Notice of Hearing
Proceeding ID 460
Sunshine Oilsands Ltd.
Regulatory Appeal of Abandonment and Reclamation Order
The Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) will hold a public hearing for a regulatory appeal of an Abandonment and Reclamation order issued to Sunshine Oilsands Ltd. (Sunshine) on May 9, 2025.
This notice sets out how to request to participate in the hearing. The hearing will be scheduled after requests to participate are filed. If the request for the regulatory appeal is withdrawn, the hearing will be cancelled.
Description of the Proceeding
On May 15, 2025, the AER received a request for regulatory appeal of the AER’s decision to issue an order under section 27 of the Oil and Gas Conservation Act, section 23 of the Pipeline Act, and sections 140 and 241 of the Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act on May 9, 2025.
The AER granted the request for regulatory appeal on June 24, 2025.
The purpose of the hearing is to determine whether the AER should confirm, vary, suspend, or revoke its decision to issue the order.
Where can I find information about the application and the hearing?
All hearing exhibits filed in relation to proceeding 460 are publicly available and can be found on the AER’s website using the public records system found at https://apps.public.aer.ca/hearing/. To find out more about AER hearing procedures, see Manual 003: Participant Guide to the Hearing Process or contact the hearing coordinators.
Contacts
Elaine Arruda or Nerissa Hymers, Hearing Coordinators
Alberta Energy Regulator
Suite 1000, 250 – 5 Street SW
Calgary, Alberta T2P 0R4
Email: Hearing.Services@aer.ca
How can I apply to participate in the hearing?
Sunshine Oilsands Ltd. and the AER’s Regulatory Compliance branch are parties to this regulatory appeal. As parties, they may participate in the hearing and do not need to submit a request to participate. However, they must confirm their intention to participate in the hearing and the nature and scope of their participation in writing by September 4, 2025.
If you are not already a party to the regulatory appeal and want to participate in the hearing, you must submit a written request to participate. Requests to participate are placed on the public record of this proceeding.
Your request to participate must contain
a) a copy of your statement of concern or an explanation why you did not file one;
b) a concise statement indicating
i) why you may be directly and adversely affected by a decision of the AER on the application,
ii) if you will not be directly and adversely affected by a decision of the AER on the application, explain
- what the nature of your interest in the matter is and why you should be permitted to participate,
- how your participation will materially assist the AER in deciding the subject matter that is the subject of the hearing,
- how you have a tangible interest in the subject matter of the hearing,
- how your participation will not unnecessarily delay the hearing, and
- how you will not repeat or duplicate the evidence presented by the other parties;
c) the outcome of the regulatory applicationthat you advocate;
d) the nature and scope of your intended participation;
e) your contact information;
f) if you are acting on behalf of a group or association of people, the nature of your membership in the group or association; and
g) your efforts, if any, to resolve issues associated with the proceeding directly with the applicant.
Send one copy of the request to the hearing coordinators. Submissions should be PDF documents with bookmarks, page numbers (with the first page in the document being numbered page one), and optical character recognition.
Filing deadlines
September 4, 2025 Final date to file a request to participate.
September 11, 2025 Final date for response from the applicant on any requests to participate.
Is this a public process?
Yes. Section 49 of the Rules of Practice requires that all documents and information filed for a proceeding be placed on the public record. You must not include any personal information that you do not want to appear on or are not authorized to put on the public record. You should assume that anything you submit will be available online to the public. Section 49(2) of the Rules of Practice states how to apply to the AER for an order to keep information confidential.
If my request to participate is approved, can I apply to get reimbursed for hearing-related costs?
If you are participating in a hearing, you may be eligible to have some of your costs paid. Directive 031: REDA Energy Cost Claims explains how and when to apply.
What is outside of the AER’s jurisdiction?
Compensation for land use is not dealt with by the AER and should be referred to the Land and Property Rights Tribunal (formerly the Surface Rights Board).
Issued at Calgary, Alberta, on August 14, 2025.
ALBERTA ENERGY REGULATOR
