WHEREAS the province, through the Department of Sustainable Resource Development, is responsible for issuing permits to industry for the construction of roads; AND WHEREAS there are numerous companies building roads to access their operations (i.e. oil and gas, logging, etc.) and some of these roads are very close to one another; AND WHEREAS some companies are very good at cooperating in jointly using one road and others refuse to cooperate jointly; AND WHEREAS there are no mechanisms in place requiring industry to manage where these roads are built or for the joint use of these roads between companies and between industries; AND WHEREAS each time a road is built, there is the potential for negative impact on the environment and the land base; AND WHEREAS it is beneficial to reduce the footprint caused by road construction;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Alberta Association of Municipal Districts and Counties urge the Government of Alberta to develop a process that would require cooperation between companies and industry to jointly use roads.

Growing industrial development in the province has resulted in an ever-increasing number of roads being built to service industry. Each time a new road is built, it impacts the land base and the environment in the area. Many of these roads are constructed close to one another significantly affecting the footprint of an area. In many instances, one road could service more than one industry or more than one company within a given industry.Currently the province has no mechanism in place that requires industries or companies to manage where roads are built or to require the joint use of roads between them. There are instances where roads are jointly used but there are many instances where companies refuse to share roads and build a new road in close proximity to an already existing one. In an effort to protect the land base and the environment, one industry has approached the County and requested assistance in gathering support to pressure the province to develop a process that would result in more forceful cooperation between companies and industries to jointly use roads in an effort to minimize the effect on the environment and the land base.

The AAMDC has no resolutions in effect with respect to this issue. However, the association participates in the Energy Sector Road Dialogue with Municipal Affairs, Environment, Transportation, various oil and gas sector associations, and six member municipalities. This group has developed a voluntary notification process for seismic companies and a road notification and road use agreement.