Speeches in the House

Chronic Wasting Disease

Posted on Feb 23, 2010

The Speaker: The hon. Member for Battle River-Wainwright,
followed by the hon. Member for Calgary-McCall.

Chronic Wasting Disease

Mr. Griffiths: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Along the east side of the
border hunting is a critical element of the economy. Particularly
within the constituency of Battle River-Wainwright hunting is a
significant economic driver. As such, ensuring a healthy deer and
elk population and plenty of hunting experiences is critical. The
threat of chronic wasting disease is a worry to many of my constituents
concerned about their livelihood. To the Minister of Sustainable
Resource Development: now that hunting season is over, can
you provide me and my constituents with an update on the management
of the CWD issue?

The Speaker: The hon. minister.

Mr. Knight: Well, thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. You know,
we have got, I think, a very solid monitoring program and process in
place. After the last hunting season we confirmed that 10 new cases
of this disease were found as a result of the program. Now, the
disease boundaries have shifted slightly this year a bit south of
highway 1 in one case and again a little further west near Wainwright.
But the concentration of the disease is still situated around
Empress and Edgerton and remains there.

The Speaker: The hon. member.

Mr. Griffiths: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Hunters have long
advocated that they’re the best tools the government has to ensure
that deer and elk populations are managed appropriately, which in
turn controls the spread and therefore the threat of CWD. I believe
they are correct since utilizing them ensures economic stimulus for
the region and manages the population. Can the minister indicate if
there are any plans to change the policy of utilizing local hunters in
the management of CWD?

Mr. Knight: Well, Mr. Speaker, in a word, no way. We really
believe that hunters have played a very positive role in this, and
Alberta hunters have been key to the surveillance of the disease.
The last hunting season they submitted about 4,500 heads for testing,
and 4,166 of those have been tested. The proof of that is that
hunters’ value to the province of Alberta relative to the results that
we’re getting and relative to mitigating the circumstances around
this disease is very positive for us. We will continue to work with
that fraternity.

The Speaker: The hon. member.

Mr. Griffiths: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That’s excellent news. We
all know that chronic wasting disease is a difficult disease to manage
and control, but with more information and monitoring we may
increase the chance of successful management. It’s important to
know, however, whether the CWD has been contained to border
communities or if it continues to spread. Is the province expanding
its monitoring practices further beyond the border hunt zones to
ensure that management practices are in line with the disease and its
potential spread?

The Speaker: The hon. minister. Mr. Knight: Well, thank you very much.
Again, the only wild deer in Alberta that have tested positive for chronic wasting disease have
been within about 80 kilometres of the Saskatchewan border total,
most of them within 20 kilometres of the Saskatchewan border. The
majority of testing is done along the Saskatchewan border. We have
to understand also, Mr. Speaker, that testing this disease occurs
throughout the province of Alberta with receipt of these heads, and
any deer that our officers find that show symptoms of disease are
tested also. We continue to monitor this, and we think that with the
help of our hunting community we will be successful.