Preparing Variance Justifications for Weeds and Problematic Species on Wellsites and Associated Facilities on Forested Land

Heather Tokay, Kevin Renkema, and Dean MacKenzie, Vertex Professional Services Ltd.
Bonnie Drozdowski and Natalie Shelby-James, InnoTech Alberta Inc.
Chris Powter, Enviro Q&A Services

March 2023

Executive Summary

In 2018, the Petroleum Technology Alliance of Canada (PTAC) initiated a multi-stage project on the reclamation certification process for upland sites with vegetation on a trajectory to approximate natural forest vegetation but with one or more reclamation deficiencies according to the Forested Land Criteria. These sites cannot receive a reclamation certificate without additional scrutiny and professional justification under current regulatory criteria and policies. The goal of the overall project was to ensure that decisions made during the reclamation certification process result in the best possible ecological outcome (i.e., net environmental benefit) for these sites and surrounding region.

Alberta Environment and Protected Areas asked PTAC and InnoTech Alberta to extract the relevant sections from the 2023 Update (Tokay et al., 2023) to provide specific guidance on applying for a variance for sites that have weeds or problematic species present. This document also reflects recent changes in the Alberta Energy Regulator’s variance procedures and provides an example to clarify the definition of Undesireable/Problem Weeds.