Metis Claim Victory In Alberta Hunting Rights Case

Metis Claim Victory In Alberta Hunting Rights Case

Tuesday, March 11, 2008 at 15:49

The Alberta government has withdrawn a hunting charge against a Metis man from La Loche.

Alfred Janvier was facing a charge of hunting in a closed season after shooting a moose for food just inside the Alberta border in March 2005.

Janvier shot the moose while travelling on a winter road from La Loche to Chard to visit his sister-in-law.

His lawyer says the Crown decided to drop the case after seeing evidence of kinship relationships between Metis in northwest Saskatchewan and northeast Alberta, as well as historical harvesting practices in the region.

Metis leader Clem Chartier says this decision confirms their long-stated view that artificially-created provincial boundaries do not restrict harvesting rights in traditional Metis territory.