The Alberta government is set to enhance measures for safeguarding animal welfare by escalating fines and penalties. The Animal Protection Amendment Act, also known as Bill 22, aims to refine the definitions of distress and abandonment to empower peace officers to promptly intervene or rescue animals from harmful situations, as stated by RJ Sigurdson, Alberta’s minister of agriculture and irrigation. Criteria for distress now encompass elements such as the availability of appropriate shelter and sanitation.
The amendments under Bill 22 extend the scope of establishments subject to inspection to include boarding and grooming facilities. If approved, the bill will impose stricter penalties on violators, raising the maximum fines from $20,000 to $250,000 and introducing the possibility of jail terms of up to 12 months for severe offenses.
Moreover, the bill will target individuals who have committed animal-related offenses in other provinces and relocated to Alberta without facing repercussions for their actions. Leanna Niblock, executive director of the Alberta SPCA, highlighted that Alberta will be the inaugural province in Canada with the authority to enforce prohibition orders from other provinces, enabling peace officers to take action against repeat offenders regardless of where they endanger animals nationwide.
Niblock emphasized that the heightened fines and potential imprisonment for offenders will enhance accountability, act as a deterrent, and underscore the importance of animals under the law. Notable instances of animal distress include the prosecution of two women in November 2025 following an extensive investigation into allegations of animal abuse in northwestern Alberta. Over 300 animals were surrendered from two locations operated by In The Woods animal rescue in Marie Reine, Alta., and the Municipal District of Smoky River.