In what is viewed as perhaps one of the most controversial things a state or provincial government can do (outside of messing with wolves), the Alberta government announced yesterday that they are actively reviewing whether to lift a nearly two-decade-old ban on grizzly bear hunting, signalling a potential shift in actually taking control of how the province manages its recovering grizzly population.
Forestry and Parks Minister Todd Loewen confirmed in recent interviews that “we’re looking at everything” when it comes to grizzly bear management, explicitly including the possibility of reopening a limited or general hunt. The long-standing provincial ban on grizzly hunting has been in place since 2006, when the species was officially listed as Threatened in Alberta.
The discussion gained urgency following a serious grizzly bear mauling in late October near Cochrane, west of Calgary, where a hunter was severely injured. Minister Loewen described the incident as a wake-up call, stressing that public safety must remain the government’s top priority.
“As a responsible government, we have to look at all options to keep Albertans safe,” Loewen said. “We’ve definitely seen a rise in the number of bear sightings and people running into them and probably what’s most alarming is we’re seeing bears where they haven’t traditionally been.”
Alberta Minister of Forestry and Parks Todd Loewen with Premiere Danielle Smith in the background | THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson
Alberta’s grizzly bear population has grown from roughly 700 animals at the time of the 2006 ban to between an estimated 900 and 950 bears today, according to the latest provincial figures. While conservation efforts are credited with the increase, the species remains classified as Threatened, and biologists warn that grizzlies reproduce slowly—females typically don’t have their first cubs until age five or older and raise litters only every three to four years.
Since 2024, the province has operated the Wildlife Management Responder Network, a program that allows pre-approved, highly skilled hunters to euthanize specific “problem” grizzlies that repeatedly threaten people or livestock. With over 7,000 applicants to the program, there seems to be an appetite for the hunt and at least one bear has already been killed under the new protocol. The potential reopening of a broader hunt would obviously take things further.
Reaction to the prospect of resuming grizzly hunting has been sharply polarized, supporters, including some hunting organizations and rural residents, argue that regulated hunting is a proven wildlife-management tool that can reduce human-bear conflicts by instilling fear of humans in the population. They point to rising bear encounters in Alberta and neighboring British Columbia (where limited grizzly hunting was re-banned in 2017) as evidence that total protection can backfire.
Opponents, on the other hand, who are mainly conservation groups and environmental organizations, contend that trophy or general-season hunting does little to prevent conflicts as most problematic bears, they say, are young males or food-conditioned individuals, not the large adult males typically targeted by hunters. Critics also warn that even a small legal hunt could reverse decades of recovery gains and orphan dependent cubs.
As of mid-December 2025, no final decision has been announced. Any move to lift or modify the hunting ban would likely require amendments to Alberta’s Grizzly Bear Recovery Plan and further public consultation.
For now, Alberta officials say all options—including maintaining the status quo, expanding non-lethal measures, or cautiously reintroducing limited hunting—remain on the table.
