Public consultations are underway for a proposed all-seasons resort in Alberta’s Kananaskis Country.

In December, the Alberta government announced plans to create three new all-season resort areas in the province, which it claims will create thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in economic benefits.

The designation of Castle, Fortress and Nakiska as all-season resorts will be the first ones on provincial lands in Alberta, but, as part of the change in designation, some of provincial park boundaries have also been adjusted.

On Friday, an open house was held at Calgary’s Mount Royal University to discuss the plans for Fortress Mountain, a former ski hill, located about 125 km west of Calgary, that closed its lift in 2004 and now only offers Cat skiing.

Plans to revitalize the area include hotels, gondolas, trail networks and private real estate sales.

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The proponents claim the project will create over 1,000 jobs.

“What we’re doing right now, we’re trying to figure out exactly where the points are that Albertans generally would like to see as part of this project or not see as part of this project and we really want to get as much information we possibly can,” said David McKenna of Ridge North America, who is working with Western Securities to develop the resort.

However, others are concerned about the impact the year-round attraction will have on local wildlife and plant life.

“The environmental assessment that was done failed to answer many of those questions and is insufficient, so given the fact that we don’t really know — we don’t have answers to any of our questions so we cannot support the development as it’s proposed,” said Gareth Thomson with the Biosphere Institute of the Bow Valley, adding that Kananaskis Country already receives 5 million visitors per year.

“That’s a million more than the National Park (Banff) and the mind boggles when you think about the transportation traffic, log jams on a busy weekend in the summer,” added Thomson.

“Fortress overlaps with important wildlife habitat for multiple species of which include grizzly bears and wolverine,” said Chloe Hahn of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society. “We also have critical habitat for threatened bull trout overlapping with the site.”

The next round of public consultations is scheduled for Feb. 23 in Edmonton.

2:05
Three Alberta ski resorts receive all-season designation

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Will all winters be wetter from now on?

The B.C. government’s wolf cull program is facing new opposition due to a ‘Judas’ wolf being spotted on First Nations territory.

The Gitxsan First Nation, near Hazelton, B.C., reportedly captured footage of a wolf on a snowy trail with what appears to be a collar around its neck.

“These are what’s called a Judas wolf,” Ian McAllister of Pacific Wild told Global News.

“So the government has been putting collars around the necks of wolves, and then in the snow follows them to reveal the rest of their pack where they’re killed by snipers and helicopters.”

2:17
B.C. First Nation comes out against government wolf kill

The wolf cull has been taking place in B.C. for about 10 years and hundreds of wolves are killed every winter in order to protect threatened caribou herds.

The program has been divisive on both sides, but the Allied Clans Coalition, Gitxsan Titleholders and caretakers of its Lax’yip (territories) have now written a letter to Randene Neill, B.C.’s Minister of Water, Land, and Resource Stewardship, stating that the government is not authorized to use collared Judas wolves and other predator management activities within their territories.

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“Within Gitxsan law and governance, Gibuu (Wolf) is not only a predator in our territory, but a central kin and teacher in our Adaawk and in our understandings of family, cooperation, territory, and balance,” the letter states.

“The health of wolf populations, and the way they are treated, is directly connected to how we understand our own responsibilities as caretakers of the Lax’yip and all that lives within it.”

The Allied Clans are requesting confirmation from the B.C. government to ensure that no wolf cull or predator management activities are authorized or carried out on their lands.

On Thursday, the Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship told Global News that no government-led predator reduction takes place in Gitxsan Territory.

2:05
UBC study findings on if wolf hunting impacts caribou

Last week, a study from the University of British Columbia found that the wolf kill program may not be as effective as previously thought, finding that in some places where wolves were removed, other predators like grizzly bears and wolverines were still a threat to caribou.

In addition, a coalition of environmental organizations announced its intent to sue the Canadian government for delaying the full mapping of critical habitat for threatened caribou for more than 11 years.

“Southern Mountain Caribou have been listed as a threatened species for over two decades. Under SARA, (Species at Risk Act), the federal government must fully identify the critical habitat the species needs to survive and recover so they can take steps to protect that habitat,” a press release from the Wilderness Committee stated.

“But effective habitat protection cannot happen without full, accurate maps — and those maps remain unfinished.”

The Gitxsan First Nation did not respond to Global News’ request for an interview.

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The two people fined in the death of a grizzly bear on Texada Island last year have now started a GoFundMe to help pay their fines and legal fees.

In a post on social media on Thursday, the Conservation Officer Service said Texada Island residents Kody Bevan and Seneca Antony pleaded guilty and were sentenced in Powell River provincial court on Thursday for failing to promptly report the wounding or killing of a grizzly bear, a violation under section 75(2) of the Wildlife Act (WLA).

Bevan and Antony received a combined penalty of $6,000, with $2,000 from each fine directed to the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation.

However, they say in their GoFundMe description that they had to kill the bear as it was coming after their dairy cows and when they shot him, he fled and they had to track him down to make sure he didn’t suffer.

The two said in their write-up that the litigation “sends the wrong message to people who have dangerous encounters with wildlife.”

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One expert said the court fine is a good step, but the system still needs improvement.

“This was an important conviction,” Nicholas Scapillati, executive director of the Grizzly Bear Foundation.

“It’s important to acknowledge that the Wildlife Act was broken and that we value wildlife, maybe not as much as we’d like, given the decision and the amount of the fine. But we have to remember that the Wildlife Act hasn’t changed since the 1800s; it’s currently up for review. So there’s an opportunity to change that.”

1:57
Two people charged in killing of grizzly bear on Texada Island

The grizzly, known as Tex, was first spotted on Texada Island in late May.

There was a plan and funding in place to relocate the bear, roughly 100 kilometres northwest to Bute Inlet, but by the time the B.C. government approved the process, the bear was shot dead.

“And there was nothing but heel-dragging by our province,” Ellie Lamb, a bear behaviour educator, said.

“So, my concern is that this is systemic. We are seeing this time after time.”

B.C.’s Minister of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship was not available for comment on Friday.

“The province needs to work quicker and they need to work more closely with First Nations governments to co-manage these situations,” Scapillati said.

“There’s a lot of work to be done and hopefully this is a good message and acknowledgment so we can move forward.”

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Prime Minister Mark Carney is expected to announce a national automotive strategy Thursday which will scrap the electric vehicle sales mandate in favour of new vehicle emissions standards and revive consumer rebates for EV purchases.

Ottawa is also set to announce an EV infrastructure fund, expected to be worth $1.5 billion.

Government and industry sources, who were not authorized to publicly discuss details ahead of the announcement, say Ottawa will introduce emission standards on new vehicles similar to what’s in place in Europe.

The European Union sets emissions performance standards for new passenger cars and vans, commonly known as “corporate average fuel efficiency” standards, or CAFE. The system requires that average emissions from all new passenger cars and vans meet specific emissions targets.

The European Commission says the regulations led to a 28 per cent decrease in emissions from all new passenger cars between 2019 and 2024, while emissions from new vans dropped nine per cent.

While it’s not clear what Canada’s standards will be, Europe’s current target is to ensure that all new cars and vans produce no emissions by 2035 — although revised regulations proposed in December would reduce the target to 90 per cent, allowing some flexibility for plug-in hybrids.

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One source said Canada’s new emissions regulations would get close to the reduction in emissions set out in the original EV mandate.

The previous Liberal government set a target of having EVs account for at least 20 per cent of sales across Canada this year. The target was to increase to 100 per cent by 2035.

Carney paused the EV mandate in September and launched a 60-day review to offer Canada’s auto sector liquidity in the face of the ongoing trade war with the United States.

2:06
Prime Minister Carney pauses EV mandates for 2026

Automakers had called on the government to scrap the sales mandate altogether, arguing it was unnecessary since Canada already has other policies to meet its emissions reduction targets.

As first reported by CBC News, the government is also expected to revive the popular incentives program to encourage Canadians to buy new EVs.

The incentive for zero-emission vehicles program — iZEV for short — was paused last year after its funding pool of more than $3 billion ran out.

Sources tell The Canadian Press the government will bring back the rebates at a similar level. Ottawa is expected to offer $5,000 toward the purchase of a new fully electric vehicle and $2,500 for plug-in hybrids.

Previously, fully-electric and longer-range plug-in hybrid electric vehicles received the full $5,000 rebate, while shorter-range ones were eligible for a $2,500 rebate.

Conventional hybrid vehicles will no longer be eligible for rebates, but manufacturers will be able to claim emissions credits for selling them.

Federal ministers promised during and after the spring election campaign to being back the incentives but never set a date. That frustrated car dealers who said EV sales slumped as consumers opted to wait for the rebates to return.

EV sales in Canada started to rise toward the end of 2025. According to the most recent data from Statistics Canada, EVs accounted for 11.3 per cent of all new vehicle sales in November.

Monthly sales peaked in December of 2024 at 18.29 per cent, before the iZEV program was paused.

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