News Release: Ethics Commissioner claims no grounds to investigate Minister Loewen

August 5, 2026

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After seven months, the Ethics Commissioner has replied to our request for an investigation into the recent conduct of Minister Loewen, the Alberta Minister of Forestry and Parks. In his response, the Ethics Commissioner stated that “there are insufficient grounds to warrant an investigation of the matters raised in your November 20, 2025, letter.”

In justifying this decision, the Ethics Commissioner made the argument that the Minister’s actions do not constitute a private interest. He cited the impact of the Minister’s decisions on “a broad class of the public,” claiming “his actions did not advance the private interests of himself or his family,” or that the office had already made decisions about conflicts of interest.

Alberta Wilderness Association (AWA) and Exposed Wildlife Conservancy have since responded to the Ethics Commissioner, questioning the favouritism Minister Loewen has shown towards particular groups in Alberta, at the expense of public enjoyment of Alberta’s wildlife and the benefits they bring.

“Although we appreciate receiving a response from the Ethics Commissioner, we are disappointed by the decision,” says Ruiping Luo, Conservation Specialist with AWA. “Given the clear bias Minister Loewen has shown, the easy dismissal of our complaint is very concerning. It suggests our regulations around conflicts of interest and the maintenance of government integrity are not stringent enough.”

In the original request for investigation, AWA and Exposed Wildlife Conservancy argued that Todd Loewen’s decisions as Minister of Forestry and Parks showed he had clearly prioritized the interests of his family and friends over those of Albertans as a whole. His family continues to benefit from Red Willow Outfitters, a business Minister Loewen formerly owned and that now states the primary stakeholders as his wife and son. Minister Loewen has clear connections to the hunter, trapper, and outfitter groups that have been favoured in his actions and he has failed to fulfill his responsibilities to Albertans in his role as a Minister.

In particular, we argue against the Ethics Commissioner’s claim that Minister Loewen’s international travel, intended to promote the Minister’s Special Licence, did not advance his private interests. By promoting hunting and raising the value of these licences, Minister Loewen likely attracted clients willing to pay more for outfitting services.

Further, if the Minister’s Special Licences were fully subscribed, as the Ethics Commissioner’s response noted, we question the need to use taxpayer funds for international travel to promote these licences in the first place. As of March 2026, Minister Loewen has spent $43,531.19 traveling internationally solely to promote the sale of Minister’s Special Licences and hunting in Alberta, constituting over half of all spending by the Minister.

Background

• On May 5, 2025, AWA and Exposed wrote a letter to Minister Loewen asking for recent changes to hunting and trapping to be rescinded. This letter, as well as 35 pages of evidence against these decisions, was copied to the Ethics Commissioner.
• On November 24, 2025, another letter was sent to the Ethics Commissioner formally requesting an investigation into the conduct of Minister Loewen.
• In February 2026, we sent a follow-up, asking for an update on our request for an investigation. The ethics commissioner responded with a new bulletin stating, “The person who made the request for an investigation is not informed that an investigation is commenced.”
• On June 23, 2026, we received a response from the Ethics Commissioner informing us that the commissioner would not be opening an investigation into Minister Loewen’s conduct.
• Detailed information on the conflicts of interest with Minister Loewen is collected in the Appendices of our letter to Minister Loewen. This letter was sent to both the Minister and the Ethics Commissioner. We have not received any responses addressing these concerns.
• Minister Loewen has spent $85,490.84 total as of March 2026, and $55,720.77 of that on specifically international travel. In comparison, his predecessors in the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry (Devin Dreeshen) and Environment and Parks (Jason Nixon) spent a total of $26,612.43 and $23,492.72, respectively, during their terms. Neither Minister recorded expenses in travelling internationally when in these roles.
• The letter from the Ethics Commissioner as well as our response are available online.