We oversee industry's activities across the life cycle of energy and resource development to reinforce safe, responsible operations. The vast majority of the approximately 680 companies we regulate operate responsibly and acknowledge that a strong regulatory environment benefits all Albertans. When companies fail to meet our requirements, we take action through compliance assurance programs, suspensions, administrative penalties (fines), prosecutions, environmental protection orders and other tools.
As part of our commitment to being transparent with Albertans, we'll provide frequent updates highlighting recent compliance and enforcement activities.
Orders and Enforcement
The AER takes action to compel companies to address non-compliances and to protect the public and environment. From April 1 to June 30, 2026, the actions taken have included the following:
- 3 companies were ordered to take Reasonable Care and Measures to prevent impairment or damage of wells, pipelines, facilities, and sites throughout the energy development life cycle
- 3 orders orphaning remaining assets of three licensees to the Orphan Well Association (OWA) for closure
- 44 orders orphaning facilities and associated wells belonging to 34 insolvent licensees to the OWA, and directing them to conduct closure with applicable Working Interest Participants (WIPs) responsible for their proportionate share of costs
- 2 administrative penalties totalling $453,611.98, issued following investigations into the companies’ failure to comply with our requirements
- 1 prosecution resulting in a $120,000 court-ordered penalty funding a creative sentencing project (see our May 29 news release below for details)
- 2 Environmental Protection Orders (EPOs) requiring immediate action to mitigate, clean up, or investigate environmental damage, spills, or public safety concerns
- 105 administrative sanctions, restricting licensees’ ability to hold licenses
- 2 orders directing the suspension of operations
- 1 order directing the abandonment of sites
- 2 orders for failing to comply with varying requirements
Get the details on these actions and more on our compliance dashboard.
The AER may also issue news releases and public announcements on enforcement actions. Below is an overview of what we posted since April 1, 2026:
- MAGA Energy Ltd. – On April 22, the AER issued an order requiring MAGA to suspend operations and address multiple non-compliances before operations can resume.
- Prairie Mines & Royalty ULC – On May 12, the AER issued an order related to a substance release into the environment under the Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act (EPEA).
- Imperial Oil Resources Limited – On May 29, Imperial pled guilty in the Alberta Court of Justice to contravening a term or condition of an approval issued under EPEA.
- Long Run Exploration Ltd. – On April 7, the AER issued two orders requiring reasonable care and measures and conservation/reclamation work the OWA will carry out on the remaining assets not sold in the receivership.
- Entrada Resources Inc. – On June 30, the AER issued a $437,611.98 administrative penalty to Entrada Resources Inc. for contraventions of the Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act (EPEA) and Pipeline Rules.
Compliance Assurance and Verification
We’re active across the province, conducting inspections, carrying out audits, completing investigations, and holding industry training sessions to boost awareness of our requirements.
Below is an overview of our inspection and investigation activity since April 1, 2026:
- 2,383 inspections completed, with an average inspection compliance rate of 74%. Each inspection checks a number of requirements and if one item is noncompliant, the company is considered noncompliant for that inspection. The item-based compliance rate is 96%.
- 14 investigations opened.
Visit our information hub for additional data on these topics and much more.
Taking a risk-informed approach to enforcement
Under our Licensee Management Program (LMP), the AER assesses the results of the holistic licensee assessment to identify licensees that are—or are likely to be—at risk of not meeting their regulatory and liability obligations throughout the energy development life cycle.
The AER engages with these licensees closely and uses suitable regulatory tools or conducts compliance assurance activities to assess licensee capability and address the risk. The actions and pace of our decisions depend on the level of the risks posed.
Compliance Dashboard: modernized for transparency
In February 2026, the AER launched a modernized version of the Compliance Dashboard, featuring a refreshed design, improved usability, and more intuitive navigation. New features include enhanced filtering options, automatic links to related records, and easy table downloads.
The dashboard continues to provide publicly available information on incidents, investigations, and noncompliance and enforcement.
Visit the Compliance Dashboard.
For more on the AER's compliance and enforcement tools, visit Compliance and Enforcement.
