HAWS was dropped from Alberta's Feral Horse Advisory Committee after refusing to sign confidentiality-based terms of reference.
Authors: Riley Stovka and Lea Smaldon | Date: September 3, 2025 | Website: https://www.thealbertan.com/mountain-view-county-news/help-alberta-wildies-society-removed-from-provincial-feral-horse-committee-11138575
This article reports that HAWS was dropped from Alberta's Feral Horse Advisory Committee (FHAC) after refusing to sign the committee's terms of reference, which included a confidentiality clause. A HAWS member, speaking after an Aug. 13 meeting, called the move “quite political,” noting HAWS has counted fewer than 1,500 horses across 5.6 million acres, and alleged the FHAC pushed for HAWS's removal to silence dissent against government plans. The Minister of Forestry and Parks' office countered that signing the terms of reference is standard practice for committee members in good standing, and that HAWS chose not to sign. The framework also includes a pilot adoption project run with the Olds-based Wild Horses of Alberta Society, which places distressed or nuisance horses removed from the wild.