My latest attempt at getting ESRD’s attention. Please take
the time to write your thoughts.
Dear Honourable Diana McQueen:
At the 2011 Alberta Fish and Game Association convention, a
resolution was passed by the membership and passed along to ESRD to allow the
use of pack dogs in Alberta. While I won't go into too much detail in this
letter regarding pack dogs, basically they are used as a beast of burden much
as a horse is and aid primarily mountain hunters in packing their gear in and
game out. They are in no way used to chase, pursue or track game. Their only
purpose is to be a pack animal. There is considerable evidence from BC, Yukon
Territory and NWT that their presence in remote hunting camps also greatly
reduces human/grizzly conflict. Currently, Alberta is the only mountain
jurisdiction in North America that does not permit their use. According to your
own department, the current wording in the Wildlife Act is not intended to
prohibit the use of pack dogs, yet it does. There has been historical use of
pack dogs by hunters in the province as well but the confusing wording in the
Wildlife Act makes this a very grey area.
During the course of the past two and a half years I have
done extensive research into the use of pack dogs and the laws regarding them
in other jurisdictions in North America and supplied this to previous Ministers
of ESRD and to your senior staff. I have not passed this along to you because I
was lead to believe that your staff was working to rectify this law to permit
the use of pack dogs but was unpleasantly surprised to learn that basically
nothing had been done despite constant reassurance that it was being worked on.
I'd be happy to supply you with the considerable research I've done on pack
dogs as well as an award-winning column I did on the subject for Alberta
Outdoorsmen magazine.
Everyone seems to agree that pack dogs should be permitted
in Alberta yet there seems to be no will by your staff to bring the change to
fruition. The latest excuse I was given was that it would be a lot of work to
change the regulation. I find this a bit confusing as I was under the
impression that your staff was paid to work. I find this excuse completely
unacceptable as a tax-paying citizen of Alberta. I've gone so far as to hire an
articling student and retain a lawyer to help me better understand the process
of changing hunting regulations in Alberta and their opinion is that this could
be done without opening the Wildlife Act but your senior staff seems to
disagree. If indeed your staff is correct, I appreciate that it will require
extensive work to make it happen but I still can't accept the fact that it's
too much work to correct an obvious flaw in the system. A legitimate user group
is being excluded from Alberta's backcountry yet your staff feels it would be
too much work to make things right. To me, that seems wrong.
I look forward to receiving your thoughts on this subject.
Yours truly,
T.J. Schwanky
