Bill 7, the Water Amendment Act, came into force on 11 March 2026. It touches transfers, price transparency, and how basins are administered.
Applicants transferring allocation under Sections 81 to 83 must now submit their transfer agreements and any consideration, including the price paid. The province is drafting publication rules. Until those rules are finalised, historical comparables remain the working reference.
Bill 7 allows certain lower-risk inter-basin transfers to proceed by Ministerial Order when they pass environmental tests. Larger moves still require a special Act of the Legislature.
Bill 7 merged the Peace, Slave, and Athabasca basins into one administrative basin in March 2026. Alberta's southern basins remain closed to new consumptive surface licences.
Research output only. Not legal or regulatory advice. Transfer approval remains with the province or the energy regulator.