The effects of short and long term acidification on a few Alberta soils were studied with respect to bacterial numbers and total soil respiration. Significant reductions in bacterial numbers were observed in both short and long term acidified soils. Total soil activity was severely affected in an acid soil (pH 3.0, longterm) adjacent to a S block. A soil (pH 6.8) 200 m away from this S block when artificially acidified to pH 2.9 significantly reduced soil activity but not as drastically as found in the long term pH 3.0 soil. A garden soil (pH 7.7) which was also acidified to pH 3.2 showed no significant reduction in total soil respiration rate as compared to its unacidified control soil. These acid soils when amended with organic substrates demonstrated that certain physiological groups of organisms were severely inhibited by this acid condition. The importance of examining more than one parameter when assessing the effect of a potential pollutant on soil activity is discussed.