News

Alberta Environment and Parks (AEP) is pleased to announce an update to the Wetland Assessment and Impact Form (WAIF), which will take effect on September 21, 2020.

The following activity has been added to the list of eligible low risk activities that now require a WAIF rather than a full Wetland Assessment and Impact Report (WAIR):

• widening, improvements or maintenance of existing roads that take place within a registered road plan right of way

In the previous version of the WAIF, road activities within 15 m from the centerline of an existing road were allowed to use the WAIF, whereas road work beyond this footprint required a field-based wetland assessment and a more comprehensive report. This change will reduce red tape by allowing more flexible and less costly wetland assessments within a larger project area (i.e., the registered road plan). The WAIF is supported by the desktop-based Alberta Wetland Rapid Evaluation Tool – D (ABWRET-D).

Additional measures to streamline the regulatory process and reduce wait times for Water Act approvals are under development.

To what activities does the change apply?

Tables 1 and 2 have been modified to state that a WAIF will be accepted for “Widening, improvements or maintenance of an existing road within a registered road plan right of way or within 15 m from the centerline of an existing unregistered or private road. This does not include new road construction.” New road construction still requires a WAIR.

A registered road is typically managed by Alberta Transportation or a municipality. An unregistered or private road is typically owned by an individual or company. Examples include a private driveway or access road.

How does this align with the Wetland Policy?

This change aligns with wetland policy requirements to complete a WAIF for activities that are low risk or have minimal permanent impacts to wetlands. The WAIF requires wetlands to be delineated and classified, and impacts to wetlands mitigated, in accordance with applicable wetland policy directives. Alberta Wetland Rapid Evaluation Tool – Desktop (ABWRET-D) results must be obtained, and replacement for the permanent loss of wetland area and relative value is still required for these activities. The WAIF must be signed by an authenticating professional and submitted with a regulatory application.

How will my road widening project be impacted?

The change to the WAIF will impact new applications submitted on or after September 21, and will not impact applications already submitted to the department or under review.

If you are uncertain whether or not a proposed activity is eligible, please submit your wetland assessment question to AEP.Wetlands@gov.ab.ca.

How to download the updated WAIF on the Alberta Wetland Policy Implementation webpage

1. Click on the following hyperlink to the Alberta Wetland Policy Implementation webpage: https://www.alberta.ca/alberta-wetland-policy-implementation.aspx
2. Scroll down to the Policy requirements section and click on Wetland Assessment to expand the content
3. Click on the downloadable WAIF PDF under the Alberta Wetland Assessment and Impact Form subsection

Contact information

For more information, please contact either Angela Burkinshaw, Director, Grants and Program Delivery at angela.burkinshaw@gov.ab.ca, or Matthew Wilson, Wetlands Team Lead, Grants and Program Delivery at matthew.wilson@gov.ab.ca.

Click here to read the latest issue of RoadRunner magazine. 

Click here to see the latest flyer from RMA approved supplier KalTire. 

On behalf of AMSA's executive team, please be advised that AMSA's spring convention scheduled for March 17-18 has now been cancelled.  This decision resulted from the growing concern related to COVID-19, many questions from AMSA members, with some municipalities indicating work-related travel restrictions being implemented. AMSA's executive also wishes to remain aligned with RMA's schedule, and have cancelled the AMSA spring convention following RMA's recent cancellation of their trade show and spring convention (see RMA notice in the email below). 

Below are a few helpful links to keep up to date about COVID-19.  

Alberta Health Services - Emergency Management (click here)

Government of Alberta - Coronavirus Information for Albertans (click here)

Take care,

Christine (on behalf of President Shaune Kovitch) 

RMA's cancellation message : 

In light of the growing concern regarding the spread of COVID-19, the RMA is cancelling the Spring 2020 Convention and Trade show. Although our program was full with great speakers, and exhibitors, we look forward to offering an exciting program in the future.

All registered delegates and exhibitors will receive a full refund, and reminded that they are responsible for cancelling hotels. 

Though the association will take a significant financial hit as a result of this decision, the health and safety of our members, staff, delegates and government partners are of the utmost importance.

We encourage members to continue to visit the Government of Alberta’s COVID-19 website for up to date information and we will continue to communicate information pertinent to municipalities as this issue evolves.

We appreciate your understanding and patience as we work through the logistics of processing refunds and cancellations and will be in communication in the coming weeks regarding how resolutions brought forward will be handled.

The Government of Alberta is reviewing regulations for the commercial transportation industry to reduce red tape and remove redundant regulations. As part of this engagement, Alberta-based carriers are invited to participate and provide their input to an industry-specific online survey on how Alberta regulates commercial carriers. The online survey will be available from February 26 to April 3, 2020. The results of this engagement will help the Government of Alberta identify opportunities for red tape reduction throughout 2020-2021.

The survey consists of 33 questions on the following six key areas:
1) Alberta's Hours of Service regulations;

2) Adoption of Electronic Logging Devices (ELDs);  

3) Implementation of National Safety Code (NSC) Standards;

4) Mandatory Entry Level Training (MELT) for commercial drivers;

5) Vehicle weights and dimensions; and

6) Alberta’s overall regulatory environment

You may access the online survey at:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/cchrrindustrysurvey

Please note that the survey may take up to 30 minutes to complete and must be completed in one attempt.

APWA/AMSA Zone 4 - Peace Region Ideas Group held a joint meeting on Friday January 30, 2020 in Town Peace River.

Please click here to review meeting minutes.

Click here to view complete course outline and registration information.

This course provides an introduction to the design, evaluation, management, construction and preservation of pavements. 

 www.ctepworkshop.com

Early registration is recommended, especially for those requiring hotel rooms!

Click here to read the latest issue of RoadRunner magazine. 

The 2019 AMSA Fall Convention takes place November 13-15, 2019 at the Edmonton Convention Centre.   Online REGISTRATION is now open. If you haven't already done so, be sure to register by October 31 to be eligible for the early bird draw for a 10" Samsung Tablet.  The fall convention agenda features a tour of the Weldo-Beales Manufacturing Facility, keynote speaker Nelson Scott speaking about Hiring the Right People and as well  Todd Hirsch returns for a 2019 economic update.   Click here for sneak peak at the upcoming convention agenda.   Stay tuned for the AGM agenda, bylaws and financial report to come by email a few weeks prior to the convention. We look forward to seeing you all in November.