Alberta implements major reforms for sand and gravel

Key Takeaways:

• Alberta is moving ahead with all 15 recommendations from its Sand and Gravel Task Force to speed up approvals and reduce regulatory confusion while maintaining environmental standards for private land extraction.
• Several improvements are already in place, including clear service standards and concurrent application processing, with more changes coming soon to clarify roles, improve communication, and provide liaisons to help operators navigate approvals.
• Longer-term measures will digitize and automate applications, create a centralized industry resource hub, and develop standardized templates, aiming to support industry investment, job creation, and a reliable supply of sand and gravel.

The Whole Story:

Alberta’s government is implementing 15 recommendations from a Sand and Gravel Task Force report to modernize regulation of private land extraction operations, aiming to reduce approval timelines while maintaining environmental standards.

The task force, launched in May 2025, reviewed current policies and processes to address longstanding complaints from landowners and operators about slow regulatory timelines, confusing approval conditions and inconsistent decision-making. The sector currently operates more than 1,000 active pit registrations across the province.

“Sand and gravel help build the roads we drive on, the homes we live in and the infrastructure that supports our province. It also helps create jobs and grow our economy. These recommendations will help get rid of unnecessary government bureaucracy, create more opportunities in the sand and gravel sector and protect our strong environmental safeguards,” Rebecca Schulz, Minister of Environment and Protected Areas, said in a news release.

Three recommendations have already been implemented, including formal service standards for application review timelines under the Water Act and Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act. Applications are now processed concurrently across regulators, and Alberta Environment and Protected Areas staff are sharing best practices with operators.

Seven additional recommendations will be completed within six months. These include clarifying regulatory roles, improving operator communication and introducing designated liaisons to guide applicants through the approval process.

The remaining five recommendations will be completed within one year and focus on automating and digitizing applications to enable real-time tracking, creating a centralized resource hub for industry, and developing templates for high-quality submissions to reduce review timelines.

In 2021, the sand and gravel sector directly or indirectly employed 3,159 people and produced 35.6 million tonnes of aggregate valued at $556 million. Municipalities collected $11.44 million in levies that year, reinvested into community scholarships, infrastructure and improvements.

“The efforts and recommendations put forward by the task force and corresponding implementation by the Alberta government will provide the support and certainty the industry needs to continue to invest, create jobs and ensure an adequate supply of sand and gravel for our province,” Keith Arsenault, chief executive officer of Peaskie Minerals Inc., said in the release.