The Government of Alberta has introduced Bill 7: Water Amendment Act, 2025, alongside their ongoing water availability engagement. These initiatives aim to modernize Alberta’s water management system while addressing growing demand and recurring drought conditions.
Bill 7 Overview
Bill 7 introduces significant changes to the Water Act. RMA is continuing to evaluate the changes and their potential impacts. According to the Government of Alberta, Bill 7 will address the following:
- New definitions (return flow, water for reuse) to enable conservation and reuse.
- Expanded license amendment options, including changes to diversion points and timing, provided no adverse effects occur.
- Mandatory timelines for application reviews to reduce delays.
- Disclosure requirements for agreements related to assignments, licenses, and transfers; some details may be made public.
- Lower-risk inter-basin transfers, subject to ministerial approval and strict criteria, although this criteria has not yet been defined.
Water Availability Engagement Overview
Prior to the introduction of Bill 7, The Government of Alberta consulted on potential changes to increase water availability for economic development. RMA participated in Phase 2 of the provincial engagement, emphasizing:
- Support for streamlined licensing processes to improve access, provided safeguards prevent adverse impacts on other users.
- Conditional support for changes to points of use and diversion, with calls for clear definitions of “adverse effect.”
- Opposition to reduced approval requirements for inter-basin transfers, even those deemed “low risk,” citing environmental and transparency concerns.
RMA also prioritized the need for transparent data, strong conservation measures, and meaningful consultation before any legislative changes proceed.
Next Steps
RMA will continue advocating rural priorities as regulations under Bill 7 are developed and water management reforms progress. Additionally, RMA is developing a member facing resource that will analyze Bill 7 in more detail, which is expected to be released in the coming weeks.
For more information visit: rmalberta.com
Sahaj Kaur
Policy Advisor
825.319.2400
sahaj@rmalberta.com
Warren Noga
Manager of Policy and Research
825.319.2285
warren@rmalberta.com