­­Clearwater County has denied a bylaw that would prohibit wild boar within the County’s municipal boundaries.

Officials say, wild boar have existed in Alberta since at least the 1980’s when they were introduced as a way to diversify livestock operations. They say escaped or purposefully released hogs began to form sounders that were thriving and causing damage which became noticeable to land managers, farmers and the local and provincial government officials during the late 1990’s and early 2000’s.

County officials note, during the mid 2000’s the Alberta government updated the Agricultural Pests Act to include wild boar, making it the second domesticated livestock species to be regulated both as a pest and livestock, along with feral horses.

Under the Act, Clearwater County has the authority to remove or destroy wild boar at large or require any applicable landowner to do the same. The Act also gives the County the authority to require a minimum standard of fencing for all landowners who wish to contain wild boar on their property. Should a landowner fail to comply with fencing standards, the County may install the fence or, remove the wild boar at the landowner’s cost.

Since wild boar have been regulated under the Agricultural Pests Act, Clearwater County officials say they have dealt with a few issues of non-compliance and have been involved in the capture or elimination of wild boar at large.

Currently, administration says it is aware of, and regulates under the Act, one property in the County that confines wild boar on a temporary basis to facilitate hunting operations.

At the most recent Intermunicipal Collaboration Committee meeting between Mountain View County and Clearwater County, Mountain View County shared that they have enacted a municipal bylaw prohibiting wild boar completely and requested that Clearwater County consider developing and implementing a similar bylaw.

Though the Agricultural Service Board (ASB) recognizes the risk to the environment, property, and public safety posed by wild boar, the ASB says it is their recommendation to council that this risk is still best managed under the provincial Agriculture Pests Act, and that council decline the opportunity to create a municipal bylaw at this time.

Some of the specific reasons for this recommendation that were discussed at the ASB meeting are:

• Other livestock species can cause damage or threaten public safety but are not regulated in this manner.
• Freedom to produce and harvest food on your agricultural land is a valued tradition and principal in Clearwater County.
• ASB is unaware of any specific issues regarding wild boar at large that is negatively affecting any of the County’s municipal neighbors.
• Banning the livestock out right may make it difficult for the County to find and regulate the hogs. Under the current system the County has had good working relationships with past and current producers.
• In many ways the Agricultural Pests Act is a more effective tool for regulating wild boar as there is no need to provide notification prior to inspecting land, and the process for enforcement can be completed quicker with less chance of the non-compliant animals to be moved or hidden during the inspection and enforcement process.
• Clearwater County Agriculture Services has ample resources to address or respond to any wild boar at large in accordance with the County’s early detection rapid response processes.

Councillor Jordan Northcott made a motion that Clearwater County create a bylaw to prohibit wild boar within Clearwater County’s municipal boundaries.

Deputy Reeve Genny Mehlhaff explained “I always think that it’s very important that if somebody votes against something that they explain why. I support the Ag Board’s decision and their recommendation for us not to prohibit wild boar, I support our Ag producers in order to have the freedom of choice on their land and I support our Ag Services department in their ability to regulate as per the weed and pest act.”

Reeve Daryl Lougheed added, “I would echo many of the same comments and defiantly for me, I do believe we have the right tools in place and have had the track record of being able to manage this without going to the extent of creating a prohibitive bylaw.”