No More Fish and Wildlife Division?

[Sledder1]

It's cute that you guys think fish and Wildlife is a priority to the gov't.

Just a matter of time for non-enforcement components to get privatized. Welcome to alberta.

[avb3]

Originally Posted by Sledder1

It's cute that you guys think fish and Wildlife is a priority to the gov't.

Just a matter of time for non-enforcement components to get privatized. Welcome to alberta.

F&W used to be important. It had its own ministry. Then it was folded in with others, but still had its own division.

Now that is gone too. We, the people, need to speak up if it is an issue to us.

Have YOU talked to your MLA about this?

[Sledder1]

For every 1 call a mla gets about f+w issues, they get 5000 calls about health care or education or infrastructure.

If they cared they would better staff our province. There are districts without any fish and Wildlife officers. It's the golden age for poaching.

Accept the changes they make cause next election it will change again. And change again, and again, etc

Originally Posted by Sledder1

For every 1 call a mla gets about f+w issues, they get 5000 calls about health care or education or infrastructure.

If they cared they would better staff our province. There are districts without any fish and Wildlife officers. It's the golden age for poaching.

Accept the changes they make cause next election it will change again. And change again, and again, etc

Enforcement isn't part of Fish and Wildlife. The new restructuring will affect management and regulations but not enforcement.

[Sledder1]

You missed the point I was making. And fish and Wildlife division still works with the officers. Just in different departments.

[Ryry4]

Originally Posted by sheephunter

Enforcement isn't part of Fish and Wildlife. The new restructuring will affect management and regulations but not enforcement.

It already has affected enforcement. When F&W officers are planning to go check people fishing for a weekend and get called away from that to go help the Sheriffs with radar traps. And that did happen this year. It'll be very interesting what will happen when those guys start checking hunting licenses.

Originally Posted by Sledder1

You missed the point I was making. And fish and Wildlife division still works with the officers. Just in different departments.

Pretty sure I didn't miss anything. Conservation officers are under the Solicitor General's office. This restructure will not effect that but it sure will be interesting to see what happens with game and fish management.

[Ryry4]

Originally Posted by sheephunter

Pretty sure I didn't miss anything. Conservation officers are under the Solicitor General's office. This restructure will not effect that but it sure will be interesting to see what happens with game and fish management.

They will manage hunters and not wildlife. One doesn't have to look any farther than what they want to do with bighorns.

[Sledder1]

Originally Posted by sheephunter

Pretty sure I didn't miss anything. Conservation officers are under the Solicitor General's office. This restructure will not effect that but it sure will be interesting to see what happens with game and fish management.

K a few things to mention. Conservation officers and fish and Wildlife officers are 2 different things in alberta. Fish and Wildlife officers play a huge role in fish and Wildlife management. They make suggestions to regulation changes and tag allocation to name a couple things.

Originally Posted by Sledder1

K a few things to mention. Conservation officers and fish and Wildlife officers are 2 different things in alberta. Fish and Wildlife officers play a huge role in fish and Wildlife management. They make suggestions to regulation changes and tag allocation to name a couple things.

Maybe at one time. I think you are missing my point. These changes are all about management and nothing to do with enforcement. Those two previous sides of Fish and Wildlife were permanently seperated last year. We better look at the ramifications to wildlife management here because it seems the big picture is being overlooked.

[walking buffalo]

Originally Posted by Rocky7

What leads you to that conclusion, WB? I don't see it.

My guess is that the answers will come in the "Transformation and Integration Division". That's Progressive gobbledygook if I ever heard it. I'd suggest it's part of some hidden master plan that began with the Land Bills and will mesh with the PC's stated intention to regulate in consideration of "international" interests in the use of Alberta land and resources by Albertans, as per the Land Secretariat. That also connects with REDford's vague references to developing our oil sands as some kind of good citizen of the world. These are the visions of a Statist and a Progressive.

Privatization? I doubt it. This is a Big Government party and a Big Government Premier.

If F&W is being absorbed into something else, it is because they want us to stop thinking about wildlife as something different, something special or something Albertan. It's a common Progressive tactic - first change the vocabulary and then you can change their values.



That's for sure. It is big and it is deep.

Oh well, at least nobody is going to say an unkind word to a homo-sexual or drop a reference to Gawd. We must be thankful for these small oh-so-important blessings.

What you are calling "Statist", I call "Corporate in camoflage".


The Federal trend has been to loosen Environmental legislation while eliminating the Scientific research departments. Governments don't want to fund fact gathering that may get in the way of resource development.

The Governments are not the ones extracting the resources. Who has the most to gain from the new "Statist" agenda?

International Corporations.



Thanks for the digging AVB3.



I didn't vote for the Red Queen, and I asked that You don't vote for her either.

[Sledder1]

Nevermind. It's like talking to a wall.

Originally Posted by Sledder1

Nevermind. It's like talking to a wall.

Sledder, I'm not trying to be difficult but you are the third person in this thread that has tried to tie this reorganization to enforcement and it just isn't the case. Enforcement falls under the Solicitor General's office. It has for close to a year. It's important that people understand what's going on here. This is strictly about management and hunters and anglers need to be concerned.

Absolutely F&W officers were very closely tied to management at one time but not any more. Times are changing. If one were prone to wearing tin foil hats, it wouldn't be hard to say that this reorganization has been in the works for a year. It was pretty convenient that they severed enforcement from F&W last year.

[avb3]

Originally Posted by Sledder1

K a few things to mention. Conservation officers and fish and Wildlife officers are 2 different things in alberta. Fish and Wildlife officers play a huge role in fish and Wildlife management. They make suggestions to regulation changes and tag allocation to name a couple things.

Sledder, that is not how it works at all, certainly not now.

At one time, the officers had input, which tied in with surveys and other tools the biological staff had.

Now with the officers in a different department, there is no ADM which could direct them to take part in those discussions. In fact, there will be no more ADM (asst. deputy minister) to direct any fish and wildlife activities.

How soon do you think before our priorities will be history?

[fortyseven]

First of all, apologies for length

I have had emails backward and forward from my MLA (Ms. Laurie Blakeman - Edmonton-Center)

Here was my initial email:

I have come across some news I find deeply troubling.
The ESRD restructuring makes no reference to fish and wildlife in Alberta. This could cause potential harm for population control, and hunting regulation.
I have had several interactions with F&W officers here in Alberta, and they have always been positive. I have a deep respect for the work they do protecting Alberta's stocks of fish and wildlife, as well as monitoring and regulating population, so that we hunters can enjoy our sport, while poaching laws are enforced, safe hunting and firearms use is promoted and encouraged, and the risk of overhunting or overfishing is controlled. The idea of F&W being stripped from the ESRD is unthinkable.
I request that you please reply at your earliest convenience with more information for me about this restructuring, and how it will affect our sport.

She initally didnt personally reply, instead she sent my email off to her researcher. Here is the email I got back (you're going to love this)

Laurie Blakeman has asked me to send you the link to the website.
Please check under the third tab. If this information is not what you are seeking, please contact me and I'll search deeper.

http://www.srd.alberta.ca/

She just told me to check the SRD website, and that the third tab says "Fish and Wildlife". She must have thought that was good enough. "What restructure? It says Fish and Wildlife right there!"

Did the even read my email? I was furious!

I responded:

This is no way responds to my concerns about the upcoming restructure of ASRD where F&W appears to not be a part of the new divisions. To be honest I am extremely disappointed with Ms. Blakeman that this is all she replied with. Just a "look, F&W are on the website." What an insult.

And Ms. Blakeman took the time to reply personally!

It sounds like you were not happy with the info we sent you. I may have misunderstood what you were looking for. You can call me at my Annex office today 780.422-1371 if you can so I can get clarification.

I replied

I simply want to know why ASRD is being restructured, and if it is unavoidable, then an explanation as to why the proposed restructuring has removed the Fish and Wildlife division?
And as I seem to be better at researching than your researcher, Here is the ASRD presentation. [i included the above link] Please note slide 4 that there is no longer a Fish and Wildlife division in their plans.
I look forward to your response.

Wonder where this'll go? At any rate, she's taken notice. I've also sent this information to a colleague of mine, who has promised to speak directly to ASRD on my behalf. He's a fish and water scientist, indirectly involved with ASRD.

[avb3]

Originally Posted by fortyseven

.....

Wonder where this'll go? At any rate, she's taken notice. I've also sent this information to a colleague of mine, who has promised to speak directly to ASRD on my behalf. He's a fish and water scientist, indirectly involved with ASRD.

Thanks for caring and following up. After the initial flurry, I have not heard much details or feedback.

[fortyseven]

Got a response from my MLA.

You'll have to ask the Premier why she wanted Environment & SRD combined. The unofficial view is that she needed to be seen with a smaller Cabinet. I have seen these two combined and split at least twice so far. Ditto for Justice and Solicitor General.

I'be done some more checking and Fish & Wildlife does still exist but had been moved under or with another section. The $, such as it is, is still in the budget. The name has been subsumed under that other division. Which is making it harder for you to find. I have a call in to find what that other division is, no response yet, so it will be tomorrow.

Overall I do sense less enthusiasm for Fish & Wildlife then under previous Ministers. Dr. Morton, in particular was a champion. But both fish and wildlife habitat protection has lost out to the "resource development" side of this Dept. Witness caribou and bear populations declining as their safe travel corridors get opened up, developed or otherwise blocked.
The Premier came down full force on the side of development in the bear den vrs logging fight I had with her in the Spring. Which leads me to think this resource over wildlife preference is likely to continue.

Discuss.

[chasingtail]

[Matt L.]

Interesting. That was a good response from your MLA, not the one I wanted to hear, but a good one none the less. I foresee dark times ahead for our wildlife, especially sheep and goats as they seem hellbent on blasting apart as much of the rockies as they can.

[Sledder1]

Told ya.

And yes. A good thorough and honest response.

[270WIN]

I went in to the Red Deer F&W office a couple of weeks ago to attend to a small piece of business and found the door locked with a note on it saying that the office was closed and would remain so until the administrative staff returned on July 24. I phoned there today (Aug 2) and got a recording saying that the office was closed until August 20 (again because there was no administrative staff). Still haven't been able to complete the matter I wanted to finish up a couple of weeks ago.
Looks like the "beginning of the end" to me.

Now if I'd been looking to get a free sex change operation, I bet I'd have had no trouble at all finding someone in the provincial civil service to help me out.