Alberta Environment and Protected Areas

The first Minister of the Environment was Jim Henderson, appointed by Premier Harry Strom in 1971. He was succeeded by William Yurko from 1971 to 1977. Ian Reid was the minister in 1988 and 1989 Ralph Klein was the minister from 1989 to 1992. The ministry was renamed Environment and Parks on May 24, 2015. On June 28, 2022, Whitney Issik was appointed Environment and Parks Minister, replacing Jason Nixon. On June 9, 2023, Rebecca Schulz was sworn in as Minister of Environment and Protected Areas. When Schulz announced her plan to retire from the legislature, Grant Hunter took over the ministry on January 2, 2026. == Acts ==

• Natural Resources Conservation Board Act (NRCBA) Natural resource refers to "the subsurface, land surface, water, fauna and flora resources of Alberta, but does not include an energy resource as defined in the Responsible Energy Development Act." Environmental impact assessment (EIS) reports are ordered under the Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act. Industrial mineral projects are defined in the Mines and Minerals Act. • Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act • Public Lands Act: Land Stewardship and Fund Regulation == Agencies ==

Environment and Parks as a ministry of the Government of Alberta, consists of Alberta Recycling Management Authority, Alberta Used Oil Management Association, Beverage Container Management Board, Climate Change and Emissions Management Fund, Environmental Appeals Board, [Environmental Protection and Enhancement Fund], Land Compensation Board , [Land Stewardship Fund], Land Use Secretariat, Natural Resources Conservation Board, Surface Rights Board. Alberta Recycling Management Authority The Alberta Recycling Management Authority, established in 1992, a not-for-profit association that manages Alberta's recycling program which includes recycling of tires, paints and electronics. Alberta Recycling Management Authority reports to the Minister of Alberta Environment. Alberta Used Oil Management Association Alberta Used Oil Management Association (AUOMA) manages the "Alberta province-wide Recycling Program for Used Oil, Used Oil Filters and Plastic Oil Containers." Beverage Container Management Board Beverage Container Management Board (BCMB), a not-for-profit association, was established in 1997 under the Beverage Container Recycling Regulation section of the Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act. The Climate Change and Emissions Management Fund Climate Change and Emissions Management Corporation (CCEMC) established in 2009 by the Province of Alberta, is an independent organization that establishes or participates in "funding initiatives that reduce GHG emissions or improve our ability to adapt to climate change." CCEMC is aligned with and builds on Alberta's 2008 Climate Change Strategy and Carbon Capture and Storage Development Council, and "seeks to complement decisions made on large carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects." In line with this, Fawcett described how his key goal was to build networks with other "sub-national jurisdictions", Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia and California — to potentially work on new agreements on carbon offset — across provincial and national borders as part of the province's climate change framework. Environmental Appeals Board Environmental Protection and Enhancement Fund The Environmental Protection Security Fund operates under the Environment Protection and Enhancement Act. The Environmental Protection Security Fund collects for activities such as "coal and oil sands, mining operations, landfills, hazardous waste, recyclable projects, quarry activities, waste management facilities, sand and gravel operations and metal production plants", Land Use Secretariat Natural Resources Conservation Board The Natural Resources Conservation Board (NRCB), an arms-length agency of the Government of Alberta that reports to Alberta Environment, was established in 1991 under the Natural Resources Conservation Board Act (NRCBA). The NRBC reviews "proposed non-energy natural resource projects." Surface Rights Board Moved to Municipal Affairs in 2018. == Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development (ESRD), AER and ERCB ==

In March 2014 the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) became the single regulator for energy development in Alberta taking over enforcement of environmental laws and issues including environmental and water permits for energy developments, formerly responsibilities of Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development. Prior to the establishment of the AER, an arms-length corporation, Alberta Environment and the now-defunct Energy Resources Conservation Board conducted investigations separately, but, with the creation of a single regulatory body for energy developments, the Alberta Energy Regulator now conducts investigations and inspections to ensure compliance with all regulatory, environmental, and safety requirements. == Related agencies ==

Environment and Parks played a significant role in the development of Alberta Innovates-Technology Futures (AITF) which brings together academics, governments and industry to foster innovation. The AITF is a government research agency established in 2010 as a "Provincial Corporation operating under the authority of the Alberta Research and Innovation Act. AITF supports research and innovation activities targeting the development and growth of technology-based sectors in alignment with Government of Alberta priorities." ESRD consults ABMI reports in regards to enforcement of environmental laws. Data and information on air, water, biodiversity and toxicology used in Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute (ABMI) report was "partially funded through the Joint Oil Sands Monitoring (JOSM) program, a joint federal-provincial environmental monitoring program established in 2012." The CEO is Stephen Lougheed. Fish and Wildlife Division Fish and Wildlife Division includes a number of departments, including Fish & Wildlife Fisheries Management. Fisheries Management alone had a budget of $6.4 million to be used over three years to "help restore flood-affected fisheries and aquatic habitats in southern Alberta." Alberta Fisheries Management Round Table, Alberta's Fish Conservation Strategy, Commercial fishing in Alberta, Fish management plans and Fish Management Zones and area fisheries management Fisheries Management operate under Fisheries Management. ==Boreal woodland caribou recovery==

Environment and Parks works in collaboration with the Aseniwuche Nation, the Foothills Landscape Management Forum (FLMF), and the Aboriginal Fund for Species at Risk on projects such as caribou monitoring. Dave Hervieux, Regional Resource Manager, Peace Region, is the woodland caribou management coordinator with Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development's fish and wildlife division. ==Alberta Environment and Kananaskis Country Golf Course flood damage==

On 16 July 2014 the Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development finalized and signed an agreement with Kan-Alta Golf Management Ltd., a company with alleged connections the provincial government to rebuild the Kananaskis Country Golf Course, as a result of the 2013 Alberta floods damage. The deal "resulted in over $5.4 million" paid to Kan-Alta Golf "to cover business losses and other expenses." During the June 2013 Alberta floods, Kananaskis Country "sustained the most extensive damage in its 36-year history." The Alberta government committed $18 million to rebuild the Course and to protect it from future flood damage. ==Proposals for provincial parks (new and expanded)==

In November 2018, Alberta's provincial government under Premier Rachel Notley proposed "four provincial parks, including the Bighorn Wildland Provincial Park, plus four provincial recreation areas and a new public-land-use zone in the area on the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains, west of Nordegg." as one way among many of "diversifying Alberta's economy through tourism". The proposed region, situated between Banff National Park and Jasper National Park, would provide a vast and critical wildlife corridor for numerous wildlife species, including sensitive species, such as bull trout—Alberta's provincial fish, wolverine, and grizzly bears, that would extend from Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming in the south to the Yukon in Northern Canada. According to a January 7, 2019 article in The Globe and Mail, some residents of Rocky Mountain House, a town of 7,000, led by United Conservative Party (UCP) Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta (MLA) for Rimbey-Rocky Mountain House-Sundre, Jason Nixon, oppose the creation of the park. Nixon has made unfounded claims that the plan is a "foreign-funded plot to wall off the back country to Albertans who call the region home". On January 5, 2018, following alleged bullying and intimidation of Bighorn Wildland Provincial Park supporters, Minister Phillips issued a statement announcing that public consultations that were planned for Drayton Valley, Edmonton, Red Deer, and Sundre, would be cancelled. ==Optimizing Alberta Parks==

In "Optimizing Alberta Parks" published in March 2020, Parks Alberta announced that in 2020, about a third of the province's parks and protected and recreation areas would be closed or handed over to third parties in a cost-saving measure. Citing an annual expense of $86 million and a revenue from these spaces of only $36 million, Concerns were raised and Nixon said, "We are not selling any Crown or public land — period", according to a March 5 Calgary Herald interview. The government listed a 65-hectare plot of land east of Taber in a March 31 auction with a starting bid of $440,000, according to a March 17 Global News article. ==Notes==