North / Offshore
Notice: On 1 April 2014, the Government of the Northwest Territories assumed responsibility for the regulation of onshore oil and gas exploration and production work or activities in the Northwest Territory outside of the Inuvialuit Settlement Region and the Norman Wells Proven Area and other miscellaneous federal lands. More information can be found on our website under North / Offshore > CER Regulatory Oversight in NWT Post-Devolution.
The Canada Energy Regulator (CER) has regulatory responsibilities for oil and gas exploration and production work or activities on frontier lands not otherwise regulated under joint federal/provincial accords. Regulatory responsibilities are under the Canada Oil and Gas Operations Act and certain provisions of the Canada Petroleum Resources Act are administered to areas including the Norman Wells Proven Area, Nunavut, Arctic offshore, Hudson Bay, West Coast offshore, parts of Gulf of St. Lawrence, a portion of the Bay of Fundy and onshore Sable Island.
The CER also has regulatory responsibilities for oil and gas exploration and production work or activities on the onshore parts of the Inuvialuit Settlement Region in the Northwest Territories under the Northwest Territories’ Oil and Gas Operations Act and certain provisions of the Petroleum Resources Act.
Prior to beginning any oil and gas exploration and production work or activity, an authorization from the CER is required. Operators must contact the Chief Conservation Officer at the CER to seek approval. Technical forms, guidance notes, reports and statistics can be found through the left side column listings.
The CER exchanges technical knowledge and best-practices with the Canada-Newfoundland Offshore Petroleum Board, the Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board, Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC) and Natural Resources Canada
The CER also has certain regulatory responsibilities under the Northern Pipeline Act with respect to the Yukon portion of the proposed Alaska Highway Gas Pipeline. The Northern Pipeline Agency has held primary responsibility for overseeing the planning and construction of the project since the Northern Pipeline Act was passed in 1978.
Lands where the CER has jurisdiction over oil and gas exploration and production work or activities
View larger PDF version [PDF 1237 KB]
Contact
Canada Energy Regulator
Director, Central & North, Energy Adjudication Business Unit
403-292-4800 or toll free at 1-800-899-1265
InfoNorth@cer-rec.gc.ca
- Date modified: