Remediation of Contaminated Properties
IT IS THEREFORE RESOLVED THAT Alberta Municipalities advocate to the Government of Alberta to review relevant legislation to enable the differentiation between current and former owners with respect to liability for contaminated properties; and
FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED THAT Alberta Municipalities advocate to the Government of Alberta to reinstate an adequately funded grant program to facilitate the remediation of contaminated properties.
WHEREAS there are numerous contaminated and derelict properties throughout Alberta which are left abandoned by property owners each year, often accompanied by unpaid property taxes;
WHEREAS contaminated and derelict properties negatively affect property owners and municipalities;
WHEREAS previous grant funding from the Government of Alberta was not adequate to remediate properties and is no longer available;
WHEREAS applicable acts and regulations do not properly distinguish between current owners and original polluters, and further do not completely prevent the original polluter from evading their remediation responsibilities; and
WHEREAS municipalities face the dilemma of either seizing these properties through unpaid taxes and therefore inheriting the liability; or allowing the continued contamination of lands and accumulation of unpaid taxes.
BACKGROUND:
The Town of Vermilion, along with many neighbouring municipalities, continues to face a growing and significant challenge related to contaminated and environmentally compromised properties. In many cases, property owners have failed or refused to take responsibility for the remediation and cleanup of these sites, while also neglecting to pay municipal property taxes associated with the properties.
Despite enforcement efforts by Alberta Environment and Protected Areas, including the issuance of Environmental Protection Orders, municipalities are finding that compliance remains extremely limited. Property owners are either unwilling to undertake the required remediation work or, in some instances, cannot be located at all. As a result, contaminated properties are being left abandoned within communities, creating ongoing environmental, financial, and public safety concerns.
This issue places an increasingly unfair burden on municipalities and local taxpayers, who are left to manage the long-term impacts of derelict and contaminated sites without the necessary authority, resources, or financial support to adequately address them.
ABmunis is preparing correspondence to the appropriate ministry.