Peat Lease

A Peat Lease gives the holder the right to extract peat from a Crown peatland. At any time during the term of a Peat Exploration Licence, a licensee may apply for a Peat Lease by submitting development, drainage and restoration plans and the form found here. Peat Leases are issued for terms not exceeding ten years. The renewal of a Peat Lease is normally an administrative formality unless the lessee defaults on one or more conditions of the lease.

As part of a comprehensive review process before issuing a Peat Lease, the applicant is requested to submit additional details pertaining to the development and reclamation of the proposed peat extraction site. This information generally includes but is not limited to:

Location Plan

A 1:10,000 scale or greater detail map showing natural watercourses, public roads and any surrounding or neighbouring land uses within 1000 metres of the proposed extraction site.

Development Plan

• Description of the extraction method and estimated annual peat production.
• Proposed development sequence of the peatland.
• A site plan showing entrances to the site, roads, location of buildings and facilities, peat stockpile locations.
• A drainage plan showing the proposed ditch network and location of settling ponds.
• A map showing the proposed lease boundaries.

Environmental Protection Plan

• A description of the mitigative processes proposed to treat water discharged into the surrounding environment.
• A description of the mitigative processes proposed to limit peat dust from leaving the extraction site.

Reclamation Plan

• A detailed description and schedule of the planned procedures for the restoration, reclamation and rehabilitation of the site.
• An estimated cost of the reclamation program.
• Further details in creating a reclamation plan can be found here.

The holder of a Peat Lease is required to submit a royalty return form stating quantities of peat removed and include royalty payment. Royalty on peat material is at a rate established by subsection 25(2) of General Regulation 93-92 under the Quarriable Substances Act. It is due before the 20th day of July and the 20th day of January.

The Minister of Natural Resources and Energy Development may renew a Peat Lease for a term equal to the original term or such lesser term as the minister considers advisable in the circumstances. Application to renew should be made to the Peat Resource Specialist at least three months before the termination date. The minister may add terms and conditions or remove existing ones on the lease.

A written approval is needed from the minister in order to transfer a Peat Lease.

The minister may cancel or suspend a peat lease if the lessee does not comply with the terms and conditions of the lease.