Bill 22: Animal Protection Amendment Act, 2026*
Bill Sponsor: R.J. Sigurdson
Bill Type: Government Bills
Amendments: Yes
Money Bill: No
Documents
A1- April 22, 2026
First Reading
March 30, 2026 passed 1299
Second Reading
April 2, 2026 passed 1399-1404
Committee of the Whole
April 22, 2026 passed with amendments 1618-20
Third Reading
April 23, 2026 passed 1643-47
5/3/2026 9:05 PM
WHO GAINS POWER
- Peace officers get significantly expanded authority — they can stop vehicles, demand animals be produced, enter properties, collect samples, require people to answer questions and demonstrate skills
- Peace officer agencies (not individual officers) now control custody, care, sale and destruction of seized animals
- Courts gain new tools — prohibition orders, custody orders and the ability to ban someone from owning animals for life
- Ministers gain broad regulation-making power covering nearly every aspect of the Act
WHO LOSES POWER
- Humane societies are removed entirely from the Act — they no longer have a formal role in receiving, caring for or selling seized animals
- Animal owners lose more ground — prohibition orders can now be issued even if the owner was never convicted of an offence
- Corporate directors and officers can be personally held liable for offences committed by their corporation
WHO GAINS MONEY
- Peace officer agencies can now recover care costs directly from animal owners
- Former owners get 60 days to claim proceeds from the sale of a seized animal — an improvement over the previous version
WHO LOSES MONEY
- Animal owners face fines up to $250,000 (up from $20,000) plus potential imprisonment up to 12 months
- Fines can be calculated per animal and per day the offence continues
- Courts can add a second fine equal to any monetary benefit gained from the offence
THE CATCH
⚠️ Humane societies are eliminated with no replacement framework defined in the Act — the Minister defines what replaces them through regulation, with no legislative oversight
⚠️ Prohibition orders can be issued without a conviction — a person can be banned from owning animals based on a peace officer's opinion, not a court finding of guilt
⚠️Out-of-province animal ownership bans automatically apply in Alberta— there is no Alberta review, and once deemed valid here, the order cannot be appealed or varied in an Alberta court.
⚠️ The entire Act comes into force by Proclamation — government decides when, with no deadline
ADDENDUM — Amendment A1
Agreed to April 22, 2026
Section 2(2)(c) was amended to explicitly exempt chuckwagon racing and rodeo from the Act's distress provisions. Animals used in these activities cannot be considered "in distress" under this Act as long as the activity follows reasonable and generally accepted practices — regardless of the expanded welfare standards introduced elsewhere in Bill 22.
⚠️ The same Bill that expands animal protection also carves out named exemptions for specific industries — the amendment was agreed to before the Bill received royal assent.