estimated four million people, a try. What do we have to lose? many of them young people, marched through streets around the world de- - Ian Urquhart manding climate change action. As they chanted in New York: “You had a future, so should we.” So true. Citizens: Putting the “C” Into Conservation

By Ian Urquhart

any readers are likely famil- eaglewatch.ca website) was the brainchild observers counted 21.3 percent fewer birds iar with the phrase “direct of Peter Sherrington. Peter was inspired to than the long-term average in the fall 2018 M action.” The histories of the create this non-profit by an anomaly. Why, count at Mount Lorette. This total was labour, suffragette, civil rights, and envi- he wondered back in March 1992, did he produced by an astounding 532.7 hours ronmental movements are decorated with see so many golden eagles flying northwest of observations from the 21 principal ob- stories where people, frustrated with gov- past Mount Lorette in Kananaskis Country. servers and assistants who attended the site ernment’s failure to respect their interests After counting just over 100 eagles on that between September 20th and November and goals, directly confronted authorities day, Peter counted hundreds more over 15th. This decline unfortunately reflects to demand change. The thread joining all the next few days. By chance, Peter had the general trend recorded at the Mount of these protest movements together was discovered a golden eagle migration route. Lorette site since 2003. To my eyes, per- their decision to avoid traditional paths of He had discovered the flyway that golden haps the most positive data from the 2018 political influence such as parliaments or eagles use as they migrate in the spring and report concerned the immature:adult gold- bureaucracy. Instead, protests and strikes fall between as far away as Alaska/the Yu- en eagle ratio. At 0.42 this ratio was 40 per- were the signatures of direct action. kon to central Mexico. cent above average; it was the third highest The focus in this article, like in a discussion Mount Royal University’s Sarah Hewitt ratio every recorded there. Like the ratio of direct action, is on conservation-oriented noted in a 2018 Canadian Geographic article of juvenile birds to subadults and adults, citizens who supplement or perhaps bypass that, since 1992, the Foundation’s “thou- this immature/adult ratio indicated that the altogether official methods of influence such sands of volunteer scientists have logged 2018 breeding season was very productive. as lobbying or voting. Instead, they are help- more than 30,000 hours in the field, and When you read this article the fall 2019 ing to build the scientific basis for conserva- recorded sightings of more than 24,000 count will be underway (it runs from Sep- tion action by gathering data. They are, in a golden eagles.” In that article Peter likened tember 20th to November 15th). Visitors real sense, “citizen scientists.” The number the ridges of the front range of the Rockies are welcome at the Foundation’s Hay Mead- of projects in Alberta with citizen science to “long, elevated prairie roads.” The ea- ow observation station. More details can be components is impressive. Three of those gles and other raptors use thermals – up- found at the eaglewatch.ca website. Since projects – a very, very small sample of citi- ward currents of warm air – to soar above October is the busiest month of the fall mi- zen science endeavours – are noted here. If the front range and conserve their energy gration we have a wonderful opportunity you have a favourite citizen science project during their migrations. to become more familiar with the valuable you would like us to bring to the attention The Foundation’s website contains a very work of these citizen scientists. of Advocate readers please drop me a line at comprehensive database about golden ea- [email protected]. gle and other raptor sightings. The 2018 Waterton’s Annual final report on the fall migration, as one Butterfly Count Counting Raptors with example, offers the reader a wealth of in- The butterfly is one of our smaller, but the Rocky Mountain Eagle formation. Volunteers now collect data most beautiful, barometers of ecosystem Research Foundation at three locations: Mount Lorette, Vicki health. For 20 years now, a butterfly count In 2017 CBC described the Rocky Moun- Ridge near the east end of Crowsnest Pass, has been a fixture of summertime activities tain Eagle Research Foundation’s spring and the Steeples site near Cranbrook B.C. in Waterton Lakes National Park. Kim Pear- and fall raptor counts as “one of the largest (the Steeples site is along a second migra- son, an ecosystem scientist with the Water- and longest-running citizen science proj- tion corridor that runs through the Rocky ton/Bar-U Ranch Field Unit of Parks Canada, ects in the world.” The Foundation (see the Mountain Trench). At 2,698 golden eagles, co-founded the count while she was a stu-

4 WLA | Sept 2019 | Vol. 27, No. 3 | FEATURES dent working with Parks Canada in 1999. Every year since volunteers, butterfly nets in hand, head out into various areas of the park looking for butterflies. Parks Canada staff teach the volunteers to use the “swish and flick” technique to capture the butter- flies; any butterflies caught by the volunteers are brought to the group leader for identifi- cation. As Pearson told Doug Dirks, host of CBC’s The Homestretch: “We take them out of the nets very gently, are very careful with them, identify them and then we release them back into the Park so we don’t have any impact on their populations.” Between 1999 and 2018, nearly 1,500 butterflies representing 105 species had been caught and released during Water- ton’s annual counts. The number of spe- cies caught each year has ranged between 12 and 52. As noted above, butterflies are Two-tailed swallowtail (Papiliio multicaudata) one barometer of ecosystem health. This is PHOTO: By ALAN SCHMIERER (courtesy of Wikimedia Commons) reflected in facts such as their importance fessional surveys. The eButterfly program, example of opportunistic citizen science. as pollinators and their sensitivity to pes- launched in 2011, allows butterfly enthu- They wrote: “Our results suggest that data ticides. According to Pearson, “butterflies siasts to build a database of butterfly sight- from opportunistic CS programs in con- are doing really well in Waterton…(there ings that may be shared with anyone. Its junction with professional datasets can is) a lot of diversity here.” The 2017 Kenow originators hope that this growing database strongly increase the capacity of researchers wildfire doesn’t appear to have damaged “will become the foundation for a better to estimate species richness, and provide butterfly diversity health in the park. In understanding of butterfly distribution and unique information on species distribu- 2018, the count recorded at least an aver- population trends across North American tions and phenologies that are relevant to age number of butterflies. Last year stood and beyond.” The Soroye/Ahmed/Kerr the detection of the biological consequenc- out for the appearance of the two-tailed comparative study found real value in this es of global change.” swallowtail butterfly (Papilio multicaudata) in the count. Although two-tailed swal- lowtails had been seen before, 2018 was the first year one was caught and released during the count. After the 2019 count Pearson intended to use the database established over the past 20 years to construct a synopsis of the counts. Here she hopes to work with sci- entists who have an expertise in Alberta’s butterflies. How much credence should we give to such a synopsis? Likely quite a bit according to an article by Soroye, Ahmed, and Kerr published in 2018. They exam- ined the contribution opportunistic citizen science could make to better understand- ing the richness, distributions, and phe- nologies of butterflies. They compared the data obtained from an opportunistic citi- One of Parks Canada’s volunteer butterfly experts explaining how to catch butterflies to other volunteers zen science program with data from pro- at the start of the 2018 Waterton butterfly count. PHOTO: © PARKS CANADA

WLA | Sept 2019 | Vol. 27, No. 3 | FEATURES A5 Bow Valley Naturalists’ often hasn’t been gathered and the knowl- tures they need to survive. High Elevation Localized edge baselines needed to formulate good Shank’s research concluded somewhat Species Project policy then are shrouded in uncertainty. If optimistically that, based on the US Fish Since 2010 the Bow Valley Naturalists this project improves our knowledge of the and Wildlife Service’s temperature crite- (BVN) has included a webpage people may distribution of these species the BVN hopes rion for pika persistence and two climate use to record sightings of four High Eleva- that knowledge “will set the stage for re- emissions scenarios, none of Alberta’s pika tion Localized Species (HELS): hoary mar- search directed at assessing human impacts populations are likely to be threatened by mot, mountain goat, pika, and white-tailed by evaluating those features in the land- increasing mean summer temperatures for ptarmigan. The HELS project exemplifies scape that most influence gene flow and most of this century. However, the study opportunistic citizen science; this type of exchange of individuals between popula- was limited to considering only the im- program invites participants/volunteers to tions.” It also hopes the data will provide pact of emissions on mean temperatures. report their observations of these four spe- a starting point for evaluating the impact As Shank noted, his study didn’t consider cies from anywhere at any time. Current- climate change may have on these species. the impact climate change may have on the ly, more than 250 people are registered on In its first ten years, the HELS project has quality of the habitat pika need to survive. the HELS website. You can use one of two recorded nearly 3,500 sightings of these methods to record a sighting. You can click high elevation species. The HELS database Conclusion the location on a map or you can input made a vital contribution to Christopher These are just three examples of citizens UTM (Universal Transverse Mercator) co- Shank’s research into the vulnerability of getting directly involved in conservation. ordinates. Since it’s vital for locations to be pikas to climate change. As average tem- They exemplify how through our indi- reported accurately the BVN recommends peratures rise in the Canadian Rockies over vidual actions we can help generate the you use points fixed by GPS units. What I the course of this century, pikas are going knowledge and will to better conserve the plan to do is use my GPS app to record the to have to migrate higher on mountain natural world. latitude/longitude of a sighting and then slopes in order to find the cooler tempera- convert those coordinates to UTM ones when I get back home (I find the Latitude/ Longitude to UTM converter at https://www. latlong.net/lat-long-utm.html easy to use). The BVN started this project to provide essential baseline information about these American Pika (Ochotona species. As anyone who has done policy princeps) research will attest to, this vital data too PHOTO: © D. VONESCH

Hoary Marmot (Marmota caligata) PHOTO: © I. URQUHART

6 WLA | Sept 2019 | Vol. 27, No. 3 | FEATURES A Family Trying to Help Save Humanity

By Joe Vipond, Erin Grier, Sadie Vipond, and Willa Vipond

t’s an all-hands on deck kind of mo- few could clean up these areas. But, in each changing the world for the better. Some say ment and the Vipond/Grier family place, we put our heads down and focused, the purpose of life is to have fun. Some say I is mobilizing the entire crew. As one piece of plastic at a time, until the land it is to have meaning. We think it is to have we see increasing signs of environmental was clean again. What seemed impossible at fun while finding meaning. degradation, through species extinction, first glance was accomplished in a matter of We immerse ourselves in nature at ev- climate disruption, and the plastics crisis, hours, with many hands, and persistence. ery opportunity. Whether it is skiing it’s becoming increasingly evident that hu- So we focus on the little objectives, the fresh powder in the winter, or multi-day manity is a threat, even to itself. Our family small victories. We know that many hands, backpacking in the summer, or mountain is not taking this lying down. We’re all en- working together, will combine to achieve biking through crisp fallen leaves in the gaged, at some level or another, on combat- greater victories. When one victory is fall, or hunting for dinosaur fossils in the ting this degradation. Our backs are to the achieved, we celebrate, take a day off, and spring, we are always seeking new adven- wall, until we win, and save ourselves and, then move on to the next objective. tures in our incredible Alberta landscape. in turn, save beauty, life, and the planet. It’s important to realize that we don’t equate We know that all work and no play makes Sound unrealistic? Too ambitious? Not our work with sacrifice. Although there is Joe, Erin, Sadie, and Willa dull. We know really. We have each picked a small piece duty and responsibility, our work is full of we only protect and save what we love. of the puzzle (see insets for details of each friendship, community, and many laughs. So we are always recharging, immersing family member’s involvement). By working We are exposed to new unique experiences ourselves in the beauty and bounty of our persistently on each piece, we are confident and amazing personalities also working on incredible world. we will, through a series of small victories, move the needle forward. Part of the challenge, for many, is the enormity of the problems… and there are so many of them. It can seem so complete- ly overwhelming that some will ask: Where to begin? Or, why even bother starting? The enormity of the challenge is enough to make some curl up in the fetal position and accept fate. This parable captures the lesson the Vi- pond/Grier tries to apply: As a family, we’ve participated in a number of community clean-up efforts from Calgary’s Bow River valley to as far away as the Bagmati River running through Nepal’s Kathmandu. (Re- cently, the family was in Nepal, where Joe offered medical education to local emergen- cy trainees). It always seems that the plastic waste and garbage on the ground is horren- dous. It’s disheartening, hard to believe a The Viponds in Haida Gwaii PHOTO: © J. VIPOND

WLA | Sept 2019 | Vol. 27, No. 3 | FEATURES A7 Finally, we try to live our values. When Willa’s actions: it comes to electricity production and use, Hello, my name is Willa and I’m 11 years our home is carbon neutral thanks to our old. I have been working on reducing sin- array of eighteen solar panels and its high gle-use plastic use for 18 months. I started efficiency features. We live centrally to when I went to do a highway clean-up and downtown, which allows us to walk, bike, the amount of garbage was so gross. So, I use transit, and scooter for the majority of our city travel. We grow our own garden vegetables and buy as much food as pos- sible from our local farmers’ markets and organic stores. Our weekly garbage total is as small as we can make it and, on very good weeks, we don’t have any trash to take to the curb. Although we don’t have an electric car yet, we hope to in the very

near future. PHOTO: © J. VIPOND While we know the changes we need can’t be achieved by the efforts of one fami- risks of floods and wildfire are growing ly, and what we really need is systemic pol- higher every year. Humans contribute a icy change, we also know we need to walk whole lot to the climate crisis. Here’s our our talk. As things continue to worsen (it chance to turn it around. In June 2018 the will take a while to turn this ship around), Climate resiliency plan was presented to we need to be able to look in the mirror Calgary City Council and I made a speech and tell ourselves that we are doing all we PHOTO: © J. VIPOND supporting the plan. Council passed the can to mitigate our impact on the planet. started to work with Plastic Free YYC and I plan. I bike and take city transit to reduce Importantly, we know that behaviour mod- gave a speech to City Council about it (for my carbon emissions. But I wanted to do elling works. Six solar arrays look skyward more information about Plastic Free YYC more. Then Greta Thunberg raised her on our block now – it wasn’t very long ago visit https://plasticfreeyyc.com). A few weeks voice. I made it to every Fridays For Fu- that there weren’t any. Where once there ago I was interviewed by CBC and was on ture school strike that I could and listened was only one kid in the neighbourhood a panel discussion about what I have done to her speeches. Greta is a true inspiration. fighting the plastic war, now there are nine. at the zero waste festival. My friends and I fight the climate crisis because I want my We hope that green changes and actions I have made a club called the Kensington future to be a good one. I want a home for expand exponentially, until we have soci- Clean-Up Club (KCC). We are a group of humanity and for all of the animals that etal change. nine young girls who are actively chang- are and will be on the brink of extinction. Societal change is our ultimate objective ing things. We have put up a poster at the So help us. Help our future. Just do what because our problems are huge and grow- Mayor’s Expo. We made recycled t-shirt you can. ing. We know our one family can’t win this bags and other things and sold them at our on our own. But we know we’re not alone. street sale to raise money for good causes We believe there are 7.7 billion intelligent, (including AWA!). And we went to our local creative, and caring people on this planet. farmers’ market and educated people about If we can inspire and engage our fellow climate change, recycling, and composting. citizens, we can work together to achieve I am committed to helping Calgary become greatness. You, dear reader, are one of those more eco-friendly, and you can too! that can choose to be a part of the solution. It is time to get involved, and start to or- Sadie’s actions: ganize. Have fun, build community, and Hello, my name is Sadie and I’m 13 years laugh. And, at the same time, start chang- old. I was born into a family that noticed ing the world. the climate crisis and chose to act against it. What our climate used to be is crumbling

around us. We have to act fast. Sea levels Sadie Vipond addressing Calgary City Council on are rising; polar ice caps are melting. The the climate change issue.

8 WLA | Sept 2019 | Vol. 27, No. 3 | FEATURES Erin’s actions: ily levels. For three years, our local Hill- Joe’s actions: Hello, my name is Erin and I’m a social hurst Elementary School partnered with Hello, my name is Joe and I’m an emer- worker and mediator working in Alberta Green Calgary for Giving Day. Each year gency doctor who has worked in Alberta for the past 25 years. As well as support- the students learn about reducing their since 2000. I’ve been concerned about the environmental footprint and that it wasn’t climate since I can remember, but for a long always necessary to buy new things from time I didn’t think I had a way to create the store. The first year kids traded toys, change. In 2012 I got involved in the Al- the second, books, and the third year, kind berta Coal Phase Out campaign and quick- acts (volunteering at the school, compli- ly became an organizer and spokesperson. menting a friend, etc.) – a most precious We won that battle in November 2015, gift. After building our own green roof, I’ve securing the government’s commitment to helped to advocate for more policy support eliminate 44 megatonnes of annual GHG in Calgary for further green roofs (for infor- emissions. I then became the lead organiz- mation on green roofs in Calgary see https:// er for the Canadian Coal Phase Out cam- www.calgary.ca/UEP/Water/Pages/Water- paign. We were victorious in November sheds-and-rivers/Erosion-and-sediment-con- 2016, eliminating another 22 megatonnes trol/Green-Roofs.aspx). As a family, we’ve of coal-fired electricity emissions from our transitioned to a more plant-based diet and future. So in total I’ve had an impact on support actively our local farmers’ market nearly 10 percent of Canada’s total emis- and natural food stores. We endeavour to sions! More recently, I’ve focused on the procure second hand, either through bor- local level. I run the Climate Voices Alberta rowing, making, or thrift purchases. I’m and Alberta Acts on Climate Change Face- able to bike and walk to work. It’s satisfying book pages (reaching about 15,000 people to ensure our family’s eco-negative impact per week), co-chair the Calgary Climate is as small as possible and our eco-positive Club, and chair the Canadian Association impact is massive! of Physicians for the Environment Alberta PHOTO: © J. VIPOND PS – I would have added a link to a City Regional Committee. It’s a lot of work, but ing our budding activists, I have focused of Edmonton green roof page but it’s not as a lot of fun too, and very satisfying to help my efforts at the neighbourhood and fam- fulsome as Calgary’s. change the world.

PHOTO: © I. URQUHART

WLA | Sept 2019 | Vol. 27, No. 3 | FEATURES A9 Celebrating and Honouring the Stewardship of Water: The 2019 Keepers of the Water Gathering

By Nissa Petterson, AWA Conservation Specialist

n mid-July, I attended the Keepers of behind the Keepers of the Water comes in this event. They generously welcomed us the Water gathering in Wabasca, Al- from a wide assortment of indigenous com- and shared their time, space, knowledge and I berta. My attendance marked AWA’s munities, non-governmental organizations, experiences with all attendees. first opportunity to participate in a general environmental groups, concerned citizens, The main theme of the gathering was fo- assembly for the Keepers of the Water. It and localized grassroots groups such as the cused on water and attendees were asked was a tremendous experience. Keepers of the Athabasca or Keepers of the to reflect on the question: ‘What does water The Keepers of the Water is an organiza- Peace that work year-round to protect water- mean to you?’ tion dedicated to protecting the air, water, shed regions. Initially, I thought the answer to this ques- wildlife, and land within the Arctic Drain- Since 2006, Keepers of the Water have tion was easy and fairly universal. Water is age Basin. While that may seem to be a been traveling to communities throughout vital to life and all populations should have fairly large and daunting objective to attain, western Canada to talk about the impor- access to it. However, during the gathering the primary motivation behind this orga- tance of protecting and maintaining clean I was introduced to a multitude of different nization remains relatively straightforward: water for all communities. This year’s gather- perspectives on how we think about water. acknowledge the importance of water to all ing was cohosted by the Bigstone Cree First It’s much more than “just” a necessity for life. living things, and secure it for generations Nation. Local community members from The gathering was held at the Lakeview to come. The foundation and momentum the Bigstone Cree Nation, Wabasca, and Sports Centre, a relatively new addition to other nearby hamlets played a critical role the area’s infrastructure. While the hamlet of Wabasca is quite small (Statistics Can-

Wabasca Lake PHOTO: © N. PETTERSON

10 WLA | Sept 2019 | Vol. 27, No. 3 | FEATURES ada reports its 2016 population as 1,406), communities. For me, these conversations the band launched a formal collaboration it has been built up to accommodate the were opportunities to listen and learn. Some with Alberta Environment and Parks (AEP) surge of industrial activity, primarily forestry of the concerns shared during these conver- to study the lake. The study tested a variety and petroleum in the region. Large hauling sations might have surprised people from of parameters such as lake depth, shoreline semi-tractor trailers, working trucks with Alberta’s major urban centres. Such sur- perimeter, fish populations and condition, diesel tanks, and logging trucks were as prise would have sprung from the fact that oxygen levels, and surrounding land-uses. common as mosquitoes in most of the hotel small rural communities are still struggling Troy Stuart, a representative from the lands parking lots, with ongoing construction of to resolve water quantity and quality issues department of the Bigstone Cree First Na- new facilities near the sports centre adding solved long ago in major municipalities. The tion, scrolled through the report pages as to the traffic. The basic amenities such as a people who live in communities such as Wa- they were projected onto the screen. While hospital, drugstore, grocery store, and gas basca need empathy and support from their he had been a part of the study from the be- station were also there to support the bus- urban cousins as the former try to secure ginning, he offered little discussion and in- tling and transient nature of remote working conditions that the latter take for granted. terpretation of the results (perhaps because industries. The first day of the gathering officially be- AEP hadn’t sent a representative). What Most of the gathering took place in the gan with a welcoming speech from Chief Si- especially concerned me was that there main gymnasium of the sports centre. las Yellowknee of the Bigstone Cree First Na- seemed to be very little impetus or intent for Coffee and a hot breakfast greeted the tion. While he used humour in his speech, continuing research in the local area, or in people who trickled into the gymnasium. I his message and concerns were sobering: considering land- use changes to help reas- chose a vacant table at the front of the gym neglect of the landscape needs to stop now. sure the communities of Bigstone Cree and with good views of the stage and screen. In his speech, Chief Yellowknee emphasized Wabasca that their concerns were being seri- There I was joined by a family from Calling how nature is an integral part of who we all ously addressed. Lake I had met briefly upon my arrival. Hav- are, and how we cannot dissociate ourselves Frustration rooted in lack of action also ing made the hour trip north to participate from the place where we originated. As permeated the Water Talking Circle held in the gathering, they explained to me how Chief Yellowknee elaborated on his personal later in the afternoon. The majority of the they had lived in the area for quite some time struggles and those of his community’s with tables and chairs in the gymnasium were and were staying at the Kapaskwatinak Area respect to changes in the local watershed rearranged to make room for the session in their tipi. They viewed the gathering as and landscape, he continued to reiterate his which was inspired by a sharing circle, a an opportunity to learn more and to further commitment to continue to live with and common practice amongst many indige- or build new connections with individuals through nature with the phrase: “As long nous communities. Generally speaking, who were equally concerned about changes as the Sun shines, the Water flows and the First Nation sharing circles are an essential in the landscape. Grass grows.” part of their oral tradition; most Indigenous As we joked over breakfast about the re- Hearing that saying reminded me that the communities host sharing circles to trans- lentless mosquitoes we dealt with the night promises of the treaties between First Na- mit cultural knowledge, feelings, or experi- before, we were joined by Dr. Josie C. Auger. tions and Canada were not kept; the Trea- ences between generations and community Dr. Auger is an assistant professor at the Uni- ties were an everlasting promise to respect members whether they be elders, families, versity of Athabasca, a Bigstone Cree mem- and secure the way of life of Indigenous or just friends. Approximately half of the ber, and was one of the featured presenters people. Despite Chief Yellowknee’s belief attendees for the gathering stayed to par- for the gathering. Her arrival was welcomed in the importance of that commitment, he ticipate in the water talking circle. Partic- by many attendees, a reaction that conveyed told attendees that his community was very ipants were encouraged to share thoughts how she was a well-known, active, and re- concerned their ambition to live with and or experiences about water or the landscape spected community member both within through nature was threatened. more generally. Those who did not want to the Bigstone Cree First Nation and Wabasca. One of the subsequent presentations that participate were welcomed to listen. This As breakfast continued, our conversations stood out for me was a water sampling re- was my first experience participating in a touched on a variety of significant commu- port from North Wabasca Lake. The Big- sharing circle. I was seated next to an Elder nity issues: an underfunded local education stone Cree First Nation was the catalyst for who started the conversation by welcoming system that is not conducive to indigenous the report and sought an investigation after everyone. He held a beaded sleeve to sym- learners, a general disregard for natural or locals expressed concerns over changes they bolize a talking stick, and explained that the scared law in modern society, a resurgence observed within the lake. A major concern person holding the sleeve had an opportu- of women and restorative justice, how in- was that some fish caught in the lake had nity to speak truthfully and courageously digenous communities define crime, and deformities or lesions. After brief commu- from the heart without interruption. finally, paths towards healing for indigenous nication with the provincial government, As the sleeve was passed around the circle,

WLA | Sept 2019 | Vol. 27, No. 3 | FEATURES 11A quite profound stories, feelings, and knowl- derness has left the people of Bigstone Cree risk because of what is happening to their edge were shared. I was particularly struck First Nation and Wabasca feeling as though home. The essence of their existence – their by the thoughts of a woman from the Big- all they have ever known is being compro- culture and traditions – are at risk of vanish- stone Cree First Nation. She expressed her mised or taken from them unfairly. So much ing since it is tied so tightly to the presence concern for the state of the earth, not just for of who they are as a people and a commu- of healthy and thriving ecosystems. As the her family, but for all generations to come: nity is tied intimately to the nature that has latter are compromised, so too is their es- “I am afraid that there is nothing left for surrounded them for generations. That na- sence. Water and food security mean more them.” Attempting to control her emotions ture is changing profoundly. than maintaining a healthy quality of life; for and tears, she explained how the changes As I packed my things to leave for the day, these communities they are integral means she has seen in the local landscape such as I felt guilty that I hadn’t appreciated the lev- to protecting a way of life. unprecedented algae blooms in lakes, fish el of frustration or fear that so many of the The second day of the gathering focused with deformities, and little to no moose left local people at the gathering are living with. on community priorities related to fulfilling to harvest has altered the way she lives her They were losing parts of their identity, an natural or sacred law which were reinforced life. Conditions on the landscape were no experience I haven’t experienced yet and by western science. A series of presentations longer enabling water to deliver the lifestyle hope never to experience. expanded on pursuing the idea of water and that she expected. Reflecting on my Water Talking Circle ex- food security in ways allowing indigenous By the end of the sharing circle, I felt com- perience, I return to thoughts I shared pre- and local communities to continue their pletely overwhelmed by a whirlwind of dif- viously with respect to my own lifestyle. In ways of life. ferent emotions. I believe that most people my last Wild Lands Advocate article, I wrote Dr. Janelle Baker, an assistant professor there, like me, were buffeted by feelings of about how my fishing and hunting excur- from the University of Athabasca, present- anger, sadness, helplessness, hope, and be- sions allow me to connect with a version of ed first. Through her work in Traditional trayal. They all competed for our attention. myself that I identify most strongly with. Al- Land Use studies and the BEAHR program Participating in the Water Talking Circle berta’s wilderness is a “channel for delivering (Building Environmental Aboriginal Human was one of the more difficult things I have more profound moments in my life.” While Resources), Dr. Baker found that not enough experienced in my lifetime. Witnessing the I may choose this lifestyle and reap the ben- emphasis in land-use impact assessments intense, raw emotion of people who genu- efits of having this choice, members of the was placed on the quality of bush food for inely fear for their future was overwhelm- Bigstone Cree First Nation and the Wabasca Indigenous communities. This led her to ing. What may be distant worries for many community were born into it. Most impor- the Centre for Indigenous Peoples’ Nutri- of us took on real urgency. The fast pace of tantly, those who want to choose to affirm tion and Environment at McGill University, resource development in the Wabasca wil- that heritage feel as though that choice is at where she studied the quality of tradition- al food within the hamlet of Wabasca and the Bigstone Cree First Nation. Dr. Baker’s emphasis on how important her studies on traditional food quality were given the amount of industrial activity taking place on the landscape resonated with me. Her infor- mative studies help to support the Bigstone Cree First Nation in continuing First Nation harvesting traditions and fostering their vital connection with nature. Dr. Shauna Reckseidler-Zenteno and Dr. Tarah Kynch briefly presented on the re- search they are about to undertake – re- search on microbial communities in north- ern Alberta waters. They plan to investigate the impact human developments on sur- rounding landscapes may have on the com- position of microscopic communities. Their findings could be critical to water security

Seamless…this portrayal of water suggests well how interconnected water is to so many aspects of living issues within the Bigstone Cree First Nation well. PHOTO: © R. RASMUSSEN and other Indigenous communities.

12 WLA | Sept 2019 | Vol. 27, No. 3 | FEATURES Dr. Susan Kutz, a professor in Ecosystem colonial societies. wish to maintain their vital connection to and Public Health from the University of Dr. Auger further elaborated that cultural nature, sustain themselves from the land, Calgary is also building working relation- oppression creates and perpetuates a discon- and practice their culture and traditions. ships with indigenous communities. She nection between Indigenous communities Collaborative efforts that secure the lifestyle described how her research team has stud- and nature. It does this by preventing them of Indigenous communities for generations ied the population health of moose and from fulfilling sacred law and traditional to come benefit all: we all need clean water caribou in the Northwest Territories. What understandings of their destiny. Using In- and the life it provides. Many Indigenous I found extremely interesting during Dr. digenous women as an example, Dr. Auger beliefs and practices are based on informa- Kutz’s presentation was the effort put into sees women as the keepers of water not only tion collected over centuries. Those beliefs encouraging and enabling First Nations, because people are essentially made of water, align with conservation initiatives that nur- and other communities, to contribute im- but because water is such a huge component ture and foster biodiversity and thriving eco- portant information towards the project by of the life-giving process that is a part of the systems. Elements such as sustainable har- developing hunter sampling kits and an ed- feminine entity when considering the womb vesting based on ecological capacity would ucational DVD. and placenta. There is an intimate connection serve to help our societies pull away from Dr. Josie Auger offered the morning’s fi- between women and water, as both are ves- industrial scale practices with respect to log- nal presentation. There she focused on the sels for life, and essential to the growth and ging, resource extraction, and agriculture. It self-determination and sovereignty of In- survival of man. Water is the life blood borne would encourage communities to develop digenous women, a topic she has studied by Mother Earth and kept by women. while reducing their environmental foot- for many years. Dr. Auger’s current research By participating in the Keepers of the Wa- print. It may foster a greater appreciation for is compelled by the striking similarities she ter gathering, I learned much about how a how Alberta’s wilderness sustains us. sees between Canada’s First Nations and disconnection from nature changes how we Back to the question we were asked to other Indigenous communities across the value it. How we use the land alters the im- consider as the gathering began. Through world. A series of trips through Central portance of the values we have for nature. my experience in Wabasca I would say that Asia and France helped her further develop Some may be privileged while others may water is so much more than what you drink, the idea of how Indigenous people struggle be diminished. While some people value Al- or where you play, or what you use it for. It is to maintain identity and culture through berta’s wilderness for its beauty, recreational, a natural force that connects all living things; oppression. Dr. Auger focuses on how In- or industrial opportunities, others regard it therefore, it should be respected deeply as its digenous women, by reclaiming sovereign- as a direct means to their survival both in purity and quantity are fragile. It is clearer ty over their bodies and spirituality, will terms of sustenance and self-determination. to me now that water is more than a basic strengthen their self-determination. She By advocating for water security through- necessity; it is also a force that allows us to believes such strengthening is integral to out the province of Alberta, and supporting live the life we choose. restoring balance and peace within cultures organizations like Keepers of the Water, that generally have suffered at the hands of Albertans can help to empower those who

Featured Artist Lisa Brawn

Snowy Owl (2018) painted woodcut 11” x 7”

WLA | Sept 2019 | Vol. 27, No. 3 | FEATURES 13A Alberta’s Wetland Policy in the White Area: Shortcomings and Future Directions

By Taylor Bujaczek, Aquality Environmental Consulting

etlands are Alberta’s most covers 39 percent of Alberta’s southern struction. This rapid expansion has creat- complex and diverse eco- landscape and constitutes privately owned ed wetland losses as high as 90 percent in W systems, covering approx- land for settlement and agriculture. Most of Calgary and 80 percent in Edmonton. Ag- imately 20 percent of Alberta’s landscape. Alberta’s White Area is situated in the Prai- ricultural practices such as tilling, draining, Wetlands are valued for serving essential rie Pothole Region (PPR) where centuries of and ploughing were all practices intended ecological and societal functions that in- glacial retreat and scouring left millions of to expand the productive agricultural land clude maintaining water supply and sup- isolated “potholes” (now inhabited by shal- base. But, as Locky showed in a 2011 study, porting native biota. However, wetlands low open water wetlands). these activities on private lands have result- had historically been viewed as a hin- Mineral wetlands in the PPR serve a vari- ed in nearly 40 to 60 percent wetland loss drance to Alberta’s settled areas in devel- ety of ecosystem services including remov- and ecosystem damage. A wetland policy opment, industry, and infrastructure. As a al of excessive nutrients from agricultural that carries authority and reaches different result, drastic wetland losses have occurred practices, water treatment cost reduction, sectors within Alberta is therefore funda- in Alberta due to this general lack of aware- water storage during high precipitation, mental to prevent further wetland loss in ness regarding the aforementioned envi- and gradual water supply to other habitats settled areas and preserve wetland value. ronmental benefits wetlands offer. downstream. Wetlands also provide nesting Society’s attitude has shifted with new grounds for nearly eight million waterfowl Alberta’s Wetland Policy scientific knowledge, and federal/provin- and 20 million shorebirds while concur- The long-awaited release of the “Alber- cial funds and programs have helped to rently hosting spawning areas for fish and ta Wetland Policy” occurred in 2013 and ensure land improvements for wetlands. sustaining more than 20 rare plant species. succeeded the Interim Policy “Wetland With new awareness in Alberta came a new PPR wetlands can be utilized for human- Management in the Settled Area of Alberta” provincial wetland policy in 2013 (Alber- itarian purposes such as recreation, edu- released in 1993. The policy came into full ta Environment and Sustainable Resource cation, and cultural significance to many effect in the White Area on June 1, 2015 Development) aimed at balancing resource Indigenous groups. And from an economic and on July 4, 2016 in the Green Area. development with wetland preservation. perspective, every dollar spent on wetland The policy was developed to complement However, several criticisms of the new pol- retention yields about $7.70 in wetland Alberta’s water sustainability strategy “Wa- icy have been raised due to challenges in ecosystem services, such as flood control. ter for Life.” That strategy aims to create a management of wetland improvements in If wetlands are lost or disturbed, they can “healthy and sustainable water supply for Alberta’s settled areas (known as the White experience altered hydrology, increased nu- the environment, for our communities, and Area). Understanding wetland significance trient and pollution runoff, increased risk for our economic well-being.” and exposing the gaps in the wetland policy of introduced species, and enhanced habi- The policy is aimed at conserving and is therefore essential to avoid short-sighted tat fragmentation. Thus, while it may seem restoring wetlands in areas that have ex- land-use decisions in Alberta’s White Area. lucrative to impact a wetland for short-term perienced high losses while still allowing benefits, there are incentives to preserve for growth and development. It manages Wetland Value and Loss in wetlands to achieve long-term benefits. wetlands by avoiding, minimizing, and the White Area Due to wetland destruction throughout (if required), replacing lost wetland val- Mineral wetlands (marshes, swamps, and the 20th century, nearly 64 percent of wet- ue. Wetlands are evaluated and assigned shallow open water) are the primary cate- lands in Alberta’s settled areas no longer a relative wetland value (Figure 2), where gory of wetlands that are currently present exist. In the White Area specifically, rapid highly valued wetlands are prioritized for in Alberta’s White Area. The White Area urban sprawl is one cause of wetland de- preservation. But the success of this poli-

14 WLA | Sept 2019 | Vol. 27, No. 3 | FEATURES cy will, however, be highly dependent on proper implementation and any loopholes presented.

Is Avoidance Working? One major criticism of the policy is that it fails in its responsibility to encourage proponents to avoid impacts on wetlands, where managing development seems to be a higher priority that wetland protec- tion. The current policy seems to leave few barriers to obstruct development on wetlands. A proponent needs to provide evidence for how they have attempted to avoid and minimize the loss of wetland area and value. If this evidence is provided, this leaves little obstructions for a Water Act approval to be denied. Creating financially impractical wetland replacement fees is an approach that has been undertaken by the City of Calgary through private compensa- tion banking. However, many developers were unimpeded and paid the high fees for actual land values at $450,000/ha. By comparison, the current policy has wetland replacement fees at upwards of $19,400/ ha for Class D wetlands in the White Area. Creating more awareness around wetland importance and value needs to be spread throughout government, industries, and communities to empower local action for wetland avoidance in a province that has encountered so much loss. Despite this, it is difficult to say that avoidance isn’t working in Alberta’s White Area because there is no requirement for proponents or regulators to report on avoidance measures. Companies make internal decisions regularly around avoid- ance, and this inability to quantify avoid- ance and mitigation steps is damaging to policy success. If the policy doesn’t have a framework to document wetland avoid- ance, it’s difficult to determine whether wetland avoidance is successful. Having stronger avoidance mechanisms and a framework to document avoidance is im- Figure 1: Relative Wetland Value Assessment Units (RWVAU) among Alberta’s White and Green Area. perative for evaluating if the “Alberta Wet- Areas of high historical wetland losses include RWVAUs 13, 14, 15, 20 (White Area) and 21. CREDIT: land Policy” is fulfilling its goals. GOVERNMENT OF ALBERTA

WLA | Sept 2019 | Vol. 27, No. 3 | FEATURES 15A Looking Back on Wetland Compensation One replacement method that has strug- gled to succeed in the White Area is the concept of compensation banking. In 2004, The City of Calgary became a wetland res- toration agent in Alberta and applied this method to discourage approval holders from disturbing wetlands. Compensation and restoration was to be a last resort if avoidance and minimization weren’t fea- sible. Funds paid into the program were supposed to be allocated towards restoring wetlands in Calgary’s watersheds. The Auditor General reported in 2015 that nearly $25 million was collected from proponents but no wetlands were ever put back on the landscape. A final report Figure 2: An overview of wetland replacement options available under the December 1, 2018 update to released in 2019 (Fiera Biological Consult- the “Alberta Wetland Policy.” Note: “wetland restoration agent” status and responsibilities are equivalent ing) revealed that there were few opportu- to a “delivery agent” described in this figure. CREDIT: GOVERNMENT OF ALBERTA nities for wetland restoration in the munic- ipal area, due to a basin closure order for ment’s wetland replacement options calls But, the experiences from The City of the Bow, Oldman, and South Saskatchewan for the holder to pay a wetland replacement Calgary as a wetland restoration agent River basins in 2006. This prevented The fee. Prior to December 1, 2018, fees were must be considered when moving forward City of Calgary from obtaining water li- paid directly to a third party wetland resto- with this initiative. A report was released cences necessary for restoration work since ration agent who would carry out the wet- by Fiera Biological Consulting in 2019 most of their projects relied on municipal land restoration work and provide annual that reviewed The City of Calgary and The treated stormwater. Complications were reports to the province. County of Vermilion River’s experiences faced when The City of Calgary attempt- As of December 1, 2018, replacement fees in municipal-provincial wetland manage- ed to perform restoration work outside the payments are shifted back to the province. ment. This report claimed that clear expec- city limits, and both of these challenges led Now the provincial government forms con- tations, proper communication, capacity to a gradual accumulation of compensation tractual agreements between wetland resto- and resources, and regulatory harmony are funds. This emphasizes the need for stron- ration agents like Ducks Unlimited Canada paramount to ensuring that municipalities ger avoidance mechanisms especially in the (DUC) to continue carrying out wetland succeed as wetland restoration agents un- current policy where the wetland replace- restorations (Figure 2). This policy update der the “Alberta Wetland Policy”. Recogniz- ment fees are much lower. The experiences has many advantages; it provides guidance ing this shortfall in wetland replacement is from the City of Calgary also reinforce that for the restoration agents and allows the a reason for some optimism but only time adequate capability and resources, and geo- province to monitor wetland restorations will tell if the new update will fulfill all its graphic flexibility in accessing restoration after their completion. proposed benefits. opportunities needs to be implemented The update also allows the opportunity within the “Alberta Wetland Policy” to for more restoration work to be contract- The Policy Needs to achieve its primary outcomes. ed by the province to combat a legacy of Advocate for Alberta’s wetland loss. This could create restoration Producers Centralizing Replacement agents that are specialized to attain specif- Another area of improvement necessary Funds ic restoration goals in different business for the wetland policy is for the govern- The “Alberta Wetland Policy” may poten- sectors, where currently there is only one ment to create a straightforward means for tially be at a stage where more resources registered wetland restoration agent in Al- Alberta’s producers/landowners to improve and geographic flexibility is available for berta. For this positive step to occur there their wetland stewardship. One of the is- wetland restorations. When the activities of needs to be a clearly defined qualification sues identified in a 2017 Alberta NAWMP an approval holder produce a permanent and certification process for wetland resto- Partnership report was a general lack of wetland loss, one of the provincial govern- ration agents. awareness and clarity about the wetland

16 WLA | Sept 2019 | Vol. 27, No. 3 | FEATURES policy among Alberta’s producers. Confu- sion arises among landowners about what differentiates a wetland from a “low spot” and what kind of activities on their land is governed by wetland legislation. Education provided by the provincial government aimed towards producers (e.g. fact sheets, bringing in policy speakers) and improving communication between landowners and the province are good starting points. This is vital since the wetland policy in the White Area will not accomplish its goals without positive contributions from Alberta’s pro- ducers/landowners. The government must help to improve public awareness. Alberta also needs to better acquaint Agriculture has contributed to wetland historical loss throughout Alberta’s White Area. landowners with the benefits of retaining PHOTO: © J. WHITE and restoring wetlands and increase finan- cial support programs. Promoting financial thereby allowing for producers to continue edge of what we have lost in the White Area programs for landowners to undertake to be stewards of their land. hangs over our heads and emphasizes the wetland restorations would incentivize value of what needs to be preserved. landowners. Organizations such as DUC Conclusion have several programs that financially com- Creating more awareness for wetland pensate landowners for voluntary wetland avoidance, having adequate capacity and Acknowledgements Special recognition is owed to Jay White restoration. Alternative Land-Use Services resources for wetland replacement, and for his guidance on Alberta’s wetland poli- (ALUS) is a non-profit organization that creating more awareness about the “Alber- cy in the White Area and support in writ- also provides financial compensation for ta Wetland Policy” among producers can ing this piece. I’d also like to acknowledge landowners for wetland retention and res- improve wetland management. Although Ducks Unlimited Canada for their contri- toration (ALUS 2019). As all replacement there has been some reformation for cen- butions to this article. fees are now channeled directly to the pro- tralizing wetland replacement funds, the vincial government, more funds may be wetland restoration program is still devel- available to complete these projects and oping. Until this is completed, the knowl-

Raven (2019) Featured Artist Lisa Brawn painted woodcut block 11” x 11”

Redpoll (2019) painted woodcut block 7.5” x 9”

WLA | Sept 2019 | Vol. 27, No. 3 | FEATURES 17A Canada’s Environmental Law: Promises Made versus Promises Kept

By Joanna Skrajny, AWA Conservation Specialist

pinions about Bill C-69, process to regain public trust and help get ic process that looks at the positive and Ottawa’s wide-ranging law resources to market and introduce new, fair negative effects of a project, and is free O amending the federal en- processes that will restore robust oversight from political interference. vironmental protection regime, were as and thorough environmental assessments • When done properly, public participa- plentiful as showers in Calgary this sum- of areas under federal jurisdiction.” This di- tion results in better planning, projects mer. Premier Kenney dubbed it the “No rective was reinforced by a commitment to and outcomes. More Pipelines Bill”; B.C. Senator Richard “ensure that decisions are based on science, These examples show that there was a Neufeld predicted that “it will have di- facts, and evidence, and serve the public’s great deal of synchronicity in suggested sastrous consequences on our country”; interest” and “provide ways for Canadians improvements to the environmental assess- Ecojustice lawyer Joshua Ginsberg stated to express their views and opportunities for ment process that would provide assurance that the bill is “not perfect, but it strikes experts to meaningfully participate.” to both industry and the greater public. For a balance by making sure important en- example, Canadian Pacific recommended vironmental issues like climate change, The Expert Panel including strategic assessments to consult Indigenous rights, and sustainable eco- In August 2016, the Minister established on the potential benefits and impacts of nomic development are all factored into an Expert Panel tasked with recommend- new government policies as well as region- future assessment.” ing how the federal government could go al assessments to address the cumulative So now that Bill C-69 is part of the legis- about improving environmental assess- effects of multiple projects on a landscape. lative landscape what will happen? Will it ment. That fall and winter, the Panel trav- These recommendations very closely mir- be the fourth horseman, a harbinger of the elled across Canada, visiting 21 cities and rored the suggestions I made during my apocalypse? Hardly. If anything, Bill C-69 is hearing over 400 in-person presentations. presentation. This symmetry goes to show more like putting lipstick on the proverbi- I attended one of the Calgary sessions, pro- that changes to the environmental assess- al creature created by the Harper Govern- viding the Panel with AWA’s perspective on ment system can be mutually beneficial ment’s drastic slashes to environmental pro- the importance of properly incorporating for all stakeholders: while conservationists tections in 2012. Spin and outrage aside, it cumulative effects into Canada’s environ- support the government in taking respon- doesn’t deliver a significant strengthening mental assessments. The list of presenters sibility for the impacts of the many proj- of federal environmental review process- that day included myself, representatives ects on our working landscapes, industrial es. Canadians should be outraged that Bill from Enbridge, Canadian Pacific Railway, players also support the attention to cumu- C-69 failed to amend our laws enough to the In-Situ Oil Sands Alliance, and Canadi- lative effects because it provides their sec- help give environmental integrity and val- an Parks and Wilderness Society. tors with guidance and certainty about how ues more prominence. What I heard that day concurs with the their projects fit into the bigger picture. So what gives? What happened to the Expert Panel’s summary of the public ses- Of course, that’s not to say there were no process, and what is Bill C-69, really? sions held in Calgary: protests to shifting the scales in favour of Our answer begins in the summer of • Canadians do not feel connected to en- the environment. Some of the presenta- 2016, when it was hard not to feel hopeful vironmental assessment decisions any- tions favoured leaving things the way they about the future of Canada’s environmen- more. Both Canadians and investors were, or leaving assessments in the hands of tal laws. Environment and Climate Change need to feel confident in a process that provinces. Rob Sturgess of Matrix Solutions Canada Minister McKenna received a man- is fair and transparent. argued in favour of provincial assessments: date from Prime Minister Trudeau to “re- • An environmental assessment should “Today, when the Federal and Provincial EA view Canada’s environmental assessment be an objective, rigorous, and scientif- [environmental assessment] processes try

18 WLA | Sept 2019 | Vol. 27, No. 3 | FEATURES Despite having a smaller overall footprint than open pit mines, in situ “in its original place” oil sands projects, such as the one pictured here, can have a number of associated impacts on the environment. This includes habitat fragmentation from the entire associated infrastructure, such as transmission lines, seismic lines, pipelines and roads. This can impact watershed capacity and function, as well as species that depend on intact habitat such as boreal caribou. PHOTOS: © C. CAMPBELL to proceed in parallel, information needs ciation of Petroleum Producers (CAPP), an automatically require federal assess- and timing differences usually results in a organization that later became one of the ments. This would be supplemented 6 to 12 month overall project delay. (sic) main opponents to the new Impact Assess- with a provision that any projects which As an example, the Alberta process takes a ment Act. CAPP supported the incorpora- have the potential to impact current and 3 to 4 page submission from which an EA tion of Indigenous Knowledge and partici- future generations require an impact as- is made. The same project, through CEA pation, advocated for the continued use of sessment. As well, any person or group [the Canadian Environmental Assessment a project list and legislated time limits, and can also request that an assessment be Agency], takes considerable more techni- supported the inclusion of Regional Envi- completed. cal information, typically 100-200 pages of ronmental Assessments. CAPP also advo- • To meet the needs of current and future submission for the Federal determination if cated for the exemption of in situ oil sands generations, federal assessments should an EA is required.” While the speaker used projects from undergoing assessments (as provide assurance that approved proj- this as an example to showcase what was, was the case under CEAA 2012) and reit- ects, plans and policies contribute a net in his opinion, an undue burden to project erated its belief that provinces should have benefit to environmental, social, eco- approval, to me it was a chilling example of exclusive decision making authority for re- nomic, health and cultural well-being. how lackadaisical our provincial environ- source development projects. • Strategic and regional assessments mental assessment standards are. And so, after hundreds of individual pre- should be used to determine the im- However, presentations favouring the sta- sentations and approximately 2,500 written pacts of policies and to guide the de- tus quo seemed to be the exception rather submissions, the Expert Panel reconvened velopment of multiple projects on a than the rule. This was reinforced by the to produce a report with recommendations landscape. questions the Expert Panel asked afterwards. on how to improve the environmental as- • Assessment information should be per- After one presentation by an industry rep- sessment process. manently and publicly available, scien- resentative who favoured keeping the envi- In a 2017 WLA article, I provided an tific data should be publicly available ronmental assessment process as it was, the in-depth review of the Expert Panel’s rec- on a federal government database, de- Panel stated that they had heard all across ommendations. Here are some of its high- cisions should be evidence based and the country that the current environmental lights: any criteria used for decision making assessment process had lost the public’s trust • Major changes are needed to restore should be clearly listed. and required major improvements – so what public trust in the current federal as- Accompanying the Expert Panel’s report was the industry official willing to change? sessment process was a public consultation period, inviting I no longer remember the representative’s • Jurisdictions (i.e. municipal, provin- the public to share their views on the rec- uncertain reply, other than that the official cial and federal governments, as well ommendations. completely dismissed any concerns about as Indigenous Groups) should co-op- the environmental process. erate together to undertake a singular Bill C-69 I would be remiss not to mention the assessment. Only two months after the Expert Panel’s main points raised by the Canadian Asso- • There should be a list of projects which report, the federal government released its

WLA | Sept 2019 | Vol. 27, No. 3 | FEATURES 19A own discussion paper. Frankly this discus- rent and future generations) and whether their input matters to the outcome of the sion paper cherry picked the aspects of the it is in the “public interest.” In deciding project. They need to be provided with Expert Panel’s recommendations it would whether a project is in the public interest simple, easy to understand documents that adopt and ignored, without any justifica- the government must consider whether clearly outline the issues at hand, instead of tion, other recommendations. The result the project will contribute to sustainabili- binders brimming with consultant jargon. was: the public was forced to look at and ty, how adverse the project impacts will be, In other words, they need to be provid- assess a whole new set of proposals from what mitigation measures will be used to ed with the resources and the time to feel scratch, with no clear indication of how or address these impacts, the impact of the heard, and to believe their opinion is val- whether their initial participation was ac- project on Indigenous peoples, and what ued. The new Impact Assessment Act does knowledged. To top it all off, the proposals impact the project will have on Canada’s not provide these opportunities. were so vague it was difficult to discern ex- ability to meet its climate targets. Martin CEAA 2012 instituted new, shorter, dead- actly what the final legislation would look Olszynski, an associate professor with the lines to complete different types of environ- like. Personally, I was beginning to feel University of Calgary, noted a major flaw mental assessment work. A final environ- exhausted by the whole process and won- to this approach: the new Act “like all of mental assessment decision was expected dered whether my earlier efforts to engage its predecessors, does not draw an environ- to be reached no later than one year after with the Panel had been worth the time mental – or any other – line in the sand. It the Canadian Environmental Assessment and energy. merely requires the government to identify Agency began an assessment. If a matter Then came the draft Bill C-69, introduc- and consider impacts in a transparent man- was referred to a review panel it was ex- ing the proposed details of the new Impact ner. Accordingly, Minister McKenna was on pected that a final environmental assess- Assessment Act, in February 2018. On the solid legal ground when she said that the ment decision would be made in no more face of it, this bill definitely attempted to Trans Mountain pipeline expansion could than two years. The rationale for these restore the most damaged or suspect parts have been approved under the proposed deadlines was simple: speed up project ap- of the current environmental assessment regime. Any project could, subject only provals. It also should be noted that these regime (CEAA 2012). But, the bill also to our politicians’ assessment as to where clocks could be stopped, and the timeline didn’t address many troubling aspects of the public interest – and vote – lies. This for completing an assessment therefore the current process. has long been the bargain reflected in such could be extended, while information re- For instance, the purpose of CEAA 2012 laws and accepted by industry, which for quests were being addressed. was to determine whether a given project the most part it has served very well.” The new Impact Assessment Act shortens would cause “significant adverse environ- Under CEAA 2012, stricter criteria were these timelines for completing assessments mental effects” (read: irreparable damage). introduced to govern the public’s ability to even further, to 300 days for a general re- Even in those instances, the Governor in participate in assessments and to provide view and 600 for projects subject to a re- Council (the federal cabinet) had the dis- comments. Only members of the public view panel. This shortened timeline is cou- cretion to determine whether those adverse who were considered to be “directly affect- pled with a new 180 day “early planning effects were “justified in the circumstances.” ed” or who have “relevant information or stage”, which is intended to provide early Given the need to show irreparable damage expertise” were able to participate in Review opportunities for public input and con- it’s no surprise then that, as highlighted in Panel hearings or assessments of pipelines sultation with Indigenous governments. a Canada West Foundation review, 95 per- being considered by the National Energy A concerning aspect to these shortened cent of projects that underwent a federal Board - which are usually the biggest and timelines is a new change wherein the time environmental assessment under the CEAA most contentious projects. This tightening taken by proponents to respond to a re- 2012 framework were approved. Even for excluded large portions of the public from view panel’s request will no longer result those projects where it was determined that participating in major project assessments in a pause to the assessment deadline (as there would be significant and adverse ef- that arguably impact the Canadian public- was previously the case). Any “stopping of fects, 73 percent of those projects were ap- at-large. Under the 2012 regime it was more the clock” would have to be done by the proved. So, in short, the circumstances al- difficult to participate based on concerns Environment Minister. This substantially most always justified any anticipated harm extending beyond a project footprint, such shortens the timelines for panel reviews. to the environment. as a project’s contribution to climate change. Tight timelines have been widely criticized Bill C-69 outlines a new purpose. This Bill C-69 removed this limitation to public for limiting public participation in the as- is that an impacts assessment should de- participation – definitely a step in the right sessment process as the public is given termine whether a project contributes to direction. However, much more needs to insufficient time to review hundreds of sustainability (impacts on the environ- be done before public trust in the process is pages of technical documents, or hearings ment, economy, society, health and on cur- restored. The public needs to feel as though are cut short. Many environmental legal

20 WLA | Sept 2019 | Vol. 27, No. 3 | FEATURES experts, including the Expert Panel itself, have pointed out that these mandatory deadlines also have not worked to shorten the amount of time assessments take. In- stead, for both the benefit of the public and industry, estimated timelines to complete project reviews should be undertaken on a case-by-case basis. One of the biggest changes in CEAA 2012 was the introduction of a “project list”, where only certain types of projects were subject to assessment. Political con- siderations certainly affected the content of this list: projects such as in-situ oil sands projects – which are expected to constitute the majority of future oil sands exploita- tion – were exempted from environmental Compelling evidence of the need to conduct environmental assessments of in situ oil sands projects was assessments entirely. Disappointingly, the provided in the spring of 2013. Then, at a blowout at Canadian Natural Resources Limited’s Primrose oil Impact Assessment Act will still only assess sands operations, 1.6 million litres of bitumen bubbled to the surface. This photo shows approximately 100 litres of bitumen that CNRL allowed to accumulate over a two-week period. a hand-picked list of projects within a des- PHOTO: © C. CAMPBELL ignated list. Now in situ projects may be assessed. Whether or not an in situ project science-based decision making process. • “There will be no new development in would be subject to an environmental as- The new Impact Assessment Act promised the oilsands. Many would argue that’s sessment depends on whether the province to restore public trust; it promised to in- the very intent of the legislation,”– Doug hosting the project has a legislated limit on clude science more; it promised to estab- Black, Alberta Senator February 2019 total oil sands emissions. If such provincial lish meaningful public participation. Yet it’s • “Bill C-69 – as it is drafted – will have legislation exists, the in situ project would clear that, as written, the Act failed to deliv- serious impacts on the Canadian econo- be exempt from a federal environmental as- er on these key promises. Overall, the big- my and, specifically, on investment in Al- sessment. In the absence of such legislation gest problem is that the Impact Assessment berta.” – Environment Minister Shannon a federal assessment would be required. Act follows the CEAA 2012 too closely. The Phillips, October 2019 News Release This treats in situ projects very generously 2012 changes were included and passed • “This bill is as damaging to the Canadi- since the provincial emissions limit, as was as part of the Jobs, Growth and Long-term an economy as any piece of legislation the case for the Notley government’s, could Prosperity Act – without any serious public that we’ve seen in a decade,” Tim Mc- be dramatically higher in the future than consultation. At what point should we balk Millan, president and CEO of the Cana- it was in 2015. While the use of a project at working with legislation we had little to dian Association of Petroleum Produc- list is intended to provide clarity to propo- no say about in the first place? ers November 2018 nents, this may result in some unintended These criticisms and more were raised omissions and invites politicization. Con- when Bill C-69 was initially debated in Even a cursory overview of the new Bill sultation on the proposed project list was the House of Commons, most staunchly shows that these arguments hold no water. not released until 2019, which raised fears by Green Party Leader Elizabeth May and This was also the assessment legal experts from both the industry sector and conser- NDP Member of Parliament Linda Duncan. offered after their analyses of the legislation. vationists about what was (or wasn’t) going Over 150 amendments were made before A March 2019 submission by the Canadian to be assessed. Bill C-69 passed in the House of Commons Environmental Law Association (CELA) to Even though it is an improvement over in June of 2018. the Senate Committee on Energy, Environ- CEAA 2012, the new Impact Assessment Act ment and Natural Resources stated: is also over reliant on ministerial discretion. Then came the Senate Review. Things This issue was raised by MPs, industry ex- really started to go off the rails in the “CELA is dismayed by the extensive ecutives, and environmental NGOs alike as Chamber of Sober Second Thought. misinformation that some Bill C-69 op- it leaves too much open to political whims. Opponents to the bill descended on the ponents have conveyed about the IAA All proponents that participate in the im- Senate, publicly decrying that the end [Impact Assessment Act] after the legis- pact assessment process want an objective, was nigh: lation was referred to the Senate. In fact,

WLA | Sept 2019 | Vol. 27, No. 3 | FEATURES 21A some of these anti-IAA comments are so limiting public participation, stating that assessment process, and requires environ- erroneous that CELA questions whether opening it up would mean “funded activ- mental assessment decisions to consider these commentators have actually read or ists living in New York City will have the the impacts of projects on climate change properly understood the Act.” ability to drown out the voices of Cana- and society as a whole. dians living next door to development.” It also undid some of the few remaining I share CELA’s sentiment. I also was glad CAPP also petitioned for a number of fac- environmental protections that were left. to see that not all industry associations tors to be optional instead of mandatory, The new Project List, published quietly viewed Bill C-69 as the harbinger of the such as including Indigenous knowledge in August this year, once again opens the apocalypse. The Canadian Mining Asso- and considering impacts to Indigenous door to exempting in-situ oil sand projects ciation, for example, pointed to areas of peoples. CAPP abandoned much of their from needing an assessment. The list also the established environmental assessment 2016 presentation to the Expert Panel, exempts fracking and geothermal projects. process that worked and other areas that where they declared their support for In- The thresholds have also been substantially needed improvement. They recognized digenous knowledge and participation. weakened. Previously, any coal mines that the need to strengthen the environmental In the end, the Senate adopted many of produced over 3,000 tonnes a day were review process and were supporters of the these groups’ recommendations as part of subject to assessment; in the new list, it is bill. As they also propose about 50 per- its 187 amendments to the bill. In some 5,000 tonnes. That’s allowing mines that cent of projects that get assessed, their instances, the Senate Committee copied are 60 percent bigger to fly under the ra- view suggests that the true nature of this CAPP’s suggestions word-for-word. A par- dar. These regulations are in many ways the bill wasn’t nearly as threatening as oppo- ticularly egregious example was an addi- teeth of the Impact Assessment Act, and I nents suggested. tion to the purpose of the Act, which was couldn’t be more disappointed by them. As a result of these misleading claims, “to improve investor confidence, strength- Misinformation and propaganda on the the Alberta public was riled up, horrified en the Canadian economy, encourage pros- parts of opponents hoping to gain more at the idea that their jobs may be lost. perity and improve the competitiveness of economic advantages damages society. There was outrage, protests, and a truck the Canadian energy and resource sectors.” I’m disappointed in the role the media convoy to Ottawa. As former Alberta MLA Kevin Taft com- played in cultivating the vitriol flung at And there was lobbying, lots of it. Sha- mented on the Senate amendments in an Bill C-69. The mainstream media’s fail- ron J. Riley and Sarah Cox of The Narwhal interview with The Narwhal: “Those should ure to fact check and question some of showed that “industry and related groups, be ringing loud alarm bells for every Cana- the opponents’ assertions harms public primarily from the oil and gas industry, are dian. When we have a rich, powerful, for- discourse. The average Canadian doesn’t responsible for more than 80 per cent of eign-controlled industry drafting our legis- have the time to read through every sin- Senate lobbying on Bill C-69, Canada’s pro- lation for us we have a real problem with gle proposal and the media needs to do posed new environmental assessment law. democracy in Canada.” a better job at recognizing when public In contrast, just 13 per cent of Senate and In the end, the House of Commons ac- fears are being preyed upon and stoked Senate staff lobbying was conducted by en- cepted almost 100 of the Senate’s recom- with misinformation. vironmental groups and four per cent was mended amendments but rejected some Now it’s your turn. Take a minute, read carried out by one First Nation.” of the most damaging provisions recom- Bill C-69 for yourself. Talk to your friends So what did opposed groups suggest as mended by the Senate (such as the includ- and neighbours. Support credible news improvements to the bill? ing energy sector competitiveness in the sources that provided appropriate cover- The Alberta Government asked to exempt purpose). The Senate accepted the Com- age of Bill C-69: The National Observer, The in-situ oil sands projects and intra-provin- mons’ revised version of Bill C-69, passing Narwhal, and independent analyses from cial pipelines from federal assessment, to it on June 20. The Globe and Mail all come to mind. They exclude downstream climate emission as However, the damage – in terms of public offered important counterweights to the grounds for rejecting a project, and to re- awareness – has been done. Too many al- fear mongering promoted by other media. lease the complete project list before pass- lege that this bill, even in its current state, Have no doubt that Bill C-69 will be an ing the legislation. will destroy Canada’s future. Premier Jason election issue. It’s your responsibility to en- The Canadian Association of Petroleum Kenney promised to challenge “pipeline sure that as many people as possible are Producers’ (CAPP) main recommenda- killer” Bill C-69 in the courts. In reality, informed about it. tions included explicit provisions to pre- the new Impact Assessment Act is far less vent any member of the public from chal- dangerous to industry. The law partially lenging decisions made during the Impact restores some protections to better include Assessment process. They recommended the public and Indigenous peoples in the

22 WLA | Sept 2019 | Vol. 27, No. 3 | FEATURES Canada’s biodiversity report card: Progress made towards the Aichi Targets, 2015-2019 By Grace Wark, AWA Conservation Specialist

ublic awareness of environ- climate change have moved into the spot- ernment announced Pathway to Canada mental issues has changed and light of global policy discussions and me- Target 1, Canada’s action plan for achieving P evolved over time. In the early dia. Demands are increasing on the world’s Aichi Target 11. 1960s, Rachel Carson may have christened governments to stifle widespread wildlife the modern environmental movement with population loss, degradation of ecosystems Canada Target 1: “By 2020, at least 17% of her book Silent Spring. There she detailed and, the impacts of ecosystem degradation terrestrial areas and inland water, and 10% of the devastating environmental effects of on human populations. marine and coastal areas of Canada are con- pesticide use. Dozens of international en- Global biodiversity declines are far reach- served through networks of protected areas and vironmental agreements were signed over ing. They currently impact countless spe- other effective area-based measures.” the next few decades. The Ramsar Con- cies across all of the world’s major biomes. vention on Wetlands of International Im- A massive intergovernmental report, as- With 2020 on the horizon, it’s an excel- portance (1971), the Convention on the sessing over 15,000 scientific and govern- lent time to look back at Canada’s record. International Trade in Endangered Species ment sources, found there are at least one How much has Canada achieved for bio- of Wild Flora and Fauna (1973), the Unit- million species currently threatened with diversity and landscape conservation since ed Nations Convention on the Law of the extinction across the globe (IPBES, 2019). Target 1 was set in 2015? How much of Sea (1982), and the Montréal Protocol on Unlike previous mass extinction events, Canada’s land base is currently protected? Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer today’s is primarily due to human causes. How does Canada plan to achieve 17 per- (1987) are just a few of those efforts. Then, Threats of extinction are echoed in Canada, cent protection? Is 17 percent really suffi- in the early 1990s, climate change grabbed where WWF Canada’s Living Planet Report cient to protect Canadian biodiversity? international attention during the Earth (2017) found that half of Canada’s verte- Summit held in Rio de Janeiro. The United brate species, assessed between 1970 and The Aichi Biodiversity Targets consist Nations Framework Convention on Cli- 2014, are in decline; for species in decline, of five strategic goals and 20 targets to mate Change (1992) is now more than 27 their populations have decreased by a stag- address the underlying causes of biodi- years old. Some of these agreements have gering average of 83 percent. versity loss, reduce biodiversity pres- obtained impressive results. The Montréal Global action has taken the form of inter- sures and promote sustainable land use, Protocol stands out in this respect. Oth- governmental panels and summits. In turn safeguard ecosystems, and enhance the ers, such as the Convention on Climate they have proposed actions and reduction benefits from ecosystem services. Set in Change, are very disappointing. As the Cli- targets deemed palatable to government 2010, the deadline for the Aichi Targets mate Action Network reminded the leaders leaderships and the economies they sup- is December 2020. of the G7 nations in August, their existing port. Coming out of the 2010 United Na- policies aren’t doing nearly enough to real- tions Convention on Biological Diversity, An ‘A’ for Aspiration ize the temperature increase targets set in these are the Aichi Biodiversity Targets. You may recall from a previous article on Paris in 2015. Canada committed to meeting the Aichi wild spaces (Wild Lands Advocate, Septem- Amidst this growing international envi- Targets, agreed upon at the 2010 Conven- ber 2018) that Canada’s progress on protect- ronmental attention, the global collapse of tion on Biological Diversity held in Aichi, ed areas has been incremental since Canada biodiversity has largely gone unnoticed. It Japan. However, it wasn’t until 2015 that Target 1’s inception. In 2015, 10.5 percent has only recently started to gain recognition Canada took action on the targets by set- of Canada’s terrestrial landscapes were pro- as a nascent global environmental disaster. ting the 2020 Biodiversity Goals and Targets tected under parks and other conservation Intimately linked, biodiversity loss and for Canada. Then, in 2016 the federal gov- measures; in the last four years, that share

WLA | Sept 2019 | Vol. 27, No. 3 | FEATURES 23A only has increased by 1.3 percent. This and other partners” willing to spend the has made strides to incorporate Indigenous isn’t to say that Canada hasn’t done any- same amount on land acquisitions and new conservation and traditional land-use into thing to create new protected areas – look protected areas. As you can imagine, get- Canada Target 1. However, we’re still in a to Canada’s new commitments to Marine ting the matched funds needed is not easy; wait and see phase. Federal Indigenous con- Protected Areas and the $1.3 billion Nature this could be a barrier to uptake and so it’s servation efforts began with the establish- Fund – but is on-the-ground progress rapid possible that not all of the committed mon- ment of an Indigenous Circle of Experts. enough to curb declines? ey will actually be spent. These experts provide support and guid- Scientists certainly don’t think so. This The federal government has been criti- ance for creating these relatively new and summer, 32 scientists from 23 different cized for being long on aspiration, but short unprecedented protected areas in Canada. universities and organizations wrote to the on action to meet their targets. Beyond This was followed by new provisions to al- federal Minister of the Environment and the barriers to accessing funds, the 2015 low for the creation of ‘Indigenous Protect- Climate Change urging the government to Canada Targets alone may not be enough ed and Conserved Areas’ (IPCAs), “lands accelerate the rate of protection if we are to to meet the commitments made in Aichi. where Indigenous governments have the meet Canada Target 1 by the 2020 dead- Hagerman and Pelai’s 2016 review found primary role in protecting and conserving line. While the federal government has pro- that within the existing government poli- ecosystems through Indigenous laws, gov- tected a further 130,000 km2 in four years, cy framework, the Canadian government ernance and knowledge systems.” Here it’s as of August 2019, there‘s another 492,981 is on track to complete only 28 percent of important to note that Indigenous Peoples km2 left to achieve 17 percent protection; Aichi target incentives. The remaining 72 have lived with and conserved the land for this is an area roughly three-quarters the percent of the Aichi incentives do not have generations, and that the federal govern- size of Alberta. any actionable policies behind them. Hag- ment is only now catching up with this fact. While the government has allocated $1.3 erman and Pelai’s primary critique was that So, it seems as though some institution- billion towards conservation for the com- Canada has focused on spatially quantifi- al barriers to Indigenous conservation are ing years, it’s important to note where this able goals (i.e. 17 percent protection under being reduced, but as so few Indigenous money will be going. Of the $1.3 billion, Aichi 11), while other measures like equi- Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCAs) $500 million will go towards conservation ty (Aichi 16), Indigenous rights (Aichi 18) currently exist, we don’t yet know if the partnerships, with the remaining $800 and collaboration with non-governmental outcome will match the aspiration. There million to support the creation of new pro- partners have fallen by the wayside. are a number of barriers that may stand tected areas. However the $500 million in the way of IPCAs becoming a success. earmarked for conservation partnerships ‘B+’ for Barrier Reduction The first is the finicky relationship between will only be met if matched by “philan- Since Hagerman and Pelai’s review was provincial and federal land claims. While thropic, corporate, provincial, territorial published in 2016, the federal government the federal government may be willing to

While well-known for our vast wilderness and diverse wildlife, Canada is not immune to the biodiversity losses currently being experienced across the globe. Cana- da has taken initiative to protect its biodiversity, but, as the ferruginous hawk in this photo wonders, are our actions fast enough, substantive enough, to combat declines? PHOTO: © C. OLSON

24 WLA | Sept 2019 | Vol. 27, No. 3 | FEATURES recognize Indigenous governance in the creation of new protected areas, the ques- tion remains whether the provinces and territories will step up to the plate. The sec- ond challenge is access to sustainable long- term funding to implement and manage these spaces. Indigenous groups are able to access funding through the Canada Na- ture Fund, but remember that most of this funding is only available if matched. Final- ly, do the proposals put forward match the government criteria for protected areas? This can be complicated by the tradition- al and current uses of the landscape. Only in recent years has the federal government begun to consider how traditional and cur- rent Indigenous land uses can occur simul- taneously to landscape protection. One good example of a collaboratively managed protected area is the newly an- nounced Thaidene Nëné National Park Percent protection by ecoregion in Canada. Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada, 2018. Reserve in the Northwest Territories – to be managed by Parks Canada, the Govern- ‘C-’ for Pan-Canadian Col- for provincial protection. The exceptions ment of Northwest Territories, the Łutsël laboration and Conserva- are the Northwest Territories (30,119 km2) K’e Dene First Nation, and the Northwest tion Priorities and Ontario (33 km2). Territory Métis Nation, and with the Den- The growing pains with new forms of pro- This seems to contradict the four year, inu K’ue First Nation and Yellowknives tection are not unique to IPCAs. They are $100 million Natural Heritage Conserva- Dene First Nation. The new National Park also currently being experienced with what tion Program (NHCP) proposed earlier this Reserve answers many of the challeng- the federal government calls ‘Other Ef- year by the federal government and Nature es posed above: Thaidene Nëné involves fected Area-Based Conservation Measures’ Conservancy Canada (NCC). This fund, management by federal, territorial and (OECMs). OECMs are a form of third-party directed towards private land conservation, Indigenous governments, $40 million will protection, led by groups and organizations signals that in the years to come Canada be provided for infrastructure and opera- that acquire private land for conservation. will be leaning on OECMs to achieve the tions in the first 12 years and $3.4 million They differ from legislated protected areas, 17 percent target. But this won’t happen annually in the years that follow, and the as they are stewarded privately and are of- unless the provinces and territories begin National Park Reserve will continue to al- ten found within the working landscape recognizing them as protection. The federal low many activities such as hunting, berry rather than remote wilderness areas. Seeing government has even produced a decision picking and gathering, alongside numerous as some of Canada’s most imperiled species support tool to help provincial govern- recreational activities. are found within heavily subdivided and ments decide “what is protected enough?” While Thaidene Nëné is an excellent be- already developed landscapes, OECMs will However, since the tool’s release there has ginning to Canada’s journey towards IP- be a critical piece of Canada’s protected ar- been no little to no change in the number CAs, it’s a near-standalone example. There eas network. of OECMs recognized across Canada. is still a fair distance to go before IPCAs The growing pains lie in recognizing and The need for OECMs is underscored by become a commonplace and recognizable accounting for these spaces. Disjointedness WWF-Canada’s report Protecting space for form of protection. Incorporating Indige- currently exists between the federal vision wildlife: A national habitat crisis. The report nous governance into conservation should of OECMs and their application within the found that Canada’s current protected ar- be seen as a long-term and thoughtful un- provinces and territories. While land trusts eas network omits many of the species and dertaking. It needs to properly incorporate have been helping to place conservation habitats with the greatest need for protec- the principles of reconciliation and create easements on private lands for years, gen- tion. This includes 84 percent of the areas meaningful relationships with the Indige- erally no Canadian province or territory in Canada with highest concentrations of nous groups leading the charge. has included OECMs under their count species at risk. Look to the Canadian prai-

WLA | Sept 2019 | Vol. 27, No. 3 | FEATURES 25A ries, one of the most developed yet diverse iterated that 17 percent is only the begin- meantime, while Canada is trying to get its ecoregions in Canada, which has only be- ning. Frankly, that protection target was act together, remember we’re in the throes tween four and eight percent protection. more political than scientific. There’s noth- of a biodiversity and climate crisis. OECMs could help address protecting ing particularly reassuring about the nego- There is overwhelming evidence that the prairies, characterized as they are by tiated 17 percent protection target since the we’re simply not moving fast enough to a patchwork of private and public owner- scientific literature has shown that global stem the species decline. Our aspirations, ship. On the prairies, large provincial pro- biodiversity may in fact need much more. however, could be greatly aided by institu- tected areas simply aren’t feasible to create. Canada Target 1 should only the launch- tional and non-institutional collaboration, Unified action between the federal gov- ing point for a much broader conservation enabling Indigenous-led conservation ef- ernment, provinces and territories, private plan, wherein Canada establishes a com- forts, and prioritizing the areas at greatest stakeholders and non-governmental or- prehensive network of protected areas. A risk. The biggest concern right now is that ganizations is needed to protect Canada’s healthier biodiversity future demands large, Canada is treating the 2010 Aichi Targets most at-risk areas, and this action is need- intact habitat cores, landscape connectivity, as the end goal, without recognizing the ed... well, now. climate refugia and equal representation of marathon that lies ahead. Now is the time our many diverse Natural Regions. for Canada to improve upon its conserva- From setting goals to sav- The next meeting of the parties to the tion record, as many species probably don’t ing species Convention on Biological Diversity is like- have a decade left to wait and see if we fig- Looking beyond 2020 into the next ly to increase the target to 30 percent. This ure things out. decade, scientists and environmental would be a significant challenge for Canada non-governmental organizations have re- given our current rate of protection. In the

Featured Artist Lisa Brawn

Bluebird (2019) painted woodcut block 11” x 12”

26 WLA | Sept 2019 | Vol. 27, No. 3 | FEATURES In Search Of… Conservative Champions of Conservation

By Ian Urquhart

he title of the Science book review proposed to turn the offshore waters balance tion. Republican governors from Maryland, was “Why conservatives aban- between conservation and exploitation on its South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida joined T doned conservation.” It didn’t head. More than 90 percent of those waters in this chorus. promise a happy tale. The authors detailed a would be opened for exploration if Interior For now, the Trump administration’s plans range of President Trump’s initiatives where and the President get their way. The rationale are on hold. In April 2019, after losing a case environmental conservation became road for Trump’s ambitions comes straight out of in Alaska, the Department of Interior said it kill. What struck me most wasn’t that Trump, his “Make America Great Again” playbook. was indefinitely putting on hold plans to al- to the applause of many Republicans in Con- Then Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke said it low drilling in South Carolina’s offshore wa- gress, has abandoned conservation. Rather it’s would help the U.S. achieve “American En- ters. Republican Governor Henry McMaster that, in doing so, Trump abandoned conser- ergy Dominance.” welcomed the decision: “South Carolinians vation measures sponsored and supported What struck me about this plan wasn’t can remain confident that we will continue by American conservatives in the Republican Trump’s enthusiasm to drill everywhere. In- our efforts to protect our pristine coastline party. stead, it was the reaction from Republicans and invaluable tourism industry from the Republican President Richard Nixon, not governing coastal states. Republican gover- destructive threats of seismic testing and off- some tree-hugging Democrat, created the nors all along the Atlantic seaboard objected shore drilling.” Environmental Protection Agency. Three of loudly to this plan. All of those governors April also saw the Republican-controlled the conservation pillars Trump is desperate to tied their opposition to the threat offshore South Carolina Senate pass a measure to tear down – the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water drilling poses to multi-billion dollar tour- make it difficult to build the infrastructure Act, and the Endangered Species Act – enjoyed ism industries. Conservation needed to be on the mainland needed to support offshore unanimous support in the U.S. Senate. Not privileged, in part, because of this threat drilling. It too placed greater value on the one Republican voted against them. to tourism industries relying on healthy need to spare the state’s beaches and coastline The support in the 1970s for conservation coastal environments. New Jersey’s Repub- from the threat of drilling than on the jobs the from American conservatives leads me to lican governor Chris Christie’s department industry promises to the state if it’s allowed to wonder if all of today’s conservatives are as vi- of environmental protection “opposed any explore offshore. olently opposed to conservation as President industrialization of our coast.” Offshore On September 13th, as AWA members were Trump is. Is the abandonment universal? Or, drilling would threaten the state’s vital $44 getting ready to enjoy the Wild West Saloon, can the case still be made that conservatives billion tourism industry as well as the rec- Republican Governor McMaster joined a fed- can, will, and should support conservation? reational and commercial fishing indus- eral Democrat – House Representative Joe The case used in this issue of the Advocate tries that “are also critical to our economic Cunningham – to celebrate House passage of to support the contention that environmen- health.” But Christie’s objections were based Cunningham’s bill to ban offshore drilling off tal conservation still can enjoy an important on more than “just” the economic dimen- of the U.S. Atlantic and Pacific coasts. place among political conservatives comes sion. “These waters are home to plant, fish, Does this example of conservatives sup- from coastal states in the United States. In ear- mammal and avian species, including fed- porting conservation mean all conservatives ly 2018 the Trump administration proposed a erally listed endangered species,” his envi- will find religion and embrace conservation? dramatic expansion of petroleum exploration ronmental protection commissioner wrote. Of course not. But what it does illustrate is and exploitation activities in U.S. offshore wa- “The risk of adverse impacts to our marine that it’s foolish to think that, by definition, en- ters. Currently, 94 percent of Outer Continen- waters and the species that depend on them vironmental conservation is contrary to po- tal Shelf waters is off limits to the petroleum is unacceptable.” Environment, culture, and litical conservatism. Conservative politicians industry. The Interior Department’s 2018 plan economy all figured in Christie’s opposi- should be reminded of that.

WLA | Sept 2019 | Vol. 27, No. 3 | FEATURES 27A Louise Guy Poetry Corner

WHAT IF WE DID THIS DIFFERENTLY? Fairs fair By Audrey Lane Cockett So maybe I’ll meet you in rush hour traffic While I ask you to consider the risk What if we did this differently? Sift through paperwork and balance a budget While I convince you that it’s worth it to spend extra on Have you tried to explain manageable risk to the stonefly? a bridge Showed your permits to the uprooted spruce? A sound wall Asked the benthic for its bottom line? A corridor What did John Deere say to the white-tailed warnings? A box for bats It all sounds like a joke sometimes. What if we did this differently? But the audience is concrete and contracts Chain of command and out of our hands Dropped the bleeding hearts and blame Power tools, and Dropped the indifference and disconnect Metal arguments Dropped the ignorant arrogance, and listened

What if we did this differently? Found ourselves a language that isn’t built on bitter That didn’t come ready to be disappointed Meet me in the meadow Lay in the sweet grass while you tell me of the 8 lanes you What if we listened to each other? are dreaming of. What if we asked more questions? Ask the tender balsam buds Let stories move us If it is possible to heal Let challenge inspire Every rotting stump knows when to stop fighting Listen. Grow. Ground. Connect. Give. Accept. Talk to them Care. Ask the sapling growing from its remains What it means to be grateful Care needs to be cultivated. I know it seems like there is too much dust to settle Connected. Not enough rain Breathing. The sweet berries have jet lag Solutions are a living thing. I wonder if next year they will taste like smoke and power lines What if we did this differently? I guess we’ll see

28 WLA | Sept 2019 | Vol. 27, No. 3 | FEATURES THE PARKWAY BIKE TRAIL High above, the eagle soars and sees the earth destroyed, By Jill Seaton Sees creatures driven from their dens while birds that lose their nest trees A rare and blessed wilderness that other lands have lost Call distractedly below; watches as the caribou their ancient Still shelters all the wildlife that call this park their home. land forswear In spring come birds from southern spheres to find familiar As a hard, paved trail snakes forward to usurp what once woods was theirs. The grass grows green and first flowers bloom as the bear The fierce eye of the eagle sees the mother bear comes down That once enjoyed the fresh spring grass that grew on this From the Endless Chain to scratch its back on a favourite good earth tree. Wander off with two small cubs in search of other fare. Caribou of the Brazeau herd still feed on their ancient land As the eagle soars and sees the wild – as it was meant to be. Tired souls came from concrete lands to see this envied wild With lofty peaks and tangled streams, primordial, But there are plans to open up Pandora’s box Mirroring this country’s past and its present fragile beauty. And let destruction out. A bike trail like a long black snake Thousands came to wonder, heal, and leave refreshed Will slither south through meadow, woods and stream; They saw the bears, they saw the wild, but now they’ll only Rocks will be blasted, trees felled and wildlife’s trails see destroyed. A long black snake that kills the earth and kills the peace Bears will search in vain for berries, shredded by machine, Where protected wilderness was meant to be. And dandelions now poisoned by those who want To ‘share the land with wildlife’ – whatever that may mean.

Peregrine (2018) Featured Artist painted woodcut block Lisa Brawn 9.5 x 9.5”

Woodpecker (2018) painted woodcut block 10.25” x 9.5”

WLA | Sept 2019 | Vol. 27, No. 3 | FEATURES 29A Jill and Basil Seaton - Jasper’s Refined Firebrands

By Vivian Pharis, AWA Board Member Emeritus

Mike McIvor of Bow Valley Naturalists couple as the utmost tireless defenders of far-flung places like Malta and Jeddah in calls Jill Seaton, “The Voice” of Jasper Park park values - true eco-warriors! the Red Sea with her father, an Australian conservation and Ben Gadd declared Jill When Jill, now nearly 90, hosted me ex-Newfoundland bush pilot. In 1951 she and her husband Basil to be the movement’s and my two Labrador dogs overnight this arrived in Canada to visit her mother, met “heart and soul.” Everyone I spoke to about early August, she was full of fun, enthu- Basil in Ottawa, and married him after a the impact Jill and Basil had on Jasper town siasm, and remembrances. She and Basil six-week whirlwind romance. and park, from retired park wardens to had shared a lifetime of adventure and Little in life seemed to faze the newlyweds their town neighbours and fellow natural- challenges, including living in Jasper for as they moved from place to place in west- ists throughout the province, describe the the past 30 years. Their tales are many ern Canada, searching for adventure and and bold. Jill is known for standing up to challenge. They sampled Alberta and vari- absurd park pronouncements with “bring ous locations in BC; along the way bringing it on - I like a good fight!” I visited her up a son and a daughter. Each new place to find out what had sparked her and Ba- opened their eyes to what was happening sil’s unabashed love of Jasper and environs to the land and they began speaking up for and what was behind their determination voiceless wildlife and defending landscapes to dig in there in a long-term defensive from human exploitations. position. The early 1970s found them on an acre- As it turns out, references to “war” age near Okotoks where Jill became in- and “entrenchment” are apt for these censed about the plight of Alberta’s coy- two. Basil spent his early life serving otes, then officially regarded as “pests,” in the British and then the Canadi- open to any type of brutal killing, any an armies. Early in his military ca- time of the year. Coyotes were poisoned, reer, Basil earned heroic recognition run to exhaustion with snowmobiles, for battle feats on the Afghan/India shot from truck windows, and hunted border and in the jungles of Burma with dogs. Together with Grant Mac- where he nearly lost his life. In Can- Ewan’s daughter Heather, they formed ada, Basil served as an army Captain “Coyote Concern” and eventually got a and trained soldiers heading to battle- change in Alberta hunting regulations fields in Korea. Stationed in Nova Scotia, that provided a halt to persecution, at New Brunswick and Edmonton, he final- least during breeding season. ly retired from the military after a stint The Seatons’ next move was to Burns with the Department of Veterans’ Affairs Lake in northwestern BC, but not before at a post with Calgary’s Colonel Belcher Dr. Lu Carbyn, the dedicated wolf defend- Hospital. Camp Gagetown in New Bruns- er and researcher, asked Jill to help with wick was where Basil first sampled Cana- his campaign to protect wolves under the da’s wilds and found them appealing and International Union for the Conservation worth greater exploration. of Nature (IUCN). Jill’s canine experience Meanwhile Jill, having survived English to date had been coyote defense, so she and Swiss boarding schools, was sailing to was taken aback by Lou’s request. But,

30 WLA | Sept 2019 | Vol. 27, No. 3 | ASSOCIATION NEWS once ensconced at Burn’s Lake, she de- opportunities on offer. The longer they proposed Glacier Skywalk defilement of cided to interview area ranchers for their stayed, the more appreciative and defen- the Columbia Ice Fields area the project views on wolves and wolf control. Lou sive they became. Basil assumed a broad went ahead. was impressed with her interesting find- approach, encompassing global environ- Provincial conservation groups like ings and arranged for Jill to present them mentalism, informing himself in depth AWA, are forever indebted to people like before an IUCN meeting in Edmonton. Jill with issues like climate change and the Mike and Deanne McIvor in Banff and the had both feet on the road to activism! impact of relentless human growth on the Bow Valley Naturalists, and to Basil and Jill Next, they moved to Cortes Island off world, and could soon speak authorita- Seaton and the JEA, for so reliably keep- Vancouver Island, where they stayed 11 tively on how a changing climate could ing us informed and “holding the fort” years. Here Basil became a soldier in the affect global food supply or park wildlife. on park issues. Undoubtedly these local intractable fight against aquaculture and Jill leaned more toward a naturalist’s inter- groups often felt abandoned in their con- to save wild salmon from its consequenc- ests, becoming “the voice” for dwindling siderable efforts by their larger provincial es. They were on Cortes Island during the caribou herds, goats squeezed from their counterparts, who themselves were feel- 1980s when people were being arrested habitats and harlequin ducks impacted by ing overwhelmed by the load of “beyond for standing up against the clearcutting of rafters. Together, their formidable skills park” issues they were grappling with. old growth forests. Jill was one of those in research and communication allowed Basil passed away in 2011, leaving Jill to arrested on Vancouver Island, but not over them to wade through stacks of convolut- carry on in military style, which she has logging. Rather, she and 73 others stood in ed “park speak” documents, ferret out the done. She remains a main driver of the defense of Strathcona Park where Cream essence, write endless, clear replies and feisty little JEA, maintains its website, and Silver Mine was preparing to set up op- submissions and maintain an informative sends out critical action alerts and updates erations on park lands. Having crossed a web site, all on behalf of basic park values. on park issues. Jill is fondly remembered rope barrier to access the drilling area the They both served long terms as President by folks like the McIvors for what could activists were arrested and taken by police of the small, but large-voiced, Jasper Envi- be a disarmingly humorous approach to cruisers to Campbell River. A judge finally ronmental Association (JEA). dastardly tourism proposals like the Brew- threw the case out and Cream Silver with- Over the years, the tsunami of tourist ster Skywalk. She helped to organize a “get drew from the area. Would she do it all development proposals that were surg- together” near the Ice Fields Centre where again? “Of course - the cause was right!” ing over Banff and Lake Louise began to part of the entertainment was to spoof the Cortes Island’s dark winter skies and no hit Jasper’s shores too. The Seatons and Skywalk as the “Silly Walk” as per John place to hike but clearcuts, drove the Sea- JEA stood firm though and undoubtedly Cleese and his Monty Python skit, and tons to seek snow for cross-country skiing turned the tide back on many schemes where “B. Rooster” also played a role. The and sunny days. Where else could provide that could make people rich at park ex- event provided a welcome relief to those these, but Jasper, Alberta? They sampled pense. Without them, Jasper would sure- who had tied themselves in knots trying three of Jasper’s winters from 1990-1992 ly be further down the road towards ugly to turn Parks Canada’s attention back to- before deciding this was their paradise. Banffification than it is. Foremost amongst wards key park values. Besides, Jill was offered a job by one of the fronts they held at bay are expansions Asked about the future, Jill expresses re- Jasper’s icons, Ben Gadd. Ben, through to the Maligne Lake Lodge and to more ski gret for the political direction being forced the Friends of Jasper National Park, was development in Marmot Basin on critical on Banff and Jasper National Parks and by setting up an educational institute known caribou and goat habitat. Stopping rafting the replacement of local staff with those as The Jasper Institute, to provide peo- on the important harlequin duck habitat sympathetic with development. “The ple with weekend instruction in wildlife of the Maligne River was a satisfying suc- good people have left, the ones that up- matters, wildflower identification, natural cess, as was bringing sense to the loss of held park values - I don’t know what the history and park issues. University cred- critical wildlife habitat that a second long, outcome will be.” Banff’s McIvors know, it could be gained through taking some linear transportation route, this one for and have labelled it “over-tourism”. courses. Instruction was by knowledge- bicycles, would have on the Banff-Jasper Undoubtedly Jill wishes that Jasper be able, qualified people like Drs. George corridor. But, it is very hard to curtail es- spared. Scotter, Val Geist and Paul Paquet and Jill tablished tourism providers like Brewster, became The Institute’s Registrar and all- (now owned by the American company around handy person Viad, Brewster attractions are now part of Basil and Jill were attracted to Jasper Viad’s “Pursuit Collection” of properties). by the mountains and thoroughly appre- Despite the use of social media to gain, in ciated and enjoyed the range of outdoor short order, 192,000 signatures against a

WLA | Sept 2019 | Vol. 27, No. 3 | ASSOCIATION NEWS 31A Clear skies and warm late summer temperatures graced conversations. Inside, when people weren’t dancing to the AWA’s annual Wild West Saloon on September 13th. Judg- beats of the Sadlier-Brown band or playing games of chance, ing by the smiles and laughter, AWA’s members and guests guests supported your association’s mission through raffles, had a great time at this year’s party and fundraiser. Soul a bake sale, and a silent auction. Through the generosity Kitchen BBQ delighted our palates with their mouth-water- of more than 100 attendees we raised more than $20,000 ing main courses while Village Ice Cream proved their equal for wilderness conservation. Thanks to all who joined us when it came to the dessert offerings. Outside the Hillhurst for this year’s Saloon. We hope to see even more wilderness Cottage School, our two firepits were centrepieces for many supporters in September 2020.

32 WLA | Sept 2019 | Vol. 27, No. 3 | ASSOCIATION NEWS Photos by K. Mihalcheon and D. Morasch

WLA | Sept 2019 | Vol. 27, No. 3 | ASSOCIATION NEWS 33A Owen Duke’s Wild Lemonade Stand

All photos courtesy of Tracy Duke.

Early this summer Owen Duke set up a lemonade stand…wait, verbial glass being half full, we don’t know what is! Owen, thank you make that a Tiki Bar… and Owen generously donated some of the for your donation and for your efforts to make Alberta’s future a little proceeds from his sales to AWA. If this isn’t an example of the pro- wilder.

34 WLA | Sept 2019 | Vol. 27, No. 3 | ASSOCIATION NEWS Updates

Meeting with Minister Caribou: Two new draft It would be a great step forward if legally Nixon conservation agreements, binding plans with these habitat measures On July 31, I set off from Calgary for a three new task forces were completed. More species than caribou chance to see what was new in our Castle August 2019 brought several new plan- would benefit if these intentions are realized Provincial Park and to attend a meeting ning proposals for Alberta’s threatened on the landscape. Alberta’s threatened native at the newly renovated Syncline Group woodland caribou. The most far-reaching, fish and other wildlife rely on intact or older Camp with Environment and Parks Minis- potentially, was a draft ‘conservation agree- forests and also would benefit greatly from ter Jason Nixon. It was an informal meet- ment’ between the federal and Alberta gov- long-overdue cumulative effects manage- ing and sitting across a picnic table from ernments. It contains timelines and actions ment in caribou ranges. Minister Nixon I had an informal conver- for Alberta to follow as it develops range However, history suggests that too many sation with him about AWA. We discussed plans to meet at least the minimum habitat promising proposals end up in the grave- AWA’s concerns over the remaining kilo- requirements for woodland caribou. AWA yard of good intentions. There is no certain- metres in the Castle Provincial Park that welcomed the start of the public comment ty that these measures will be implemented need to be closed and the legal require- period for the draft. The provincial consul- as described and in a way that adequately ment to protect WSCT. We also discussed tation lasts until October 6, 2019. To partici- protects caribou critical habitat. There are regional planning and the work former pate, visit this website: https://talkaep.alberta. troubling gaps in the draft Canada-Alberta Minister Ted Morton did to ensure cumu- ca/caribou-conservation-agreement. agreement. Some of the most serious ones lative impact measures were part of bring- Under the federal government’s 2012 are: ing economy, environment, and land uses woodland caribou recovery strategy, Alber- • it lacks interim habitat protection during back into balance. ta should have completed habitat-focused the time that range plan discussions and The Minister let us know he had been caribou range plans by 2017. These plans planning are proposed to occur, making calling stakeholders about caribou and a should have outlined how cumulative hu- it likely that habitat disturbance will con- draft section 11 agreement under SARA man-caused land disturbances in caribou tinue to grow; that Alberta and Canada will be going home ranges will be reduced to levels that • the timeline for implementing most of forward with. Public consultation on this can support self-sustaining caribou popu- these measures is still years away and agreement will take place. lations. In 2019, not a single Alberta cari- there is no mechanism of accountability The meeting was part of a tour the Min- bou range plan has yet been finalized. Since if these timelines are missed; ister took and there were other meetings habitat conditions continue to deteriorate it’s • it lacks a funding commitment; and with other stakeholder groups that day vital to act as soon as possible. There literally • it omits a target decade by which Al- and the next. MLAs from Taber Warner, is no time to lose. berta will achieve and maintain at least Lethbridge East, and Livingstone MacLeod The draft Canada-Alberta agreement has the minimum habitat requirements for along with Assistant Deputy Ministers many positive aspirations. For example, it self-sustaining caribou. Conrad and Fernandez, and a number of proposes that range plans have legal stand- In the past, encouraging sounding Alberta parks planning staff were at the meeting. ing; they should be established under pro- caribou declarations have not led to mean- Colleagues from Castle Crown Wilderness vincial law. Also, Indigenous collaboration ingful habitat actions. Despite the Alberta Coalition, Y2Y and CPAWS Southern Al- is acknowledged as important for caribou government’s approval of the 2005 Wood- berta and Northern Alberta were also part conservation. Other positive proposals are: land Caribou Recovery Plan and 2011 Car- of this meeting. We look forward to con- • to develop forest management plans that ibou Policy, extensive forest fragmentation tinuing the conversation with the Minister would set harvest levels that support car- and habitat loss marches along. Alberta con- and his staff. ibou recovery, including the phase-out of tinues to put too many eggs in the wildlife - Christyann Olson mountain pine beetle surge clearcuts; manipulation basket. This emphasis delivers • to develop energy infrastructure and ac- horrific mass wolf culls in several ranges and cess plans so as to maintain and restore a pilot project to fence calving females in en- habitat; and closures, all of which risk being expensive • that energy and forestry approvals would distractions from necessary habitat actions. include conditions to reduce cumulative This agreement doesn’t change a funda- effects to caribou habitat. mental AWA position. AWA believes this

WLA | Sept 2019 | Vol. 27, No. 3 | WILDERNESS WATCH 35A mountain caribou, which federal Environ- ment Minister McKenna determined in May 2018 are facing imminent threats such that immediate intervention was required to en- able their eventual recovery. Each task force will consist of 12 to 16 members; each will include representa- tives from indigenous communities, mu- nicipalities, industries, recreation groups, trappers and environmental NGOs. Task forces will consider regional economic, access, and habitat scenarios and recom- mend land use approaches. AWA will have one delegate on each task force; we see this as an important opportunity to con- tribute. We will urge our fellow members to endorse land management solutions that will achieve and maintain habitat re- quirements for self-sustaining caribou in a reasonable time horizon while supporting environmentally sustainable economies. The Cold Lake task force is intended to The Cold Lake sub-region is an area where one of three newly struck provincial task forces will focus on for move fast: it will start meeting in September woodland caribou recovery measures. AWA will participate on each task force. and will make its recommendations in No- agreement in no way substitutes for the [federal boreal woodland caribou] Recovery vember 2019. The Alberta government has federal Environment Minister’s and federal Strategy, that will support traditional Indig- stated it will then draft a Cold Lake sub-re- government’s responsibilities to protect crit- enous harvesting activities, consistent with gional land use plan for caribou recovery ical habitat under s. 61 of the Species at Risk existing Indigenous Rights”. by the end of 2019. Public and Indigenous Act (SARA). Caribou urgently need interim, The agreement includes a timetable for consultations will then be conducted on that measured federal orders on unprotected cooperation and investigation of a number draft plan. provincial lands. These interim measures of positive measures over the next sever- The other two sub-regional processes are would spur both government and industry al years, including habitat restoration and intended to be similar, with somewhat lon- to actually complete and implement legally conservation. A hitch may be that, with the ger timelines. Task forces for Bistcho and enforceable range plans that achieve at least range entirely situated on provincial lands, Upper Smoky will start this fall, with a Bist- minimum caribou habitat requirements. progress will ultimately depend on the Al- cho sub-regional plan to be drafted in spring A second recently released planning docu- berta government’s willingness to advance 2020, and Upper Smoky sub-regional plan ment is a draft conservation agreement nego- the habitat and stewardship goals. to be drafted by the fall of 2020. tiated between the federal government and Alberta took a third notable initiative. It is It is positive that these task forces, which the Cold Lake First Nations. AWA applauds launching three caribou sub-regional task are listed as an action in the draft Cana- this agreement. It is an important step to forces this fall to recommend caribou recov- da-Alberta conservation agreement, are get- enhance Cold Lake First Nations’ capacity ery actions. One task force will be focused ting underway. Time will tell whether these and leadership to recover woodland caribou on the Cold Lake region, which should processes work. We hope these two conser- within its traditional territory in northeast build on the momentum generated by both vation agreements, when finalized, actually Alberta and northwest Saskatchewan. the Canada-Cold Lake First Nations agree- will make meaningful progress towards se- The agreement’s “Shared Recovery Objec- ment and the useful habitat restoration work curing habitat for self-sustaining wild cari- tive” is laudable: “to set out and confirm the piloted by some oil sands companies in that bou in healthy forests. actions that the Parties have agreed to take region. The two other sub-regions are the - Carolyn Campbell in order to support the achievement of a northwest Alberta Bistcho region, and the so- self-sustaining population in the Cold Lake called ‘Upper Smoky’ region of west central Boreal Caribou Range, consistent with the Alberta. The Upper Smoky includes ranges population and distribution objectives in the of the Redrock-Prairie Creek and Narraway

36 WLA | Sept 2019 | Vol. 27, No. 3 | WILDERNESS WATCH F I N D Y O U R Update: Introducing the Wild Alberta Interactive Map As a provincial organization, AWA works throughout Alberta to create awareness of Wild Alberta and action for wilderness, wildlife, and wild waters – but where exactly is “Wild Alberta”? Since AWA’s birth in 1965, we have endeavoured to answer that question. We began with kitchen-table conversa- learn about ourC naturalH E C Khome. O U TIt identifiesO U R N E Wthey I N TareE Rtoday.A C T I V E M A P tions and simple bubbles drawn on paper Alberta’s WsixW distinctW . A LNaturalB E R T Regions,A W I L DcurE R- N E SPleaseS . C Atake/ W a IfewL D moments- A L B E R toT Acheck out maps. Thanks to advancements in GIS and rently protected landscapes, and the prior- the map and learn a little about our Wild tremendous help from experts and volun- ity areas AWA calls our Areas of Concern. Alberta. Also, we would love to hear from teers, we have refined our map into an on- Our Areas of Concern are the landscapes you about your own favourite wild space line public resource that helps define where we believe have important wilderness and what it means to you. Visit the map at “Wild Alberta” is. We’re excited to intro- values: high biodiversity, specific/unique www.albertawilderness.ca/wild-alberta duce our Wild Alberta Interactive Map! landscape features, and vital wildlife hab- Happy navigating! The map is our newest resource to help itat. We hope, and strive to ensure, that - Your Alberta Wilderness Association Team researchers, explorers, colleagues, students, these landscapes will be as pristine, breath- authors, politicians and engaged Albertans taking, and intact 100 years from now as

‘purity’, to be bottled or canned and then Update: 100 Debates Fortress Mountain Ski Hill sold. Every year thousands of truckloads on the Environment Should Not Truck Mountain of water will be taken from Kananaskis and and AWA’s Federal All- Water to Calgary bottled for consumers in Calgary. Candidates Forum Fortress Mountain ski hill is proposing to remove 50 million litres per year of water Alberta Environment and Parks confirmed Join us at AWA Cottage School on Octo- flowing into Kananaskis’ Galatea Creek and to the Rocky Mountain Outlook newspaper in ber 3rd for a Calgary Confederation all-can- truck it downstream to a Calgary bottling July 2019 that Fortress’ application was to didates forum. This forum is one of ‘100 facility. Many AWA members and other con- truck the water to a bottling facility in Cal- Debates on the Environment,’ a non-parti- cerned Albertans have stated they strongly gary. Fortress’ management has not stated a san project aiming to bring voters together oppose this water use proposal. definite destination or product format. The at the riding level to hear candidates’ best Fortress ski hill lease holders were granted statement of concern that AWA submitted policy ideas for the environment. a license in 1968 to withdraw water to sup- to regulators and elected decision makers Leading up to the 43rd Canadian Gener- ply potable water for their ski business (in is based on this intent – one that obviously al Election, 100 debates are being held in 1987, they received a separate snow-making wasn’t considered when Fortress applied for 100 ridings across the country. They all water license, which is not involved in this its 1968 license. address four common questions on the proposal). Fortress ski hill withdraws water Fortress has stated that it opposes single environment: climate change, wilderness from an unnamed stream that flows into use plastic bottles. However, Fortress’ man- conservation, water security, and pollution. Galatea Creek. The well known ‘Galatea’ aging director Tom Heath also stated to a We hope you’ll join us in starting the con- hiking trail in Kananaskis’ Spray Valley CBC reporter in July 2019: “We’re looking versation! Provincial Park criss-crosses Galatea Creek to sell the water. What the buyer wants to many times. Galatea Creek flows into the do with us, it could be, God only knows, it Date: Thursday, October 3, 2019 Kananaskis River, which in turn flows into could be bottled water, but we won’t have Time: 7:00-9:00pm the Bow River. anything to do with it. Think of us like an Location: AWA Cottage School, The 1968 water license allows Fortress to oil well. We are not a gas station.” 455 12 Street NW, Calgary remove annually 98.678 million litres for its Although this water will be marketed Visit albertawilderness.ca/events for ski hill operations. Fortress now indicates it for its ‘purity’ the scheme actually is envi- more information will not use 50 million litres per year of that ronmentally damaging. Its higher impacts total. It proposes to sell that unused portion. include: Trucks will take this water, branded for its • removing water from a small mountain

WLA | Sept 2019 | Vol. 27, No. 3 | WILDERNESS WATCH 37A Fortress ski hill proposes to withdraw 50 million litres of water per year that would otherwise flow into Kananaskis’ Galatea Creek. The water would be trucked downstream and sold for its ‘purity.’ PHOTO: © C. CAMPBELL stream flowing into a protected area in it, selling it…those are the last things that glaciers by 2100, and with other future the Bow River basin headwaters; should happen to this water. climate-change affected flow risks; • greenhouse gas emissions to pump and While 50 million litres per year is not a Fortress’ license was issued in 1968 for a transport thousands of truckloads per large portion of the flow in the Bow River particular use, timing, and location. Manag- year of water that is already flowing nat- watershed, this scheme proposes to estab- ing the cumulative impacts to our water re- urally to Calgary; and lish a very troubling precedent. Our water sources for future generations and the health • helping to promote bottled/canned water resources are limited and AWA strongly op- of aquatic ecosystems requires responsible as ‘purer’ than the high quality municipal poses this poor re-allocation option. In the allocation decisions of Bow waters, no mat- drinking water Calgarians currently en- 50 years since the Fortress water license was ter how large or small the license. Fortress joy. We need to greatly reduce our overall issued, much has changed. Substantial risks, ski hill should have the highest water conser- packaging and waste, not increase it. not appreciated in the 1960s, now surround vation practices possible given its privileged Most of the flows of the Bow and other the future of water in the Bow River basin: position surrounded by Alberta mountain major Alberta rivers comes from moun- • the Bow River basin is now closed to parks. In AWA’s view, this proposal – so con- tain ‘headwaters’ lands and the snow, rain, new surface water licenses – regardless trary to the purposes of the initial license – and melting glacier water they provide. of how small – because of over-allocation demands that the water should be left where During high flows, channels are formed concerns, both for aquatic ecosystems it belongs, in the mountain stream. and flushed, nutrients and sediment are and prior rights holders. In an August 22 opinion column in Banff’s transported downstream, riparian areas are • even without factoring in climate Crag and Canyon, climber Brandon Pullan changed and renewed. A portion of runoff change, there is now strong scientific ev- writes: “I was stoked for Fortress Mountain and channel flows are absorbed into the idence that pre-20th century droughts ski resort to open, but if they start selling ground to emerge later as the essential year- in the Bow River basin were much more water to bottling companies, I’ll be skiing round ‘base flows’ to our rivers. During low severe than the flow levels experienced elsewhere.” From the letters to Alberta En- flow periods, aquatic life can be limited by in the 20th century. The flows in the last vironment and Parks Minister Nixon, MLAs, water scarcity. Mountain ecosystems are century were used to guide the amount regulatory officials and Fortress that AWA also especially vulnerable to the uncertain- of water issued in Bow River basin wa- was copied on, we know that many Alber- ties posed by climate change. Considering ter licenses; tans likewise strongly oppose Fortress’ wa- these factors, water that is not needed for its • there are even greater risks of severe ter use proposal. approved purpose should remain in water- droughts in the Bow with the predicted - Carolyn Campbell ways in Kananaskis; extracting it, trucking disappearance of most Rocky Mountain

38 WLA | Sept 2019 | Vol. 27, No. 3 | WILDERNESS WATCH Letter to the Editor

“While in her article “Finding Wild Space in an Urban Place” (June 2019 issue) Grace Wark correctly identifies many of the difficulties of creating and maintaining wildness and wildlife in urban settings, I do not believe that she gets to the core of the problem. Simply put, under the present system, municipalities have no money for the natural environment. Big, rapidly-growing cities like Calgary and Edmonton need all their revenue to finance their expansion, the new infrastructure and services required by urban sprawl, as well as maintain existing infrastructure. Small municipalities with static or shrinking populations and economies likewise have no money for anything but basic social needs, which inevitably, in either situation, take priority. And as long as property taxes are a significant part of municipal income and jobs a top election issue, municipalities will always encourage development, with consequent loss of natural areas and ecological connectivity. So, it isn’t “just a matter of supporting more thoughtful planning for urban parks and protected areas to counterbalance current trends in suburban growth.” It’s a matter of a whole social system, of how revenue is generated. It is also a matter of human nature, of putting human priorities first, and of a lack of ecological understanding. When we do devote funding to green spaces it is largely because of their perceived value for human health and recreation, not for reasons of ecological integrity and connectivity. Edmonton’s Ribbon of Green program and plans for expansion, for example, exist largely to provide access for recreation to the North Saskatchewan River Valley and ravine system by way of trails and appropriate infrastructure; it pays only lip service to ecological integrity. (Even without increased access Edmonton’s river valley is in danger of being seriously overused, although not for immersion in nature!) Wark also refers to Edmonton’s Breathe strategy, but here again the objective is primarily human-centred: to provide equitable open space to all communities, and it relies heavily on the river valley to do this. And it is only a strategy, not even a plan, and a long way from being operational. Creating Big Island Provincial Park in southwest Edmonton may sound like a great idea. However, this 400-hectare area (compare Calgary’s Fish Creek Provincial Park at 1348 hectares) could mean its ecological destruction if it is not done properly, with appropriate limitations on recreational expectations. Meanwhile, Edmonton is threatened with loss of river valley parkland. The City is giving serious consideration to the re- industrialization of the river valley with the construction of a 45,000 solar panel farm on river bottomland. What then is the answer, if indeed there is one, to having wild space in our municipalities? A long-term goal is surely to affect a paradigm change, from one in which endless growth is seen as both necessary and desirable, to one of true sustainability. Without growth, the pressure to develop and to consume is immediately lessened. In the shorter term it must mean that municipalities come to recognize that adequate spending on maintaining healthy ecosystems in their own right is part of essential urban infrastructure. (Federal funding to help municipalities participate in achieving the international goal of 17 percent land set aside as protected area in Canada could be a big help.) Finally, I believe that naturalists, conservationists and natural scientists have a big role to play in convincing both the public and political leaders that a paradigm shift towards making the protection of nature a top priority is both a moral and a practical imperative. We need an explosion of public activism in favour of nature. Sincerely, Patsy Cotterill Edmonton

Notice to Members Annual General Meeting of Alberta Wilderness Assn November 23, 2019 10 am AWA Hillhurst Cottage School 455 – 12 Street NW, Calgary

AWA’s By-laws were last revised in 1997. During this past year the Board of Directors has reviewed AWA’s By-laws and propose some minor updates including more contemporary spelling of by-law from bylaw in the existing document. The By-laws with present and proposed changes were posted on the AWA website at the end of August. A resolution to accept the changes will be presented by the Secretary/Treasurer of the Board of Directors to the membership at the AGM on November 23, 2019.

WLA | Sept 2019 | Vol. 27, No. 3 | DEPARTMENTS 39 Return Undeliverable Canadian Addresses to: PM 40065626

Alberta Wilderness Association 455-12 ST NW Calgary, Alberta T2N 1Y9 [email protected]

ISSN 485535