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Alberta suspends caribou protection plan, asks for assistance from Ottawa

Last Updated Mar 20, 2018 at 8:18 am MDT

A Woodland caribou bull is shown in an undated handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO, CPAWS - Mike Bedell

EDMONTON – Alberta is suspending portions of its draft plan to protect threatened woodland caribou, saying more research needs to be done and Ottawa needs to help out.

Environment Minister Shannon Phillips told the house during question period that the province is acting on concerns from
thousands of residents who have said they are worried about the economic impact of caribou range plans on jobs and industries.

Phillips says more time is needed to understand the full impacts of caribou protections.

She is urging the federal government to help Alberta come up with a workable solution rather than have Ottawa impose an environmental protection order.

Phillips says she has sent that message in a letter to her federal counterpart, Catherine McKenna.

The province plans to spend more than $85 million in the next five years to restore caribou habitat by eliminating seismic lines, building birthing pens and bringing in other measures.

Phillips says the total cost will be more than $1 billion over the next 40 years and financial help from Ottawa is needed.