An expired Public Lands Act (PLA) disposition, such as a well site or access road disposition, cannot be renewed. The Public Lands Administration Regulation (PLAR) allows a replacement disposition to be issued instead of renewing an expired disposition.
As of September 2024, consultation for a replacement disposition is no longer required1, and no new file number for consultation (FNC) will be issued. However, OneStop requires an FNC to process a replacement disposition application.
Currently, parties with an expired disposition seeking a replacement disposition submit a new application through OneStop and receive a new disposition number unrelated to the expired disposition. This situation makes it difficult to connect the histories of two dispositions (i.e., continuity of information).
Therefore, to address the OneStop limitation concerning an FNC and the replacement disposition continuity issue, a new OneStop process for replacement dispositions is under development and will be released in spring 2025. Meanwhile, where possible, we ask that companies delay submitting replacement applications until the spring 2025 OneStop release. Until then, we will deem the former disposition holder as an overholding tenant in accordance with the PLA and PLAR. If a replacement disposition is urgently needed or is related to an acquisition or compliance issue, contact the AER for further direction.
If you have any questions, contact our Customer Contact Centre by phone at 1-855-297-8311 or by email at inquiries@aer.ca.
1 See Appendix C of The Government of Alberta's Guidelines on Consultation with First Nations on Land and Natural Resource Management (2014) and The Government of Alberta’s Guidelines on Consultation with Metis Settlements on Land and Natural Resource Management 2016.
