Alberta 12-year-olds will soon be able to hunt without adult supervision using laser targeting devices 

Hey, 12-year-olds in Alberta will soon be able to hunt without adult supervision using laser targeting devices on their hunting rifles!

What could possibly go wrong? 

Parks and Forestry Minister Todd Loewen is at it again, introducing legislation that draws on a deep well of bad ideas about wildlife management and by all appearances a desire to protect the interests hunting guide businesses like the one in which he owns a share – although the minister believes, he has stated on numerous occasions, that he has established there is no conflict. 

Unsupervised pre-teens hunting alone or in packs and the legalization of laser targeting for hunting will be possible as soon as Bill 41, the Wildlife Amendment Act, 2025, is pushed through the Legislature by the United Conservative Party majority, which of course is exactly what will happen.

There are other dubious ideas in Mr. Loewen’s effort to “modernize” the province’s hunting legislation, but those two are striking because in addition to being problematic for the management and preservation of Alberta wildlife, they present a serious threat to public safety. 

In addition, the passage of Bill 41 will allow: a reduction in the required draw weight of hunting bows to make them more accessible to children (also a threat to public safety); the province to issue digital licenses and electronic tags (presumably downloaded from the Internet); hunting of cougars for meat without preserving their hides (is it just me, or do others wonder who would wish to eat a cat?); use of leashed dogs to track wounded game (and, inevitably, unleashed dogs to track unwounded game); and allowing hunters to shoot from wheelchairs (which seems fair if impractical but may well be a legislative step toward allowing hunting from motorized vehicles).

Indeed, another change would permit hunters to shoot game from an unanchored motor boat, as long, the minister piously told CBC Edmonton AM host Mark Connolly in on-air interview, as the boat is at a standstill. 

C’mon, though. Anyone who has ever been in a boat knows that even with the engine off, it will continue to move, especially in a current. Shooting from a boat as an inherently dangerous and irresponsible practice. 

As for the use of laser sights, a military invention, Mr. Loewen blew off a question by bewildered-sounding Mr. Connolly, saying, “this is all just about aiming, and encouraging, giving people opportunity to use safe and humane kills when it comes to hunting. 

“You know,” he bloviated, “we have open sights, iron sights when it comes to rifles and things like that. We have scopes, and this is just one more tool to use, to aim, to take game safely and humanely. It’s all about aiming …”

In a long-winded news release that opens with an ode to how “Alberta is home to the most stunning and diverse landscapes in the world, and hunting and trapping are integral to Alberta’s cultural heritage,” Mr. Loewen promotes the idea that the planned amendments to the Wildlife Act are mere modernization, “ensuring that hunting, trapping, and wildlife management practices remain effective, sustainable, and aligned with technological advancements.”

The changes will “support the long-standing cultural heritage of hunting in our province, while prioritizing the health of our ecosystems and wildlife populations for future generations,” Mr. Loewen insists in his canned quote. 

Burying the lead in a press release and starting instead with a rambling paean to Alberta’s supposedly distinct society and magnificent scenery is a sure tell the UCP is about to try to pull the wool over our eyes. 

Indeed, the news release never outlines what the proposed changes to the Wildlife Act will be, only tells us why they’re a wonderful idea. Supporting quotes are all from organizations associated with hunting, not from the broader range of wildlife conservation and preservation groups.

The task of explaining what the legislation really means was left to Jack Farrell of The Canadian Press, who took the trouble to dig out what was actually being proposed by the minister, and honed in on wheelchair hunting and children with hunting rifles in his story and in questions during Mr. Loewen’s news conference – much to the annoyance of the UCP, I have no doubt. 

Professional Biologist Lorne Fitch told AlbertaPolitics.ca: “Any time this government uses words and phrases like ‘common sense,’ ‘ethical hunting and trapping,’ ‘simplify,’ ‘effective and efficient,’ ‘world class,’ and ‘modernize,’ Albertans should put up their BS antennae.”

Mr. Fitch – an author, university lecturer and occasional contributor to this blog – said in an email he is skeptical the changes in the act amount to “ground shaking stuff to enable Alberta to be a ‘world leader’ in wildlife management. 

“What would do that is tackling the out of control footprint of industrial development that impinges on fish and wildlife habitat and populations and will … end up reducing populations and ending hunting,” he said. 

“Making hunting more accessible is backwards,” Mr. Fitch continued. “What is required is to ensure we have robust, healthy wildlife populations by protecting and managing their habitat.”

To that end, Mr. Fitch suggested, the government would do better to take measures to control the spread of Chronic Wasting Disease among ungulates like deer and elk and end the use of bounties on predators like cougars and coyotes. 

“Perhaps the act should be renamed the Hunting Act, because virtually all of the changes and revisions are about hunting, not about wildlife management, wildlife protection or the other users of the wildlife resource,” Mr. Fitch concluded.

The NDP’s response seemed half-hearted. Opposition Environment Critic Sarah Elmeligi, a PhD conservation scientist, told the CP mildly that the bill includes some necessary updates but complained that “Minister Loewen has already set a dangerous precedent with his attacks on Alberta’s wildlife, and this bill does nothing to reverse course or address the concerns of Albertans.”

She was referring to Mr. Loewen’s decision last fall to lift limits on trapping wolverines, lynx, river otters, and fishers. 

Under the federal Firearms Act, which the UCP changes may be intended to undermine, most children and youths between 12 and 17 who want to hunt must possess a Minors Licence, which requires them to take the Canadian Firearms Safety Course and pass the tests. Exemptions may apply to Indigenous youth or those who hunt and trap as a way of life. 

The Alberta RCMP page on Minors Licences seems to draw on federal and provincial law in simplified form without explaining the source.

It says, “before you can get a Minor’s Licence, a Firearms Officer may interview you or your parent or guardian. Your parent or guardian must first agree and consent to the conditions under which you may use firearms.” This is a reference to section 58 (2) of the federal act. 

The RCMP page also says, “A minor can still use firearms of any class without a licence if they are under the direct and immediate supervision of someone who is licensed to have that firearm. The licensed person should be near enough to the minor to take immediate action to prevent any unsafe or illegal use of the firearm.” 

This would appear to be a reference to section 31 (1) of the Alberta Wildlife Act, which Bill 41 will repeal.