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Preamble:
WHEREAS rural municipalities across Alberta are responsible for providing fire suppression and emergency response services within their boundaries to protect public safety, infrastructure, highways, and surrounding lands; and
WHEREAS municipal fire departments routinely respond to fires and emergency incidents involving electrical utility infrastructure, including downed power lines, failed poles, equipment malfunctions, and utility-related ignition sources; and
WHEREAS in many cases, utility providers directly request municipal fire department assistance to suppress fires, secure sites, manage traffic, or protect utility assets while repairs are completed; and
WHEREAS municipalities across Alberta have reported increasing difficulty recovering fire suppression and emergency response costs from electrical companies for incidents associated with utility infrastructure; and
WHEREAS utility companies have declined to pay these municipal invoices, asserting that under the Forest and Prairie Protection Act, responsibility for fire suppression costs rests with landowners or those who directly caused the fire, and that easements or rights-of-way do not constitute land ownership or control; and
WHEREAS utility companies have further relied on provisions of the Electrical Utilities Act, to state that their liability is limited to situations involving proven negligence, willful misconduct, or breach of contract, and that, in the absence of demonstrated fault, they are not responsible for municipal fire suppression or emergency response costs; and
WHEREAS as a result, rural municipalities and their taxpayers are absorbing significant unfunded emergency response costs related to privately owned and operated utility infrastructure over which municipalities have no operational control;
Operative Clause:
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Rural Municipalities of Alberta advocate to the Government of Alberta to:
Member Background:
Municipal fire departments serve as the primary emergency responders in rural Alberta, particularly in remote areas where alternative resources are limited. When incidents involving utility infrastructure occur, municipalities respond to protect public safety, highways, adjacent lands, and critical infrastructure—often to prevent escalation or further damage.
Current provincial legislation does not clearly assign responsibility for municipal cost recovery in these situations, allowing utility companies to rely on narrow interpretations of liability provisions to deny payment. As fire risk continues to rise due to aging infrastructure, environmental conditions, and increased service demands, the frequency and cost of these emergency responses are expected to grow.
Rural municipalities across Alberta are increasingly experiencing situations where municipal fire departments are required to respond to fires and emergency incidents associated with electrical utility infrastructure. These responses include fire suppression, site security, traffic control, and public safety protection, often undertaken at the request of the utility provider.
Despite the direct connection between utility infrastructure and the emergency response required, municipalities report that recovery of these costs is frequently denied. Utility companies have cited existing provincial legislation to assert that responsibility for fire suppression costs rests with landowners unless negligence can be proven, and that utility easements or rights-of-way do not constitute land ownership or control.
As a result, municipalities are funding emergency responses for incidents related to infrastructure they do not own, operate, or control. Without legislative clarification or a consistent provincial cost recovery framework, these unfunded obligations place increasing financial pressure on rural municipalities and create inequitable outcomes for local taxpayers.
Rural municipalities will continue to subsidize private utility operations through uncompensated emergency services, undermining municipal financial sustainability and shifting private operational risk onto rural taxpayers unless provincial action is taken.
RMA Background:
11-24F: Enhanced Brushing Along Powerlines to Mitigate Wildfires
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Rural Municipalities of Alberta (RMA) urge relevant provincial authorities to prioritize and expand brushing initiatives along powerlines on all lands within forested areas to reduce the risk of wildfires;
FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED that the RMA advocate to relevant provincial authorities for a comprehensive review of powerline right-of-way widths across the province, considering local conditions, tree length, surrounding vegetation, and fire risk to ensure adequate right-of-way widths are in place for purposes of wildfire mitigation through vegetation management.
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