Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Energy Regulator

About

The C-NLOPB was created in 1986 through the Atlantic Accord and its associated, implementing federal and provincial legislation, the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Atlantic Accord Implementation Act, S.C. 1987, c. 3 and the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Atlantic Accord Implementation Newfoundland and Labrador Act, RSNL1990 c. C-2 (“the Accord Acts”). 

On June 2, 2025, amendments to the Atlantic Accord Acts came into force. These amendments expand the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board’s (C-NLOPB’s) mandate to include offshore renewable energy development and have renamed the C-NLOPB to the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Energy Regulator (C-NLOER). 

The C-NLOER regulates energy-related activities in the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Area. While the C-NLOER is an independent regulator that operates at arms-length from the governments, some Board decisions (referred to under the Accord Acts as “Fundamental Decisions”) require government approval, as does its annual operating budget.

 The Board has seven, part-time positions — three appointed by the Government of Canada and three by the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, with a Chair who is appointed jointly by the two governments.