Alberta premier vows to use legislation to crack down on illegal garbage dumping

Alberta’s Premier Danielle Smith says her government will bring in legislation later this year to crack down on illegal garbage dumping.

Smith says there’s a growing trend of people in the province leaving their trash on roadways, farms, private property and public lands, leaving others to clean up the mess.

She says too often perpetrators face light fines, and says the legislation will reverse that.

“Cleaning up after a legal dumping activity can cost a municipality hundreds of thousands of dollars each year, ultimately passing the cost on to residents and taxpayers,” she announced Wednesday.

“Just think about what it means to trespass onto private property and leave garbage on someone else’s farm. That’s someone’s livelihood. It’s someone family legacy,” she said.

The legislation, if passed, will allow for up to $100,000 in fines for individuals, or $1 million for corporations — doubling the maximum penalties now on the books.

In extreme cases, courts could impose jail terms of up to six months should the legislation become law.

The premier said that last year in Calgary alone, there were 30,000 complaints related to illegal dumping on municipal property, but the city issued just 165 tickets and three fines.

In Edmonton, Smith said the city logged more than 600 complaints over five years about dumping on private property, issuing 240 tickets.

“Something is clearly going on here,” she said. “By being more involved in this, we’re going to be monitoring these numbers.”

Public Safety Minister Mike Ellis said he has made the issue a priority for peace officers.

Smith’s United Conservative Party government is also pledging to strengthen oversight of waste transfer and storage facilities that represent a higher risk. Those operators will have to register with the province and meet extra requirements.

Alberta lawmakers are set to reconvene at the legislature on Oct. 27 — a week after the province holds a referendum with 10 separate ballot questions, including one on separation.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 30, 2026.

— By Lisa Johnson in Edmonton

Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.