Some groups are calling for improved enforcement to protect species at risk in Alberta after Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) halted an investigation due to a lack of resources.<\/p>\n
DFO’s two-year investigation of an unapproved bridge built by Spray Lake Sawmills over the Highwood River in Kananaskis Country found “reasonable and probable grounds\u201d that federal law was broken and critical habitat for threatened bull trout was disturbed, according to internal documents obtained by CBC.<\/p>\n
But the federal department stopped its work to focus on other investigations due to limited resources, internal emails show.<\/p>\n
Access to information documents obtained by the CBC indicated that on-the-ground DFO staff wanted to move ahead with charges in the Highwood investigation.<\/p>\n
In a 2023 site visit where three DFO staff investigated the unapproved bridge, they found \u201cdestruction of critical habitat for bull trout,\u201d the documents showed.<\/p>\n
The outgoing investigator wrote in a Feb. 14, 2025, email to three DFO staffers that he hoped the investigation could be “carried over the finish line by the Edmonton team.\u201d<\/p>\n
But a little over a month later, the Edmonton office recommended DFO stop the investigation and use resources on other files, internal documents showed. The office argued the investigation will \u201crequire significant resources\u201d and \u201cthere is a risk of neglecting these files if Highwood remains the focus of our resources.\u201d<\/p>\n
An April 16, 2025, email said \u201cthe decision was made that it was not in the public interest to proceed with a prosecution\u201d in the Highwood area.<\/p>\n
Josh Killeen, conservation science and programs manager with Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society Southern Alberta, said while it was disappointing DFO halted the investigation, he was not surprised.<\/p>\n
“It\u2019s quite typical for what we see with the Species at Risk Act in this region is the enforcement of those laws is really not where it needs to be,” said Killeen.<\/p>\n
But he added \u201cit\u2019s critically important the laws we have are meaningfully and properly enforced.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1787360290_452_default.jpg\")
A photo taken by Fisheries and Oceans Canada investigators in September 2023 of a bridge in the Highwood area of Kananaskis Country for a proposed logging project by Spray Lake Sawmills. (Fisheries and Oceans Canada document)More field visits needed<\/p>\n
Violating the federal Species at Risk Act can result in stiff fines and penalties, including possible jail time, if a person or organization is found guilty. Fines can total up to $250,000 for an individual or $1 million for a company.<\/p>\n
The law is coordinated by Environment and Climate Change Canada. DFO looks after protection and recovery of aquatic species at risk.<\/p>\n
Sam Di Lorenzo, a spokesperson for DFO, said the last conviction in Alberta under the Species at Risk Act was in 2019. The federal department said two charges have been laid in the last two years and are in the courts.<\/p>\n
Shaun Fluker, executive director of the Public Interest Law Clinic at the University of Calgary, said the act’s requirements are all for naught, if they’re not enforced.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf there\u2019s no field visit or survey done, it\u2019s really an amorphous thing,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Killeen noted the Highwood investigation only started when the public alerted DFO. He said it shouldn\u2019t be left to non-profits and the public to launch field visits.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s job, and yet they have a real lack of presence on the ground doing this work and I think that\u2019s a big part of the problem,\u201d said Killeen.<\/p>\n
Jordan Charbonneau, regional director of communications for DFO in the Arctic, Ontario and Prairies regions, said they were unable to say how many resources the federal department has to \u201cpreserve the integrity of its investigative operations.\u201d<\/p>\n
In access to information documents, hundreds of redacted pages confirm the Department of Justice was involved in the Highwood investigation.<\/p>\n
Fluker said he understands resources could be an issue, but he believes the department is reluctant to engage on issues under the Species at Risk Act that overlap with provincial jurisdiction.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re just applying the legislation as drafted by Parliament. I don\u2019t know why they have an institutional reluctance to show they\u2019re going to push back a little on projects,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
WATCH | Blockade protests project they argue could threaten at-risk trout population:![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1777190459_887_default.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Concerned citizens set up a blockade in an attempt to stop logging in Kananaskis<\/p>\n
Defenders of the Eastern Slopes set up a blockade about 140 kilometres southwest of Calgary to protest a project they say could threaten at-risk trout population. \u2018Trying to do too many things all at once\u2019<\/p>\n
The Highwood area is home to threatened bull trout.<\/p>\n
Killeen said erosion entering into critical habitat for native species like threatened westslope cutthroat trout and bull trout \u201cimpacts their chance to survive and reproduce.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sediment can make it more difficult for trout to find food, and smother their eggs, preventing them from exchanging oxygen.<\/p>\n
Killeen said volunteers and non-profits have documented several issues with erosion and sediment near logging roads, but \u201ccases rarely reach enforcement stages.\u201d He added that while there are financial penalties, they’re often too low, meaning \u201cthese things keep happening.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we really need a much stronger tact from DFO to take these issues seriously,” he said.<\/p>\n
“It means the species are being lost.”<\/p>\n
Dave Mayhood, a science advisor for the Timberwolf Wilderness Society, said the Species at Risk Act has \u201ca great deal of conservation biology built into it.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, he said the Highwood decision fell short of what the society believed to be proper evidence to warrant a permit being issued for the logging project.<\/p>\n
Timberwolf launched legal action in federal court earlier this year against the Minister of Fisheries and West Fraser Timber, contesting the project. West Fraser bought Spray Lakes Sawmills and removed the Highwood bridge in 2024.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey talk about protecting and recovering [threatened and at-risk species], but so much of the essential work that has to be done is not getting done,” said Mayhood.<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1787360293_648_default.jpg\")
A photo taken by Fisheries and Oceans Canada investigators in September 2023 of critical habitat for threatened bull trout they say was damaged and destroyed. Spray Lake Sawmills built a bridge over the Highwood River there. The company was proposing a logging project in the Upper Highwood area. (Fisheries and Oceans Canada document)<\/p>\n
Charbonneau said the permit was issued after the DFO found \u201cimpacts to fish and fish habitat, including species at risk and their critical habitat, would be avoided, mitigated or adequately offset.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fluker said in an area like Kananaskis with recreation, commercial operations and tourism \u201cwe\u2019re just trying to do too many things all at once in the same place at the same time.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf the goal is to have species survive you just can\u2019t allow the operations in that area,” said Fluker.<\/p>\n
“Both the federal and provincial governments continue to try to spin a tale for the public that somehow we can do both. It can\u2019t be done.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Some groups are calling for improved enforcement to protect species at risk in Alberta after Fisheries and Oceans…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":866822,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[49,48,295,66],"class_list":["post-866821","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-environment","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-environment","tag-science"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/866821","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=866821"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/866821\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/866822"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=866821"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=866821"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=866821"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}