Ministerial Order Allows Oil and Gas Assets in Receivership to be Transferred Without Payment of Tax Arrears
New Ministerial Order 96/2024 allows for the transfer of oil and gas assets with tax arrears in some situations The Minister of Energy and Minerals has replaced Ministerial Order 43/2023 (MO 43/2023) with Ministerial Order 96/2024 (MO 96/2024). MO 43/2023 was a partial solution to the ongoing unpaid municipal tax concern; it prohibited companies with […]
RMA Member Briefing on Premier’s Review of the AER
Premier’s Review raises several concerns for RMA regarding the role of a public regulator Earlier in 2024, the Premier formed the Premier’s Review of the Alberta Energy Regulator. Recently, the review panel released a report recommending a wide range of changes to the AER that would, in their view, position the regulator to support a […]
Monthly Resolution Update – August 2024
To improve reporting on resolution advocacy, the RMA is releasing a monthly bulletin highlighting recent actions undertaken on select active resolutions The Monthly Resolution Update Bulletin is a way of routinely highlighting a selection of the over 70 currently active resolutions, offering members a more detailed insight into the work being carried out on their […]
Federal Minister Orders Binding Arbitration in Rail Labour Dispute
The shutdown of both of Canada’s major freight railways would have had devastating impacts on Alberta’s agricultural industry. On the afternoon of Thursday, August 22, Federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon used his powers under the Canada Labour Code to refer separate labour disputes between Canadian National and Canadian Pacific Kansas City and the union representing […]
Auditor General Releases Report on Surface Water Management – Read RMA’s Backgrounder for Key Details
RMA has reviewed the Alberta Auditor General’s report on the management practices of surface water in Alberta. On July 10, 2024, the office of the Alberta Auditor General shared the findings of their inquiry into the management practices of surface water in Alberta. RMA has developed an issue backgrounder providing more details on the report […]
Government of Alberta Releases Updated Drought Response Plan
On August 14, the Government of Alberta released its updated Drought Response Plan for 2024. This follows the initial plan released in May 2024, which includes guidance on drought response for all water users including municipalities and is intended to help government, irrigators, communities, businesses, and others respond quickly and effectively to a wide range […]
RMA Makes Two Submissions Regarding Renewable Energy Approvals
Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation and the Alberta Utilities Commission were both seeking input related to project approval processes and agricultural land impacts. RMA recently made submissions to both Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation (AGI) and the Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC) in response to consultations regarding renewable energy development and approvals. AGI was consulting on their “agriculture […]
Western Canada’s Rural Municipalities Urge Federal Government to Ensure a Quick Resolution to Rail Labour Dispute
Nisku, AB, Regina, SK, and Portage la Prairie, MB, August 20, 2024 – As a nationwide labour dispute looms between Canada’s two major freight railways and the union representing workers at each, the associations representing rural municipalities in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba are extremely concerned about the impacts that a rail work stoppage would have […]
RMA Bridge Asset Deficit Report Now Available
The bridge report is the first phase of an RMA project to quantify Alberta’s rural municipal infrastructure deficit. Stay tuned for more reports in the coming weeks! Over the past several months, the RMA, in conjunction with Tantus Solutions Group, has undertaken an ambitious study to assess the current infrastructure deficit in rural municipalities. This […]
Provincial Government Changes to Managing Unpaid Taxes
The Minister of Energy and Minerals wrote to the RMA announcing expanded tools to ensure payment of municipal taxes by the oil and gas sector The Minister of Energy and Minerals, Hon. Brian Jean, recently wrote to the RMA announcing an expansion of policies to require payment of municipal property taxes from the oil and […]