Getting service rigs back to work

The two provinces will collaborate to harmonize transportation regulations for service rigs travelling between Alberta and Saskatchewan.

They will also work together at the Western Premiers’ Conference later this month to develop a unified western approach to harmonization involving a joint application seeking appropriate exemptions from federal regulations to make it easier for service rigs to get to job sites across Western Canada.

“Oil well service rigs do vital work in Alberta’s oilfield and they have been needlessly restricted by regulations that limit movement between job sites. We are working to make it easier for service rigs to get to job sites in Alberta and across provincial borders, alongside the Government of Saskatchewan.”

"The energy industry is a vital part of our economies as Prairie provinces. Working together with Premier Kenney and his government, we are laying the groundwork to ensure that service rigs operating in Alberta and Saskatchewan's oil and gas sectors are not bogged down by unnecessary regulations."

The service rig industry, a vital part of Alberta’s oil and gas sector, has been needlessly restricted by unnecessary rules that limit movement between work sites and across provincial borders. By working with the service rig industry, the Government of Alberta and the Government of Saskatchewan are improving efficiency in the service rig industry.

Regulatory changes for service rigs will remove unnecessary red tape without compromising safety. Service rigs will continue to follow stringent and appropriate safety standards, including valid permits for transport and operation, as well as established Occupational Health and Safety requirements.

Some commercial trucking requirements are not suitable for service rig equipment that spends 95 per cent of its time at a work site and only five per cent of its time on the road.