Alberta UCP pitches annual trail permit fees if Kenney elected premier

Alberta's Opposition United Conservative leader says if elected premier he would increase funding for conservation projects and have trail users pay annual permit fees.

Jason Kenney released a 13-point conservation plan while in Canmore, Alta.

He says a United Conservative government would increase funding for the Alberta Land Trust Grant Program for conservation projects by 50 per cent.

And he says a $30 yearly trail permit fee for people using off-highway vehicles and campers in the backcountry would go to restoring current trails and creating new ones.

The fee would also help fund more enforcement officers.

Kenney says an additional $1 million would go to an existing program that works with ranchers to keep livestock from damaging creeks and streams.

"Conservation for us is a central value," Kenney said Thursday.

"Our Common Sense Conservation Plan will take a balanced approach to environmental stewardship, recognizing that recreation, economic use and conservation can and should support each other."

NDP Premier Rachel Notley is expected to call an election soon. The vote, by law, must be held by the end of May.