All-season Resorts Act

Summary#

• Bill 35 creates a new system to plan, approve, and oversee all‑season resorts on Alberta’s public land. It moves many approvals into a single “one‑window” led by the Minister responsible for this Act (Tourism and Sport).

• Projects must still follow Alberta’s environmental and water laws, but for resort areas the decisions and enforcement shift to officials under the Tourism Minister. The Act is not in force until the government proclaims it.

• Lets Cabinet designate parts of public land as “all‑season resort areas” for year‑round resorts with fixed‑roof lodging and amenities.

• Puts those lands under the Tourism Minister’s administration and allows a director to combine and streamline permits across environmental, water, and land laws.

• Overrides existing land‑use plans in those areas unless the director decides some parts still apply.

• Allows the director to cancel or let continue current land uses (like grazing or trapping) in the designated area.

• Consolidates appeals into a single panel and limits court challenges to narrow legal questions with permission; no general judicial review.

• Allows, after protections are removed, previously protected parks or reserves to be redesignated as resort areas.

What it means for you#

• Residents and visitors

  • You may see more year‑round resorts on public land, with new lodging, restaurants, and activities.
  • Some areas now open for recreation could be closed or limited if designated for a resort.
  • Construction and tourism traffic could increase near resort sites.

• Nearby communities

  • Potential for more jobs and business from visitors year‑round.
  • Possible pressure on local roads, emergency services, housing, and utilities.
  • Local and regional land‑use plans may not apply inside resort boundaries.

• Outdoor land users (grazing, trapping, guide/outfitting, forestry)

  • If your approved activity is inside a designated resort area, the director can cancel it, end it at expiry, or allow renewal.
  • Access routes or timing could change due to resort construction and operations.

• Investors and developers

  • A single process led by the Tourism ministry for land, water, and environmental approvals; applications can be combined and heard together.
  • Appeals of approvals are consolidated; only limited court appeals on legal or jurisdictional questions.

• Environmental and community groups

  • Environmental assessments and permits still apply, but key decisions for resort projects shift from Environment and Lands officials to the Tourism Minister’s officials.
  • Court review is narrowed; general judicial review is excluded. Appeals require permission and are limited to questions of law.

• Everyone

  • Provincial regulations may set rules for rents charged by resort disposition holders.
  • The Act takes effect only when the government proclaims it.

Expenses#

No publicly available information.

Proponents' View#

• Streamlines approvals by creating a clear, one‑window process, which can cut red tape and timelines for complex resort projects.
• Boosts year‑round tourism, bringing jobs and new income to nearby towns and rural areas.
• Keeps Alberta’s environmental and water rules in place while coordinating decisions in one place.
• Combines appeals to reduce duplication and conflicting rulings.
• Provides investor certainty by clarifying who decides and how, which can attract private capital.

Opponents' View#

• Concentrates power in the Tourism ministry for environmental, land, and water decisions on resort projects, reducing independent oversight and creating a perceived conflict of interest.
• Allows existing land‑use plans to be set aside in resort areas and makes it possible to remove protections from parks or reserves and then designate them for resorts.
• Lets the director cancel existing land users’ approvals, creating uncertainty for ranchers, trappers, and others with dispositions on public land.
• Narrows public input and legal checks: reduces required public consultation on regional plan changes for resort areas and bars general judicial review; only limited appeals are allowed with permission.
• Removes these resort projects from review by the Natural Resources Conservation Board, reducing another layer of scrutiny.
• Potential local impacts (traffic, wildlife habitat, water use) may not be fully addressed if the process prioritizes speed over safeguards.