The panel will release its decision report within 80 working days of the close of the hearing.

On February 9, 2021, the Board released its decision report on the Stoney Nakoda applications. The report grants status and awards advance funding to the Stoney Nakoda but denies the application for adjournment of the Springbank Off-Stream Reservoir Project.

On February 4, 2021, the NRCB held an oral virtual hearing to hear the adjournment application. Directly affected parties were invited to attend and to make submissions.

On January 28, 2021, the NRCB issued a Notice of Adjournment Application advising that it would hold a brief oral hearing to hear arguments on this matter.

On January 20, 2021, the Stoney Nakoda Nations (comprising the Bearspaw, Chiniki, and Wesley First Nations) submitted a letter to the Board requesting standing in the public hearing on the Springbank Off-Stream Reservoir Project and to be deemed eligible interveners. The letter also requested advance funding and that the hearing be adjourned for a minimum of three months.

On December 21, 2020 the NRCB issued notice of a virtual, oral hearing to be held starting March 22, 2021.

On December 10, 2020, the NRCB issued the pre-hearing conference decision report on the SR1 application. The report indicates that the public hearing for this application will begin March 22, 2021 at 9:00 a.m., and also awards advance funding for interveners.

The NRCB held the pre-hearing conference for this application on December 2, 2020. A recording of the livestream is available on YouTube.

On November 5, 2020, the NRCB sent a letter to all interested parties with details on how to participate in the pre-hearing conference.

On November 4, 2020, Alberta Environment and Parks (AEP) sent supplemental information request #3 (SIR3) to the applicant (Alberta Transportation). Final responses to SIR2 were received on June 23, 2020.

On October 5, 2020, the NRCB issued notice of a virtual, oral pre-hearing conference to be held on December 2, 2020.

On September 24, 2020, the NRCB chair designated the following Board members to serve on the panel for this review: Walter Ceroici, Daniel Heaney, Sandi Roberts, and Peter Woloshyn (panel chair). On September 23, 2020, the NRCB distributed a letter regarding the pre-hearing conference to all parties interested in participating in the review.

Alberta Transportation (the applicant) submitted an application on November 3, 2017 to the NRCB to construct an off-stream reservoir near Springbank, Alberta. The reservoir would work in tandem with the Glenmore Reservoir in Calgary to accommodate water volumes equal to the 2013 flood. The proposed reservoir would be located 15 kilometres west of Calgary near Springbank Road, north of the Elbow River and predominantly east of Highway 22. For further information about the proposed project see the Springbank Off-Stream Reservoir project on the Alberta Transportation website.

The application to the NRCB includes the environmental impact assessment (EIA), prepared by Alberta Transportation in accordance with the terms of reference set out jointly by the NRCB, Alberta Environment and Parks (AEP), and other provincial government agencies. To view the EIA, use the “Review Documents” search, below.

AEP leads the provincial review of the EIA and coordinates the supplemental information requests (SIRs) from the NRCB, AEP, and other provincial government agencies.

AEP and the NRCB issued a joint notice of filing on November 6, 2017, advising the public that the application had been received but would not be deemed complete until any deficiencies in the EIA were identified and addressed. The 2017 EIA was replaced by Alberta Transportation with a new EIA and resubmitted to the NRCB and AEP on March 26, 2018.

AEP sent supplemental information request (SIR #1) to Alberta Transportation on July 28, 2018. SIR #1 set out deficiencies in the EIA that were identified by the NRCB, AEP, and other provincial government agencies. Alberta Transportation submitted its responses to SIR #1 on June 14, 2019.

In 2016 the federal minister of the environment decided the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (Agency), previously known as the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency, would conduct its own separate environmental assessment of the project. For information on the status of the federal review of the application, please refer to the Impact Assessment Agency website.