Mandate letter

The Premier's mandate letter to the Minister of Environment and Protected Areas outlines the objectives and priorities of the work they will focus on in their role.

Read the mandate letter See all mandate letters

Key information

  • Climate

    • Supporting industry to make investments in emissions technology.
    • Ongoing support for the Bioenergy Producer Program.
    • Continuing the fight on the federal carbon tax.

  • Environmental regulatory assurance

    • Reducing backlog in environmental approvals and shortening approval timelines.
    • Environmental standards for air, land, water and biodiversity have progressed to a higher level through improvements to policies, regulations, frameworks, reviews, recommendations and other tools used in environmental and species conservation, protection, remediation and recovery.

  • Land use

    • Balancing the conservation, recreation and the economy through effective land use decisions informed by consultation.
    • Environmental planning was advanced through recreation and land footprint management plans, caribou range planning, and the tailings management framework and work plan.
    • Conservation of the province’s terrestrial areas and inland waters was enhanced, and included efforts toward collaboration with Indigenous peoples.
    • New agreements in oil sands monitoring and publications created through the Oil Sands Monitoring Program led to significant progress in multi-stakeholder governance and identifying themes and areas for monitoring, assessment and cumulative effects.

In focus

Affordability Action Plan
Taking quick, effective action to cut costs and deliver relief to help families, businesses and vulnerable Albertans.

Alberta river conditions and advisories

From flood hazards to water shortages, Albertans can follow current river conditions across the province.

Environmental compliance enforcement

Education and prevention programs are applied along with enforcement to ensure compliance with provincial environmental legislation.

Native trout recovery

As part of its fish conservation strategy, Alberta monitors native trout and whitefish in the Eastern Slopes Fish Management Zone.

Biography

Minister Savage was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta on April 16, 2019, as the MLA for Calgary-North West.

A life-long Albertan, Savage has been a strong voice championing pipelines for years. Earning a Master of Laws in Environment and Energy, she practiced law for 13 years before taking a job as an advocate for the oil and gas industry.  After working 9 years at Enbridge, she accepted a role as the Sr. Director of Policy and Regulatory Affairs at the Canadian Energy Pipeline Association (CEPA)  in 2015.  She has handled the pipeline industry’s large policy files, including regulatory reform, Indigenous reconciliation, legal, environment and climate change.

Sonya Savage was sworn in as the Minister of Environment and Protected Areas on October 24, 2022. She previously served as the Minister of Energy.