Unit 1 - Management of Alberta's Forests

When Alberta, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan entered Confederation, they were not given control over their natural resources, unlike the other Canadian provinces. In 1930, these three provinces and British Columbia gained control over crown lands and natural resources within their provinces via a transfer from the federal government. The agreements for these transfers were called the Natural Resources Transfer Agreements, after which each province then passed acts to implement the agreements. Then the British Parliament passed the Constitution Act which ratified the three agreements and entrenched them in the Constitution of Canada. The Dominion Lands Act, in place up until that time, was then deemed obsolete.

The current Natural Resources Transfer Act includes Section 10 in which, “Alberta is obligated to transfer unoccupied Crown lands back to the federal government so that Canada can fulfil its obligations under the treaties with First Nations.” Since 1986, Alberta has contributed 178 281 acres of unoccupied Crown land to Canada in trust for First Nations. In Unit 3, you will learn more about First Nations, Métis and Inuit land ownership structures.