Province says wait times for water licences have fallen dramatically

By ANNA SMITH Local Journalism Initiative on November 2, 2024.

asmith@medicinehatnews.com

With the province cutting red tape surrounding regulatory approvals and decisions under the Water Act, wait times for licences are reported to have decreased by 57 per cent since 2021.

“Water is a precious resource and must be managed to meet the province’s many growing needs,” said the province. Officials explained they have heard ongoing frustrations from Albertans regarding what they feel are unnecessary delays.

These wait times delay projects, reduce economic development and limit water users’ ability to adapt to changing conditions on the ground, the province says. As a result, they have worked to cut the red tape, bureaucratic delays and outdated processes that slow down good work.

“As environment minister, I’ve made improving our regulatory process a priority. We can protect the environment and make timely decisions at the same time,” said Rebecca Schulz, minister of Environment and Protected Areas. “We are seeing real improvements that help communities grow and businesses succeed, but this is just the start. We are going to keep finding ways to increase transparency, and speed up and improve all of our regulatory processes.”

The backlog of Water Act applications that are open longer than six months has now declined by 68 per cent.

Water Act decisions must now be made within a specific time frame, says the province, unless extenuating circumstances arise. Staff are now required to assess each application and make a decision based on its deemed risk.

In the near future, focus will be put on speeding up Water Act decisions that have not yet seen as much improvement, including complex or high-risk requests such as wetlands.

9
-8