Digital Regulatory Assurance System

DRAS has been rolling out in stages since 2021. Eventually, all Water Act and Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act licences and registrations will be housed in DRAS.

Future rollouts include:

• Public Lands Act dispositions for commercial and industrial activities
• drinking water management and the remaining host of activities Alberta Environment and Protected Areas regulates

For applicants, DRAS provides:

• the ability to apply for one project with multiple activities via an integrated application
• clear, upfront application standards and requirements
• a clear decision-making process
• the ability to track the status of applications in real-time
• increased provincewide consistency in application processes

How to access DRAS

Watch the How to Access DRAS video to learn how to access DRAS, assign representatives and delegate access.

Step 1: Create an account

To access DRAS, all users require a valid Alberta.ca Account or Alberta.ca Account for Organizations.

• Individuals submitting an application or statement of concern require an Alberta.ca Account.
• If you are submitting an application or statement of concern on behalf of a business, organization, municipality, or government an Alberta.ca Account for Organizations is required.
  • Get more information on how to create and manage an Alberta.ca Account for Organizations

For help, email myalbertaid@gov.ab.ca or call 1-844-643-2789.

Step 2: Log in to DRAS

Once your Alberta.ca Account or Alberta.ca Account for Organizations has been obtained, you must log in to DRAS with your Alberta.ca Account or Alberta.ca Account for Organizations credentials to have a DRAS profile. This is required before an application or notice can be submitted or before a representative can be assigned to submit on your behalf.

Supported browsers:

• Google Chrome
• Mozilla Firefox

Mobile browsers are currently not supported.

Go to DRAS

DRAS delegation updates

Applicants can add representative(s) to their DRAS profiles to give permission to read, write and/or submit applications and further delegated permissions on their behalf. Find out more about this process:

• Accessing DRAS, assigning representatives, and delegating access

Move My Licence: Water Act

'Move My Licence' is a call for water licence holders in Alberta to ‘move’ water licences issued before November 2021 into DRAS. Licences renewed and amended after November 2021 are already in DRAS and do not need to be moved.

Follow the steps below for greater transparency, accuracy and efficiency when managing and reporting on your water licences and water use:

1. Log in to DRAS using your Alberta.ca or Alberta.ca Account for Organizations (read How to access DRAS to learn more).
2. Select the ‘Move my pre-DRAS water licence records’ application form and enter your valid Water Act licence number and licence name. 
3. Finish by verifying the auto-populated information and click Submit.

Learn more about how to move your water licence(s) into DRAS in the following knowledge articles:

• What is Move My Licence
• How to Move My Licence: Water Act

Process improvements

We strive to continuously improve the regulatory system and collect feedback from Albertans to improve DRAS.

The following updates improve how Albertans access, manage, organize and view their regulatory information across the lifecycle of an activity.

Key improvements include:

• Applicant dashboard – The redesigned dashboard is easier to navigate, and provides real-time access to information and tools to manage the lifecycle of a regulated activity.
• Profile management – Enhanced features improve the management of client and corporate delegation, allowing users more control of their profile and delegated profiles.
  • How to view and remove your delegated permissions in DRAS
  • How to add a delegate to a project (applicant/holder/delegate) in DRAS
• Statement of concern – The streamlined statement of concern process has a new tab in the application view.
  • How to submit a statement of concern in DRAS
  • How to respond to a statement of concern in DRAS

These enhancements increase transparency and provide Albertans with information and tools to successfully navigate the regulatory system.

Training

Instructional videos for DRAS are available on YouTube:

• Submitting water well drilling and vertical closed-loop drilling applications – Part 1
• Submitting water well drilling and vertical closed-loop drilling applications – Part 2
• Submitting water well drilling and vertical closed-loop drilling applications – Part 3

Indigenous consultation process

To align with Alberta’s proponent-led Indigenous consultation method, applicants for Water Act approvals and Water Act licences, will now use the Aboriginal Consultation Office Digital Service to seek consultation requirements.

Information for Water Act approval and licence applicants on the proponent-led Indigenous consultation method can be found on DRAS:

• What is Indigenous Consultation in Alberta?
• What is an Indigenous Consultation Adequacy Assessment? 

Report an incident

Report an Incident is available to DRAS for self-reporting and public concerns. It features online report forms for several types of environmental incidents that may be in contravention of the Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act, the Water Act or the Public Lands Act. 

Emergency environmental and dangerous goods incidents are still reported by calling Alberta EDGE at 1-800-222-6514. For more information, see Alberta EDGE (Environmental and Dangerous Goods Emergencies).