Alberta Premier Rejects Ottawa's Land Protection Plan

0:00It's April 20th. I'm Cory with the story, and this is Canada News Today, local news powered by AI. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is straight up rejecting Ottawa's plan to more than double protected lands across Canada. The feds want to add at least 1.6 million square kilometers of new land over the next four years to hit that United Nations 30x30. Go! Protecting 30% of lands in oceans by 2030. Smith says this hands-off approach just sets the stage for bigger wildfires. She's calling out Parks Canada for letting forests and national parks get overgrown and fuel ready. Think Jasper National Park this year, where a massive blaze torched 32,000 hectares and racked up over $1 billion in damage. Or, Waterton Lakes back in 2017, with another 35,000 hectares gone. Experts had flagged the risks for years, especially with dead trees from pine beetle kills piling up. Smith argues Alberta's got a better way, using ranching to graze grasslands and selective logging to thin forests, creating natural fire breaks while.

1:06Keeping lands productive. The province already counts 60% of its land is protected, including 4% as working landscapes for farming and forestry. Environment Minister Grant Hunter stressed Alberta's jurisdiction must be respected, no one size fits all from Ottawa, and they weren't even looped in on the announcement. This clash highlights the feds versus provinces on land use, with Smith vowing no new federal parks if they block energy projects. Active management. Over fences is her line in the sand.