Issue
The current process to discover, investigate, remediate, and redevelop brownfields is onerous, costly, and frustrating for local governments and does not encourage and incentivize the private sector to redevelop brownfields.
Background
More than 1,700 brownfields sit abandoned on main streets and in neighbourhoods in almost every municipality across Alberta. The cost to remediate brownfields is quite onerous, often more than the property's value. Private property owners choose to leave brownfields vacant or dormant to avoid these costs, leaving brownfields and contaminated sites a detriment to business development, community growth, and aesthetics in many communities.
Our Recommendation
1. Immediately implement any remaining recommendations from the 2011 Brownfield Redevelopment Working Group report;
2. Redefine the Orphan Well Association mandate to support legacy sites;
3. Create a simplified tool, similar to the Stop Housing Delays portal, to identify both the challenges and the opportunities in developing brownfield sites;
4. Implement an alternate classification system for different brownfield sites based on site risk assessment that would expedite approvals and development for lower-risk sites;
5. Consider implementing successful models found in other jurisdictions, such as ENV certification, which enables land to be developed and financed to more productive uses; and,
Topic
Year
2025
Contact
If you have any questions, contact Dana Severson at dseverson@abchamber.ca or (780) 425-4180 ext. 2.