The Government of Saskatchewan wants the public's help to solve the issues surrounding the province's new trespassing laws and hunters. (file photo/paNOW Staff)

By Michael Joel-Hansen

Hunting

Provincial government seeks technological solution to trespass challenges

Feb 25, 2019 | 5:06 PM

Proposed changes to Saskatchewan’s laws around trespassing have been generating controversy in some corridors.

The new legislation, which is expected to come up for debate in the spring would put the onus on hunters to get permission from landowners before accessing land. Under the current laws, it is the responsibility of landowners to post no trespassing signs on their land.

One group which has raised concerns about the proposed changes is the Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation (SWF). The organization’s executive director, Darrell Crabbe said in the current environment it can be difficult to track people down.

“A lot of the farms are now held by corporations and so, a lot of cases the actual family name is not on there,” he said adding the R.M.’s are not permitted to provide contact information.

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Along with these issues, Crabbe said the decrease in the use of landlines has made it harder to get in touch with people.

When he spoke to the SWF’s annual conference earlier this month, Minister of the Environment Dustin Duncan announced Innovation Saskatchewan would soon be launching a public competition in hopes of finding a technological solution. People are encouraged to submit their ideas and in exchange will receive financial support and a residency with Innovation Saskatchewan.

For its part the SWF is supportive of the measure and brought the issue up in the past when speaking with the provincial government.

“I think they’re already is things in other jurisdictions, things that are like that, so we have to fit the Saskatchewan landscape and the needs and wants we have here,” Crabbe said.

While the SWF are supportive of the measure, Crabbe added there are some potential issues with having to rely on online applications.

“We have to keep in mind that, cellphones and apps, don’t work everywhere in our province, there’s still some major hurdles to jump,” he said.

Ray Orb the president of the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities (SARM) explained his organization met with the provincial government to discuss what Innovation Saskatchewan plans to do.

“We would not want to deter hunters from hunting,” he said.

Orb said his organization is supportive of the changes to trespassing legislation and feel hunters should have to get permission from landowners before accessing land. He added SARM supports an initiative which would help connect farmers and landowners.

“To be able to actually get a list of some kind out there, for the landowners that would like to have [their land] accessible to the public,” he said.

There are currently online apps like iHunter, which have access to maps and can also provide hunters information about regulations surrounding limits.

“Some R.M.’s have already put their R.M. maps on that, mine being one,” Orb said.

Orb said the company behind this app have contacted a number of R.M.’s and helped them to get their maps online. The SARM president added there are limits to this current app as not all relevant information can be made available by R.M.’s.

“I think the province is likely going to come up with something through Innovation Saskatchewan that we’re hopefully going to be pleased with,” Orb said.

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MichaelJoel.Hansen@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @mjhskcdn