Provincial Grazing Reserve Infrastructure Removal & Site Reclamation

PROJECT BACKGROUND: There are 32 Provincial Grazing Reserves (PGRs) across Alberta that provide a variety of recreational opportunities, wildlife habitats, natural resource development, and livestock grazing. There is a significant amount of aging infrastructure on these PGRs that requires demolition and/or upgrades.

This project will focus on the demolition and site reclamation of two buildings within two separate PGRs; Bow Island Bunkhouse and Pinhorn Cookhouse. Detailed descriptions of the two sites are provided below.

Bow Island Bunkhouse The Bow Island bunkhouse is an approximately 450 square foot (sq ft) condemned log cabin located in a PGR facility approximately 20 kilometres (km) north of Bow Island, AB. Due to its age and deteriorating condition, the building has reached the end of its service life and requires demolition, removal and disposal. The building is currently serviced by active electrical, gas, water, and septic utilities, and is accessible by vehicle. The facility’s water source is a well located underneath the bunkhouse and services multiple other buildings. The facility has permanent on-site staff and livestock. No as-built drawings or records are available for the building or the existing utility infrastructure. A hazardous materials assessment completed in 2026 confirmed the presence of lead-containing paint in samples collected from the exterior wall siding and entrance door and frame. The attached Hazardous Materials Assessment Report provides detailed information on the identified hazardous materials and includes recommendations for their safe abatement and disposal prior to demolition.

Pinhorn Cookhouse The Pinhorn Cookhouse is an approximately 400 sq ft cookhouse located in a PGR facility approximately 100 km east of Milk River, Alberta. Due to its age and deteriorating condition, the building has reached the end of its service life and requires demolition, removal and disposal. The site is accessed using a steep access road that is only accessible during dry or frozen conditions. The nearest town and dump site is located in Foremost, Alberta, approximately 150 km northwest. There are no active utilities at the site. There are no as-builts of the building.

PROJECT OBJECTIVE: The objective of this project is to remove the aging infrastructure as outlined above and reclaim the sites for long-term operations.