Government to Review Surface Rights and Expropriation Acts

In response to the Property Rights Task Force, the Provincial Government has made commitments to move forward on a number of items that will affect rural Alberta. The specific actions that they have committed to include:

• take steps to improve engagement with Albertans; including being more consistent, predictable and timely in consultations;
• review requirements for industry to reclaim, remediate land and remove unused infrastructure;
• review the Expropriation Act as well as the Surface Rights Act, regulations, guidelines or principles related to compensation and property rights; and,
• create a Property Rights Advocate to share information and help people determine the appropriate resolution mechanism - including the courts.

The second and third bullet specifically addresses issues that the AAMDC membership has brought forward to the government in previous years via resolutions.

As the process of the review moves forward, the AAMDC will continue to put forward suggested changes as highlighted by our resolutions and our report outlining specific changes to the Surface Rights Act, Digging Deeper. The membership is encouraged to voice concerns through the review process, which the association will keep you updated on as the details become clear.

The board recently met with members of the Surface Rights Board where the AAMDC was informed of the strides they had taken to make changes as outlined by Digging Deeper.

The full news release can be found here.

Enquiries may be directed to: