The Rural Municipalities of Alberta’s (RMA) Fall Convention and Trade Show is underway, and two local counties have submitted resolutions for consideration.
Running Nov. 2-5, the convention is an opportunity for municipal leaders and the RMA to advance advocacy with the provincial government and for elected officials to develop their skills.
During the resolution session, members can address and get support for key issues affecting their constituencies.
Yellowhead County has submitted a resolution concerning grizzly bear attacks and rural landowners. The resolution asks the Government of Alberta to amend the Wildlife Act and associated regulations to allow rural and agricultural landowners to use lethal force against grizzly bears that pose an immediate threat to livestock, domestic animals or property.
It also asks for a streamlined authorization process or standing provision allowing these landowners to take timely action in situations involving dangerous human-grizzly bear conflicts while maintaining conservation safeguards.
The county says Alberta designated grizzly bears as a threatened species in 2010, and a moratorium on grizzly bear hunting took effect in 2006. These two changes have helped the grizzly population recover, but at the same time, human-bear interactions have increased, officials say.
Although current legislation allows for limited lethal control of grizzlies through an authorization process, it can be time-consuming and come with an administrative burden, leaving landowners with limited immediate options to protect their livestock, property or loved ones. The county says its constituents are becoming increasingly concerned about their lack of options in an emergent situation, particularly in rural communities where wildlife response or emergency resources may be delayed.
The county put forward a similar resolution at the RMA’s spring convention earlier this year and at the fall convention in 2024.
Woodlands County is also putting forward a resolution: through RMA advocacy, the county is asking the Government of Alberta to develop a provincial strategy to improve the availability and affordability of liability insurance for small tourism and recreation operators.
The resolution also asks for the evaluation and implementation of the following measures, where appropriate:
- Inherent-risk liability legislation for specified commercial recreation and tourism activities, paired with minimum safety and disclosure standards;
- Voluntary or mandatory safety certification or licensing frameworks for higher-risk tourism and recreation activities to create clear underwriting baselines;
- Sector-based group insurance programs facilitated through industry associations or provincial partnerships to improve risk pooling and purchasing power;
- Exploration of a provincial tourism or recreation insurance pool, reciprocal or captive insurance structure under Alberta’s existing captive insurance framework; and
- A cross-ministry action plan involving Tourism, Justice, Treasury Board and Finance, Labour and Municipal Affairs to address systemic insurance barriers affecting rural tourism and recreation operators.
The county explains that many small tourism and recreation operators are facing increasing difficulty in obtaining liability insurance due to limited coverage availability, unaffordable premiums, restrictive policy conditions and cancellations following minor claims. These businesses include fishing and hunting outfitters, paddling and river tour operators, snowmobile and ATV tours, horseback and trail riding operators, small ski hills, tubing facilities, climbing parks, eco-tourism ventures, glamping and off-grid cabin operators, campgrounds, and rural event venues.
Other regions have addressed similar challenges through structural changes such as the five listed above, officials say. For example, the Government of Ontario enacted the Growing Agritourism Act, 2024, which introduced an inherent-risk liability framework and mandatory warning provisions with the goal of reducing legal uncertainty and improving insurance availability.
A similar resolution was put forward during this year’s spring convention as well.
