Alberta appoints Kris Bower to lead new Surface Rights Advisory Panel

The Government of Alberta has named Kris Bower as chair of a newly created Surface Rights Advisory Panel. Bower, a professional land agent and founder of 2G Land Ltd., will lead a group that includes landowners, rural municipalities, industry representatives and surface‑rights advocacy organizations.

The panel’s mandate is to advise on improving service delivery, dispute resolution and property‑rights protections for landowners, and its recommendations will feed into the province’s plan to re‑establish the Surface Rights Board. Minister of Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction Dale Nally said the panel will help “cut through the challenges” and better protect property rights.

The move follows the 2021 merger of the former Surface Rights Board into the Land and Property Rights Tribunal. The tribunal recorded a record 9,000 surface‑rights applications for the 2025‑26 period, and more than $44 million in compensation was paid to landowners, up from $29.8 million the previous year.