Significant Federal And Provincial Government Actions To Protect Vulnerable Species

A trend towards enhanced regulatory protection of vulnerable species appears to be emerging at both the federal and provincial levels in Alberta.

On September 19, 2013, Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development ("AESRD") reported that an Enforcement Order ("Order") has been issued against an energy company operating in the province for alleged contraventions of the Public Lands Act. The alleged contraventions relate to the company constructing an active oil well that is allegedly not in accordance with regulated setback limits to protect ferruginous hawk populations. Although the company submitted a wildlife survey as part of the approval process, AESRD states that "the survey was not comprehensive enough and did not identify the hawk nest on the site".