Woodlands County Hit with $2.7M in Overdue Taxes from Oil and Gas Industry

Woodlands County in Alberta faces an ongoing issue with overdue taxes from oil and gas companies. According to corporate services director John Orwa, there is $2.7 million in outstanding taxes from these companies, which makes up 71% of the total outstanding municipal taxes in the county from 2020 to the current year.

N7 Energy Ltd. and Blue Sky Resources Ltd. are responsible for $2.2 million of this amount, with N7 Energy currently making repayments under an agreement that runs until December 2027. However, Orwa noted that an attempt was made in the past to reach a similar agreement with Blue Sky Resources, but they defaulted.

Woodlands Coun. Benny Whitten expressed concern about service lease payments from oil and gas companies, stating that some have not paid residents for three years. He also highlighted the fact that these companies will pay their fees through the provincial government, which ultimately comes out of taxpayers' dollars.

Coun. Peter Kuelken commented on the issue, noting that municipalities are mitigating the responsibility that the province has. He suggested that a message needs to be conveyed to the provincial government about this issue.