After much lobbying from concerned Albertans and environmental groups, including an on-site protest last summer, West Fraser Timber is tearing down the controversial bridge they built over the Highwood River in Kananaskis a little over a year after it was built.
Besides being a focal point for protests, the bridge also sparked an investigation by the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) starting last fall.
In an email to The Eagle, West Fraser said they were planning on rebuilding the bridge next summer. It will serve as an access route for planned clearcutting operations in the area – something environmental groups are still strongly opposed to.
They declined to confirm if the dismantling of the newly-built structure was a direct result of the DFO investigation.
Technically, the bridge was built by Spray Lake Sawmills, before they sold the company to West Fraser.
“The decision to remove the existing bridge, and to rebuild a fully conforming bridge at a future date, was made by our staff after discussions with regulators and the input of others,” said Joyce Wagenaar, West Fraser’s Director of Communications.
“We have received DFO approval to begin remediation and have updated groups that we engaged with.”
Wagenaar’s email continues:
“Following our acquisition of West Fraser Cochrane in November 2023, we paused the 2024 harvest plan for the Highwood so we could discuss the Highwood River bridge with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) as well as meet with local stakeholder groups.
“Based on stakeholder inputs and the DFO approval, we are now starting the remediation phase of the existing Highwood River bridge site which includes the bridge removal. Timing for the removal was selected to align with government policies to minimize impacts on fish. All remediation activities were reviewed and accepted by DFO. We forecast the installment of a new structure in its place by the summer of 2025.”
The DFO has also not responded to requests from The Eagle (most recently this week) to confirm any details surrounding the investigation, including why it was launched, what the result was, and what role it may have played in the deconstruction of the bridge.
Phillip Meintzer, Conservation Specialist at the Alberta Wilderness Association, laments the lack of transparency from the DFO.
“There's been nothing put out about the investigation from DFO into the bridge construction. We're still missing a lot of the information . . . the environmental groups don't have all the information, and the public doesn't have all the information.” he said.
Meintzer was encouraged by the news of the bridge coming down. But there were no champagne corks popping.
“We have mixed thoughts because ideally this bridge should have never been built in the first place,” he said.
“It's in critical habitat and it was built without DFO permits. And they announced it's going to come down. But the statement also said the promise is to still rebuild a future bridge.
“It's going to result in sedimentation which is going to have impacts for fish and their critical habitat. So we're frustrated because none of this would be an issue if they if they had gone through the proper channels in the first place,” Meintzer said.
The AWA launched a letter writing campaign and was one of the stakeholder groups that actually met with West Fraser to voice their concerns with logging in the area. They will keep up with their lobbying.
Meintzer said despite it being only a partial win, people who got involved should be encouraged.
“I don't know if we even get to this point without the public outpouring of support and pressure on the issue. So that's always something that people need to be reminded of – the power they have when they want to raise their voice on these issues.”
Josh Killeen of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society was also guardedly pleased with the news.
“We are glad to see that the illegally built bridge over the Highwood River is being removed and we recognize the huge role public input on this topic had in reaching this point.
“However, we are concerned that the company still plans to log the area in 2025, via a new bridge. We continue to oppose clearcut logging in this area because of the risk to native trout species and other values. A permit for habitat destruction for this new planned bridge should not be issued given that the project does not meet requirements for permitting under the Species at Risk Act,” he said.
Killeen added there are concerns about the impacts of doing the bridge removal work at this time. Although it is just before the restricted activity period that aims to protect fish in September, Bull trout may be moving through the area right now. They have communicated those concerns to West-Fraser.
Flyfisher Glenn Anderson, who knows the area well and fishes there often, confirmed there are Bull trout active in the Highwood now. He saw them while flyfishing there earlier this week.
“I released 14 trout mostly Cutthroats and a couple of Rainbow/Cutthroat hybrids,” he said.
On two occasions Anderson had a large Bull trout furiously chase the Cutthroats during the fight. One Bull got so close it touched his net as he was scooping up the Cutthroat.
“I saw two other large Bulls in another deep pool, which tells me they are proceeding upstream as the fall spawning season approaches. Glad to see the Bulls as it is a sign of a healthy ecosystem and have the privilege of being able to still enjoy the river and area,” Anderson said.
In addition to opponents like environmental and recreational groups and wildlife advocates, Okotoks Mayor Tanya Thorn sent a letter dated Nov. 24, 2023 to Minister of Environment and Protected Areas Rebecca Schulz requesting a moratorium on logging in southern Alberta, and High River Mayor Craig Snodgrass has sent a letter to the Calgary Climate Hub supporting their call as well.
The Highwood River contains critical habitat for Bull trout and West Slope Cutthroat trout, which are both listed as threatened on Schedule 1 of Canada’s Species at Risk Act (SARA) and in the provincial Wildlife Act.
Bull trout, Alberta’s provincial fish, have experienced a reduction in their historic range and populations, mirroring the timing and pattern of development in the Eastern Slopes.
