Country star Corb Lund criticizes Alberta minister over coal application support

© Provided by The Canadian Press

TABER, Alta. — An Alberta country music star is criticizing the province's energy minister for advising its energy regulator to accept initial applications for a coal mine project in the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains in southern Alberta.

Corb Lund says that after meeting with Energy Minister Brian Jean, he doesn't believe the minister knows enough about the issue. 

"I met with Brian Jean to discuss the coal issue a couple of months ago. And I was alarmed by how little he knew," Lund said in an email to The Canadian Press. 

"I knew more about the coal issue than he did, and I'm just a guitar player, not the minister of energy. It's chilling to me that ill-informed politicians are making decisions about our water."

On Thursday, the Alberta Energy Regulator said the Grassy Mountain steelmaking coal proposal near Crowsnest Pass should be considered an advanced project and be exempt from a ministerial order banning coal development in the mountains.

The regulator reached the decision after receiving a letter from Jean in support of considering the applications. 

The regulator says it will hold public hearings on mine proponent Northback's request for exploration permits and a water licence.

In a statement on Saturday, Jean said there's a difference between applying for a drilling permit and a permit being approved, pointing out the application has not been approved.

The provincial energy regulator is independent, and its officials are "the correct people to make this technical decision," he added.

“I consult widely with lots of Albertans on lots of issues. I took the time to speak with Corb and I asked him many questions to get his perspective on this issue. It’s disappointing that he feels this way," Jean said.

Lund, a longtime vocal opponent of coal mining in the eastern slopes, says review panels and governments have already turned down the project and polling has shown the public doesn't support it.  

"How many times do Albertans have to say no to these foreign coal companies?" he wrote. 

"The joint review panel already firmly told them no, at both the provincial and federal levels — and their appeal was denied after that. Public polling has shown over and over that the vast majority of Albertans don't want these coal mines." 

He said southern Alberta can't support another significant water user. 

"We're dealing with crippling drought."

Jean countered that the proposal, if approved, would not use any water from any river or stream in the foothills, and would instead use water from the existing coal mine lake on the property.

"Alberta’s government is serious about protecting water. Rules on water use and water treatment will be a big part of the land-use planning which is being prepared for the foothills," he said.

While the community of Crowsnest Pass strongly supports the mine, environmental groups have said they're considering a court challenge of the decision to exempt the applications from a ministerial order banning coal development along the eastern slopes of the Rockies.

Lund lives in the southern Alberta community of Taber. 

He has released 11 albums and tours regularly in Canada, the United States and Australia. He has been nominated for five Juno Awards, winning once, and has received several nods for Group of the Year from the Canadian Country Music Association. 

Jean said advanced coal projects are allowed to make applications under the 2022 ministerial order. Four projects were told in 2022 that they qualified as advanced coal projects, he said.

— By Bob Weber in Edmonton

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 24, 2024.

The Canadian Press

Australian company revives its push for a controversial coal mine in Alberta

Emma Graney - The Globe and Mail | November 24, 2023 |

Alberta rockies. Stock image.

A company whose application for a coal mine in Alberta was rejected two years ago is back – with a new name, and an updated request to explore its lease in the eastern foothills of the Rocky Mountains.


Northback Holdings Corp., formerly Benga Mining Ltd., is a subsidiary of Australian mining giant Hancock Prospecting Pty Ltd. It is again eyeing a potential mine at Grassy Mountain, submitting applications to the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) for a 105-day exploratory drilling program and a request for a water diversion.


Northback told The Globe and Mail in an e-mail that those activities would collect technical data and allow it to assess the merits of miningthe metallurgical coal, which is used to make steel.

Grassy Mountain is on the site of an old mine that closed about five decades ago. The new, open-pit mine that Benga proposed for the land forecast production of 93 million tonnes of metallurgical coal over a 23-year life.

A joint federal-provincial regulatory panel rejected Benga’s Grassy Mountain application in 2021, finding that the project would likely result in significant adverse effects on the environment and on some First Nations, which outweighed any economic benefits. The Alberta Court of Appeal denied the company’s request to appeal that regulatory decision.

Northback’s push to develop Grassy Mountain comes at a time of renewed focus on coal mining in Canada, with Teck Resources Ltd. agreeing to sell its coal business to Swiss commodities trading giant Glencore PLC and two Asian steelmakers in an $8.9-billion transaction.

Critics question why the AER is entertaining the company’s applications, which it filed in August, when Benga’s plan for the same site was rejected two years ago.

Environmental groups, local ranchers and those living in the Oldman River watershed, downstream from Grassy Mountain, have a long list of concerns about the impact of coal mines in the eastern slopes.

The main one is water. Southwestern Alberta is in the grip of severe drought. Water levels are at unprecedented lows with shortage advisories issued across the region.

Laura Laing and her husband, John Smith, operate Plateau Cattle, a third-generation ranch outside Nanton, and graze their cattle on the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains. Some of the streams and tributaries that help feed their operation have dried up, and this year – for the first time in its history – the ranch was unable to harvest even a single bale of hay.

“Coal is a thirsty business,” Ms. Laing said in an interview. But with water drying up, where would an allocation for Grassy Mountain even come from?

“To even think about accepting an application for water diversification for the purpose of coal exploration in the Oldman River basin is just ludicrous,” she said.

It’s not just the quantity of the water that worries her, but the effect a coal mine would have on the quality of it. Selenium can be toxic to fish populations, for example, and runoff of coal-mining waste often releases large quantities of the contaminant.

Northback’s applications have reopened what was a fiery debate in Alberta just two years ago.

In 2021, intense public backlash – including a court challenge and vocal rallying by Alberta country-music star Corb Lund – led more than 100,000 people to sign petitions demanding the government bring back the 1976 Coal Policy land protection rule, which it had scrapped the year prior. While some communities and First Nations support mining for its economic benefits, tearing up the coal policy had made it easier for companies to pursue open-pit projects on formerly protected fragile lands and watersheds flanked by the Rocky Mountains.

The government ended up halting exploration for coal on a swath of sensitive land, cancelled a series of leases earmarked for potential new mines, and struck a committee to consult with Albertans on new coal-mining rules.

An order by then-energy minister Sonya Savage in 2022 extended the ban on coal exploration, and directed the AER to suspend approvals and refuse new applications for exploration and development on other designated land in the foothills – unless they were related to an advanced coal project or an active approval.

Northback points out that the Grassy Mountain project has advanced status. The AER, however, said in an e-mail that it has not yet determined whether Grassy Mountain is an advanced coal project. Only then will it carry out a full technical review of the application.According to the AER, advanced coal projects include those where applicants have submitted a project summary to the regulator to determine whether an environmental impact assessment is required.

If a mine goes ahead, Northback said, “it will be a world leader in mining technology and environmental stewardship.”

When the previous mine ceased operations in the 1970s, the owners made no effort to clean up the site, Northback added. The company said reopening Grassy Mountain would allow it to “implement a world-class reclamation plan to redevelop the land for future use by Albertans.”

Alberta Energy Minister Brian Jean said in an interview that he won’t try to influencethe work of the AER.

“I’ve got to have an open mind, because it’s not my decision,” he said.

And while he wouldn’t commit to introducing any further rules to lessen the effects of coal mining, he said, “We can’t risk our environment and our drinking water.”

Ms. Laing says the fact the Grassy Mountain project is being reconsideredhas eroded Albertans’ patience and trust.

“We have a new government in place that has the opportunity to do the right thing, but once again, we’re back in this grey area,” she said. “Coal development is not something that’s going to be accepted in the Rocky Mountains.”

Editor’s Note:

(Nov. 21, 2023): This story has been updated to reflect the fact that, despite Northback’s claim that the Grassy Mountain project has advanced status, the Alberta Energy Regulator says it has not yet determined the project’s status.

ALBERTA ELECTION

NEW POLL SAME AS OLD POLL

New poll shows tight race between NDP and UCP in Calgary: Angus Reid

Bill Macfarlane
CTV News Calgary Video Journalist
Updated May 17, 2023



A new poll shows a statistical dead heat in Calgary, and the final results are likely to determine which party forms government May 30th.

The poll found 49 per cent of Calgary voters intend to vote for the NDP in the coming election, while 46 per cent planned to vote UCP.

The poll was conducted between May 12 and 16 as a random sample of 1374 Angus Reid Forum members. It is considered accurate plus or minus three percentage points 19 times out of 20.

The close race tends to favour the UCP.

"It really comes down to the NDP has to have the election of its lifetime in Edmonton and the election of its lifetime in Calgary to be in a position to form government," said Shachi Kurt, president of Angus Reid Institute.

"The challenge is that young people do not vote with the same level of turnout as older people," Kurl says. "So we're seeing a big age skew here. Younger people skewing NDP, older people skewing UCP."

TIGHT VICTORY BRINGS CHALLENGES: MAR

Gary Mar is a former PC cabinet minister and held a number of foreign diplomatic posts. He is now president and CEO of Canada West Foundation, a non-partisan think tank.

He says no matter who wins the most seats, a tight victory could bring its own challenges.

"Regardless of who becomes the premier of Alberta, they may face one of the largest oppositions ever in the history of the province," Mar says. "It'll also have a big impact on how you run your caucus."

"If you've got a small majority, four or five people within your own caucus, could say, look, there's something that you're not paying enough attention to. So you gotta pay attention to us. Otherwise, we'll withdraw our support for your majority vote in the legislature on the main agenda that you want to deal with."

The Angus Reid Poll also showed that both leaders have seen a slip in reputation over the past two weeks. It found 41 per cent of people had a worsening view of UCP leader Danielle Smith, while 32 per cent felt that way about NDP leader Rachel Notley.

PERCEPTION BECOMING REALITY

Kurl says public perception of the leaders is becoming baked in and unlikely to shift substantially down the stretch.

Notley perceived as more trustworthy leader, but Smith's UCP closing party support gap: Leger poll

Story by Matthew Black • May 4, 2023

Danielle Smith and Rachel Notley in Calgary at the beginning of the 2023 Alberta provincial election on May 1.© Provided by Edmonton Journal

Albertans perceive NDP leader Rachel Notley to be more honest, transparent, and trustworthy compared to UCP leader Danielle Smith, according to a new Leger poll that also shows the race between the two parties remains tight amid the opening week of the campaign.

When asked who was the most honest and transparent leader, the poll found 37 per cent favoured Notley to 23 per cent who favoured Smith.

Similarly, 38 per cent indicated Notley was the most trustworthy leader compared to 28 for Smith.

Twenty-nine per cent of respondents said they didn’t know in response to both questions.

That 14-point different on questions of honesty and trustworthiness was the shared second-largest gap between the two leaders, according to survey responses, behind Notley’s 18-point lead in response to which leader will work constructively with the federal government.

Smith has faced recent questions about her apparent reversals on prior comments regarding private health care , subsidized child care , and provincial funding for a new NHL arena .

More recently, she has also been asked about a video from last year that resurfaced this week where she cheered on the blockade at the Coutts border crossing as a “win” that could prompt the end of vaccine mandates.

When asked on Corus radio Wednesday about her changing positions, Smith said she was then talking as a political pundit and not as the premier or party leader.

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4:23

“I like to explore ideas. I like to talk to people about a wide range of issues,” she said.

“When you’re in government, it’s different.”

In her first official campaign speech Monday, Notley took aim at Smith’s changes of heart.

“Even if you don’t always agree with me on everything, you know me and what you know is that I say what I mean and I mean what I say,” said Notley.

The Leger poll surveyed 1,000 paid panelists between April 28 to May 1, with the number of respondents split roughly evenly between metro Edmonton, metro Calgary and the rest of Alberta.

Leger states that as the poll was a non-random internet survey, a margin of error is not reported.

The survey also shows that as the campaign approaches the end of its first week, the gap between the two front-running parties has narrowed.

The NDP have a small lead province-wide among decided voters, according to the poll, with 45 per cent support compared to 43 per cent for the UCP.

The data indicates that the NDP’s lead has progressively shrank from four per cent in February and three per cent in March.

Prior election numbers indicate the result of the election may come down to a number of Calgary ridings.

In that region, respondents equally believed Smith or Notley would make the best premier, the poll shows, with each leader receiving support in 28 per cent of replies, while 22 per cent said they didn’t know.

About 11 per cent of decided voters who were surveyed indicated support for a party other than the UCP or NDP, led by the Alberta Party (4 per cent) and the Liberal Party (3 per cent).

The election is scheduled for May 29 with advanced voting open between May 23 and 27.

mblack@postmedia.com
Twitter @ByMatthewBlack

Alberta's NDP and UCP deadlocked as campaign officially begins: poll

Alberta's election campaign trail: A look at Day 2

Tight race for the Alberta election: poll

Melissa Gilligan
CTVNewsCalgary.ca 

Digital Journalist
Updated May 2, 2023

A new poll suggests Alberta's UCP and NDP are locked in a dead heat as the political parties seek support in the upcoming provincial election.

The writ dropped Monday and Albertans head to the polls May 29, though both parties have been unofficially campaigning for weeks. Follow full election coverage on Alberta Votes 2023

A poll released by ThinkHQ Public Affairs Inc. on Tuesday indicates that if a provincial election were held today, 46 per cent of decided voters would vote for the NDP while another 46 per cent of decided voters would vote for the UCP.


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The poll found 13 per cent of Alberta voters are undecided.

"This province-wide parity between the NDP and UCP has been a feature of our provincial tracking for over six months, with several regional variances also largely locked into place," ThinkHQ noted in a release.

According to the survey, the NDP hold a "sizeable" lead in the Edmonton census metropolitan area (CMA), with 57 per cent support from decided voters compared to 33 per cent supporting the UCP.

A new poll from ThinkHQ suggests Alberta's UCP and NDP are locked in a dead-heat as the pair seek support in the upcoming provincial election. (ThinkHQ)Meanwhile, in the Calgary CMA, decided voters are virtually tied, with 47 per cent saying they'd vote NDP and 46 per cent saying they'd vote UCP.

Outside of the province's two largest cities, support for the UCP outranks the NDP; the survey suggests the UCP have support from at least 20 per cent more decided voters than the NDP in the north, central and south regions of the province.

"We know that the NDP are going to do well in Edmonton, likely even picking up a few seats in the surrounding region," said ThinkHQ president Marc Henry.

"Meanwhile, the UCP are going to win, by large margins, in many areas outside of the two largest cities.”

ThinkHQ noted in its release that Calgary will be the "real battleground" for the election.

"The UCP have a slightly easier path to victory than the NDP, but it’s really going to boil down to about a dozen toss-up and leaning ridings, many of which are in Calgary,” it said.

"This is going to be a very interesting election.”

ThinkHQ also noted "significant" gender and generational gaps in voter support in Alberta, saying women and younger voters showed a "distinct preference" for the NDP, while men and those over the age of 55 offered a similar inclination toward the UCP.

The report from ThinkHQ was compiled through an online survey of 1,529 random adult Albertans through Angus Reid between April 25 and 29. The margin of error for a comparable probability-based random sample of this size is +/- 2.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

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ALBERTA NDP ELECTION ADS MAY 2023

Corb Lund calls on ban to Rocky Mountain coal mining

CityNews

May 3, 2023

One of Alberta's most popular musicians says protections for Rocky Mountains against coal mining should be a non-partisan issue in the provincial election.

HEY CORB LUND

Corb Lund, Terri Clark, Paul Brandt, Brett Kissel release anti-coal mining "anthem"

Bridge City News

Oct 20, 2021

Country musician Corb Lund, along with artists from across Alberta’s country music spectrum, have released a song many are calling an anthem against proposed coal development in Alberta’s Rocky Mountains. The song, which is a re-release of Lund’s “This is My Prairie” is a collaboration that includes artists like Brett Kissel, Terri Clark, Paul Brandt and a few others.  Lund says that he and his fellow musicians have released this song to express opposition and bring awareness to coal mining which he says is a threat to our water supply. 

Any proceeds from the song’s release will raise funds for landowner groups who are standing in opposition to coal development in the Alberta Rockies.

Aired on: Wednesday, October 20, 2021

For more info, please go to​ ​https://bridgecitynews.ca/ 

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26 MINUTES LONG

Corb Lund wants UCP front-runners to promise ban on new coal mines: 'It's a stupid idea'

Corb Lund in a social media video posted on September 20, 2022 

(Source: Facebook).

Sean Amato
CTV News Edmonton
Published Sept. 21, 2022

Alberta country artist Corb Lund delivered a familiar tune with a fresh twist Tuesday, when he called on UCP leadership candidates to make their coal policies "crystal clear" ahead of the final votes being cast.

Lund went public in January 2021 with his criticism of plans to establish new coal mines in and around the province's Rocky Mountains.

The outcry from him and others prompted the United Conservative Party government to back down from its position to remove a coal policy that had been in place since 1976.

"The government would like you to think that the coal issue in Alberta has been dealt with and has been put to bed, and it very much has not been," Lund stated in a Twitter video.

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"All the indications I've seen and heard is that the foreign coal companies are working away in the background, biding their time, trying to get those mines in, whether the Alberta public wants it or not."

Lund argues that the risk of polluting water and agricultural land is not worth a "handful of jobs" in new mines. He worries long-term effects could harm the farming and tourism industries that other workers rely on.

"I'm not against resources, I'm not. I'm just against this idea cause this is a stupid idea. There should not be any new coal mines in the Rockies in Alberta," Lund stated.

Lund named frontrunners Brian Jean, Travis Toews and Danielle Smith and asked for their platforms on coal.
BRIAN JEAN

Jean responded to Lund by saying he shares concerns about Alberta's watershed. He didn't, however, specifically say he would ban all new mines.

After speaking with ranchers in the foothills of southern Alberta, Jean stated he is against "the Kenney government's efforts to dramatically expand coal mining."

"These folks who have always been conservative voters know that in B.C., just over the Rockies, there have been water problems with coal mining companies not doing things right. We have to do things better in Alberta.

TRAVIS TOEWS

Toews also tweeted a response to Lund that did not commit to stopping new mines.

Instead, Toews promised to implement the recommendations of the Alberta Coal Policy Committee which he feels will improve consultation, reclamation and Indigenous input on mines.

"Implementing these recommendations will create the certainty that investors need to commit to new projects, creating jobs and keeping communities vibrant," Toews stated.

Smith did not respond to Lund on Twitter. A spokesperson for her told CTV News Edmonton that he would work on getting a response from the candidate.

Alberta's website said Wednesday that coal lease sales and exploration activity remain paused

on lands classified as Category 2 in the Coal Policy and that changes would be subject to "widespread consultation."

Lund is asking a fair question, political scientist Lori Williams said, adding it's a shame it wasn't asked before UCP mail-in voting began.

Candidates have spent most of the race speaking about Alberta autonomy, COVID-19 policies, and "freedom" rather than healthcare, affordability and issues like coal mining, Williams pointed out.

"They really have not addressed the front and centre issues for most Albertans. I think it's a failure of the race, a failure of the candidates and it may lead to their failure as candidates or as a party in the next election," she told CTV News Edmonton.

Mail-in voting in the UCP leadership race started earlier this month and in-person voting and results are scheduled to happen Oct. 6.

With files from The Canadian Press

THE HURTIN ALBERTAN 

Alberta country stars band together on song opposing Rocky Mountain coal mining

EDMONTON — When Alberta country singer Corb Lund wrote a song 12 years ago about a rancher determined to defend the landscape he loves against encroaching development, it was just a campfire yarn

.

© Provided by The Canadian Press

"It was just kind of a story, a fictional story," Lund said.

Events have since caught up to the tune "This Is My Prairie." The summits and foothills of Alberta's Rocky Mountains have been leased along a vast stretch of their range for coal exploration and a series of companies have announced plans for open-pit mines.

Lund's imagined defender was suddenly very real.

"This coal thing happened and I looked at (the song) and it was just word for word," Lund said from his home in Lethbridge, downstream from the proposed mines.

"It occurred to me that this might make a good reissue and then it occurred to me that maybe we should recruit a few more people. I called up some people who had been supporting me on Twitter and they were all for it."

Lund, together with a posse of pals, have re-recorded and re-released the song as what Lund hopes will become an anthem of opposition to mining development in the Rockies.

Fellow country stars Terri Clark, Brett Kissel and Paul Brandt joined in. Cree-Dene singer Sherryl Sewepagaham also sings a verse in Cree.

"They can drill, they can mine, over my smouldering bones," the song opens. "This is my Prairie, this is my home."

Lund hasn't been shy about his opposition to the mines, speaking out on social media and in news interviews. Apart from mining's impact on the area's beauty, he's concerned about its effect on water supplies and contamination in a perennially dry region.

"It's important that we stress this is a non-political issue. This is a water issue. Rural people are upset, First Nations people are upset, urban people are upset. This is very wide-ranging."

Lund, who promised any revenue from the re-release will be donated to grassroots groups opposing the mines, said while the public controversy about the developments may have subsided, the fight hasn't ended.

"It's hard to keep the public engaged. There hasn't been a lot of things in the news. One of the main things about releasing this now is that we have to remind people that this is far from over."

The province is waiting on a report from a panel that has spent the last several months hearing from Albertans about how — or if — coal mines should be allowed near the headwaters of most of the province's drinking water. That panel is expected to deliver its report to Energy Minister Sonya Savage on Nov. 15.

The head of that panel, Ron Wallace, said this week that most of the submissions are "strongly opposed" to mining.

Nobody will be keener to see the panel's recommendations than the musicians of "This Is My Prairie."

"We're going to insist that we see those," said Lund. "If the government thinks they can take those recommendations and put them on a shelf, we're going to be squawking about that."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 20, 2021.

— Follow Bob Weber on Twitter at @row1960

Bob Weber, The Canadian Press

Corb Lund x Terri Clark x Brett Kissel - This Is My Prairie (Official Music Video)

Oct 19, 2021

Corb Lund

Official video for "This Is My Prairie" by Corb Lund featuring Brett Kissel, Terri Clark, Sherryl Sewepagaham, Paul Brandt, Armond Duck Chief, Katie Rox and Brandi Sidoryk (Nice Horse). Stream/

Buy here: https://corblund.lnk.to/TIMP 

Produced by Ryan HK @ryanhk.com 

LYRICS: 

This is my prairie, this is my home 

I'll make my stand here, and I'll die alone

 They can drill, they can mine

 o'er my smouldering bones 

(Cuz) this is my prairie, this is my home 

The water is poison, my calves are all dead 

My children are sick, and the river’s been bled 

They want a big coal mine, right thru Pop's grove 

But this is my prairie, this is my home 

I can't blame the miners or the guys drivin’ truck 

For feedin’ their families and makin’ a buck 

But take a close look at the stock that you own

Cuz this is my prairie, this is my home

 I don't got the money that lawyers can buy

 I don't got my own government's laws on my side

 But I still hold the title that my granddaddy owned 

And this is my prairie, this is my home

 Nîya ôma nitaskî, nîya ôma nîkih N'ka nipawan ôta n'kapon pimatisin ôta Kwayask itôta manâcitâ askî They can drill and they can mine o'er my mouldering bones

 (Cuz) this is my prairie, this is my home 

This is my prairie, this is my home

 I'll make my stand here, and I'll die alone 

They can drill and they can mine o'er my mouldering bones

 (Cuz) this is my prairie, this is my home

  #corblund #thisismyprairie

How his plan to open the Canadian Rockies to coal mining set Alberta’s Jason Kenney against country music stars

By Alex BoydCalgary Bureau
Sun., Aug. 15, 2021


Corb Lund is not enjoying this interview.

The lanky Juno-winning musician, known for his playful lyrical takes on rural life on the Prairies, is calling while on his way home to southern Alberta after a stint in studio in Edmonton working on some new music. But he hasn’t phoned to talk about his latest project, or even the one before it, an album released to critical acclaim in the middle of a pandemic.

Instead, he’s stolen time from his primary gig to talk about a side project that has recently rebranded him as an emerging, albeit reluctant, advocate: stopping a controversial plan to open up the Rocky Mountains to coal mining.

“I would rather be playing music, frankly,” says Lund, sounding exasperated.

“I blame the government. I don’t even blame the coal companies, because coal companies are going to coal-company, right? That’s what they do. It’s the government allowing them to do it.”




Last spring, the Alberta government set off a firestorm with the quiet removal of a 44-year-old policy preventing most open pit coal mining in the iconic mountain range. At a time when pandemic polarization seems to have split Albertans into warring camps on just about everything, coal mining might be one of the few areas of common ground.

In short, most people are mad.


The provincial government maintains that a new plan is required because the old coal policy was “largely made obsolete through more modern oversight,” Jennifer Henshaw, press secretary to Energy Minister Sonya Savage, said in an email. The old one doesn’t even mention climate change, she points out.

The mines would also bring in revenue at a time when the province is struggling to recover from the double whammy of the pandemic and plummeting oil revenue — in 2017, the Alberta government collected $15.7 million from coal production on publicly owned land.

But the anger is such that the current government, which flaunts big trucks and cowboy hats with an enthusiasm that’s notable, even for Albertan politicians — Premier Jason Kenney is preparing for a tour of the province in his signature blue pickup truck — is facing pushback from what might seem like an unexpected source: country music stars.

Alberta’s conservative history can tempt outsiders to paint the whole province with the same political brush, an impression reinforced by the current government, which has embraced the rural parts of the province as its base.

But its coal plans have united environmentalists, many conservatives and several First Nations as well as big country names, exposing the many shades of grey in terms of how Albertans think of political allegiance, resource development and even the future of their province.

“I know that some of the current politicians tried to frame this as a bunch of urban busybodies but honestly, I know more rural people against it,” Lund says.

“It’s a very wide coalition of people.”

A rising chorus

Over the past six months, a movement of sorts has coalesced around Lund, who, in addition to speaking out in interviews and online, has hosted a horse ride and a protest concert in the sprawling ranch country located in the mountain foothills south of Banff National Park. He’s even publicly mused about attempting a referendum under new government legislation that allows private citizens to put issues to the ballot.

One by one, other members of Canadian country royalty have joined the chorus.

Paul Brandt, whose hit songs include “Alberta Bound,” once used as a soundtrack for Ford commercials, tweeted that “Corb Lund is right,” alongside photos of him fishing in a gleaming stream. Terri Clark tweeted that the Canadian Rockies are “part of my soul” and linked to Lund’s Facebook page.

In a video posted online, Terry Grant, otherwise known as “Mantracker,” from the show of the same name in which he used tracking skills and a horse to hunt down contestants, came out strongly against the mine. “I grew up down there, chasing cows and cowboying, guiding and hunting. It’s amazing country.”

Of course, there will always be critics who argue that entertainers should stay out of politics.

Corb Lund is usually one of those critics.

“I don’t normally speak about stuff like this,” he says. “A lot of times when people in positions of notoriety or celebrity or whatever speak out about stuff, they don’t really know what they’re talking about. They’re kind of stupid, and I didn’t want to be that guy.”

To that end, in the past few months, he’s taken on a crash course in coal, speaking to politicians, coal lobbies, scientists and conservationists.

The Rockies are iconic to Albertans, and the opposition is built on concerns that mines will open up vast pits to extract the coal beneath, and at the same time pollute the water, harm wildlife and knit access roads and rail lines across land that is in many ways undisturbed.

Before a long weekend in May

The furor began over a year ago, with an email sent to media on the Friday afternoon before the May long weekend. In it, the government announced it was replacing the “outdated” 44-year-old coal policy that had prohibited much mining in the Rockies.

Instead, the government was bringing in what it called “modern regulatory processes, integrated planning and land use policies.” While the government said sensitive land in the eastern slopes, for example, would continue to be protected, coal companies would be able to apply to develop new projects.

“Government is placing a strong focus on creating the necessary conditions for the growth of export coal production,” the release read.

The reaction was swift.

The Alberta Wilderness Association pointed out the move had the potential to open up more than 4.7 million hectares of environmentally sensitive lands to coal exploration. A group of ranchers whose grazing leases were suddenly eligible for mining, and the Ermineskin and Whitefish Lake First Nations moved ahead with legal action, arguing the changes had been made without required consultation.

In January, the government said it had “listened carefully” and announced it was cancelling 11 coal leases and would pause any future lease sales. The old policy was eventually reinstated while a five-member panel was tasked with consulting with Albertans about a new way forward. Suggesting how widely the issue resonated, a preliminary survey done by the panel found the majority of Albertans felt the development of coal affected them.

Meanwhile, the federal government has waded into the fray, armed with the argument that issues of climate change and pollution are national matters.

Federal Environment Minister Jonathan Wilkinson announced in June that Ottawa would conduct an environmental review of any new coal project that could potentially release selenium, a mineral found in Alberta’s coal beds that is toxic to fish.

Last week, Ottawa rejected the Grassy Mountain proposal, one of the most high-profile projects, after a joint review panel concluded it would have major environmental effects.

But the real litmus test will come this fall, when the Alberta government goes back to the drawing board on a new coal policy.

Alberta premiers — then and now



Most of the coal currently being eyed by commercial interests in Alberta lies within a 20-kilometre-wide band of rolling foothills that runs along the eastern edge of the Rockies south of Banff National Park.

Falling roughly between a winding secondary highway known as the Cowboy Trail — a nod to decades of local ranching history — and the Rockies proper, the eastern slopes are considered one of the last patches of the true Prairie ecosystem that once blanketed much of the continent.

It’s important habitat for grizzly bears and threatened species such as westslope cutthroat trout; and the water that flows through here feeds much of the southern half of the province — including the city of Calgary.

Coal mining is not unheard of in this part of the world. To the south, the Crowsnest Pass, one of the few passable routes between Alberta and British Columbia, is still shot through with old mine shafts. But the use of coal for energy waned in the 1960s and then, in 1976, Alberta brought in a coal policy that put management of water first and restricted much new coal development.

At the time, David Luff was a brand new government employee who had been hired the year before to help implement the coal policy and develop a plan for the eastern slopes.

The premier of the day, Peter Lougheed, still casts a long shadow in Alberta politics. Luff says he believes Lougheed, through the coal policy, was implementing a long-term vision of stability and prosperity for the province that Luff argues was ahead of its time.

“In 1976, people didn’t talk about climate change, they weren’t worried about drought. They weren’t worried about the forest fires that we now see on a yearly basis,” he says. “None of that was really on anyone’s radar.”

The policy protected much of the land and encouraged coal companies, which had to get special permission for most open-pit mines in Alberta, to move to B.C., where mines have released so much selenium it’s now ending up in Montana.

Since the removal of the Lougheed-era policy, Luff says companies have already begun to explore future mine sites, building roads and sinking core holes into the rock to probe for coal.

“With the rescinding of the policy, the government was stating water is no longer important. Water is not the highest priority; coal development is the highest priority. And Albertans found that to be fundamentally wrong,” Luff says.

A different kind of coal

Coal is one of the emerging villains of the fight against climate change, and Canada has committed to phasing out coal-fired electricity by 2030. Alberta is currently on track to accomplish that even earlier and hopes to transition off by 2023, officials say.

But a complicating factor here is there are different types of coal. Much of what the Alberta government is looking to produce is what’s called metallurgical coal. With more carbon and less ash and moisture than regular coal, also known as thermal coal, metallurgical coal is used to make steel and even Canada says it can’t be phased out just yet.

According to the provincial website, Alberta still produces about 25 million to 30 million tonnes of coal every year from its remaining nine mines — two of which produce metallurgical coal, and the remaining seven of which are devoted to thermal, much of which is sold to other countries.

But the federal environment minister says that while the first priority is eliminating thermal coal, eventually the same thing will happen to metallurgical.

“There are a number of different processes and technologies that people are looking to deploy that will help us to reduce those emissions and move us away from metallurgical coal,” Wilkinson said, pointing to a couple of Canadian companies that are trying out electric furnaces to make steel.

Luff, for his part, is not anti-industry. He would go on to become an assistant deputy minister in the energy department, then become a vice-president for the Canadian Association for Petroleum Producers before creating his own consultancy company, but he worries that government is putting profit ahead of the long-term interests of Albertans.

He worries Alberta’s politicians aren’t playing the long game here, which he argues shows industry switching away from coal, even for steel production. The potential risk to the province’s drinking water and an iconic part of the province won’t be done away with so easily.

“Maybe it’s just a lack of understanding that, yes, Alberta is a province that benefits from the development of its resources, whether it’s oil and gas, or timber development and so on. But Albertans also recreate, and spend a great deal of time in the mountains, in northern Alberta in the boreal forest — hiking, canoeing, fishing, hunting — and many Canadians, I don’t think, are aware of that,” he says.

“Albertans do look to find a balance between the development of resources, but also ensuring that the environment and social values will be maintained in perpetuity.”

‘I don’t know what he’s thinking’

Two and a half years into its maiden term — a significant chunk of which involved navigating a global pandemic — Jason Kenney’s United Conservative government is no stranger to controversy.

There was the time at least seven MLAs and senior government officials were caught travelling for the holidays despite official advice, or the time Kenney himself was photographed having drinks on the balcony of the so-called Sky Palace — a government office that a former premier tried to turn into a luxury apartment that is now Albertan shorthand for government arrogance — with a group of ministers, including the health minister, while flouting pandemic rules.

There is growing evidence Albertans are getting fed up. While many leaders have enjoyed pandemic bumps to their approval ratings, Kenney has the lowest level of support of a premier in the country.

According to an Angus Reid poll from June, his approval was sitting around 31 per cent, or about half of where it was when he swept to victory two years ago.

But while much of the pushback against Kenney’s government has tended to splinter along political lines — his rule-resistant COVID-19 response seemed designed to appease a rural base, experts say — the fury of coal stands out for its cross-partisan appeal.

When he was running to be leader of the newly minted United Conservative party four years ago, Kenney stood in front of a green and white sign emblazoned with his signature and what he called the Grassroots Guarantee — a promise that policy would be developed by membership and not by leadership alone.


It was an attempt to throw off the shackles of conservative arrogance in the province, and yet it’s been a challenging promise to deliver on, says Lori Williams, a political scientist at Calgary’s Mount Royal University.

A small poll in February found that almost seven in 10 Albertans surveyed were against development of formerly protected areas and half strongly opposed getting rid of the coal policy specifically and yet the government has plunged ahead with changes. Some government MLAs have spoken of an inability to get Kenney’s ear.

“The inability to respond to the concerns that are being raised by his base is a bit surprising,” Williams says.

Kenney came to power by combining the province’s two Conservative parties, and as his popularity drops, it’s a partnership that risks unravelling. He’s struggled to keep the right wing of the party intact, which some have speculated explains why he’s pushed ahead with the development often favoured by the right.

“I don’t know what he’s thinking,” Williams says. “I often wonder if he knows the Alberta that he is now governing; it’s not the Alberta that he left in the 1990s. But sometimes he governs as if it is that Alberta.”

‘This is just about me not wanting the Rockies ruined’

Lund, who says he agrees with some ideas on the right and some on the left, says this isn’t about politics.

“I don’t like any political parties. I don’t like groups of people in general. I don’t trust them. I only trust individuals. So this is just about me not wanting the Rockies ruined for everyone,” he says. “And turns out that’s resonated across political lines.”

Fellow musician Brett Kissel was raised on a ranch north of Edmonton but grew up on country music stages — he recorded his first album at age 12 and has since had four singles hit No. 1 on Canadian country music charts. After watching one of Lund’s videos about coal this spring, he immediately called him to ask how he could help, he says.

He agrees this is not about politics. He’s made public appearances with Kenney and says there are a number of things the current government has done well since the pandemic began.



Personal relationships aside, he says, he’s decided to speak out because of what he considers a “bad deal” for Alberta. As he sees it, the government has backed itself into a corner — if it backs down now, it will invite environmentalists to fight back on other causes. But he argues that the time has come for the province to heed the voices of the province.

Speaking a few hours before stepping onto the stage in Quebec for one of his first post-pandemic appearances this month, he said it’s a comment on Alberta politics when even the “true blue Albertans” are starting to push back.

“We’re pro oil. We’re pro industry. We’re pro money. We’re pro generational wealth. So even us, we’re the ones who are like, ‘Yeah, no, this is too far,’” Kissel says.

He says he feels for the people who work in coal who were looking forward to new opportunities — only to have those new mines threated by the pushback. The musicians who have spoken out have all received significant heat for that reason, he says.

Still, he calls the mine proposals a “bad deal” for the province, with the promise of a few hundred local jobs and “miniscule” royalties.

“It’s very difficult when we are talking about other people’s livelihoods,” he says. “But you know what, the pros for this situation do not outweigh the cons that are going to be for the rest of the province.”

Right now, the government is awaiting the coal policy committee’s report, which is due by Nov. 15. Although “we cannot speculate on the content or details of a modernized provincial coal policy,” the report will “inform” the new plan, the Alberta energy minister’s press secretary said in an email.

A clearer timeline for a new policy is expected this fall.

Lund and others will be watching.

“I feel like the wind is in our sails, but I think we need to keep pushing until we have a new policy in place that clearly sorts this out so that we don’t have to deal with it again, five years from now,” he says.

“In this divided time, it’s been refreshing to see that we can all agree on clean water at least, right?”

Alex Boyd is a Calgary-based reporter for the Star.

ALBERTA

Piikani First Nation protests idea of coal mining

Anti-coal mining rally faces unexpected roadblock

Sean Marks CTV News Lethbridge Video Journalist

Published Saturday, June 12, 2021 8:30PM MDT

Members of an Alberta First Nation gathered to urge the government to scrap the idea of coal mining in the eastern slopes of the Rockies.

CALGARY -- Following months of preparation, members of the Piikani 'Mountain Child Valley Society' (MVCS) were shocked to find out that there were new restrictions placed on their anti-coal mining rally at the last minute.

The rally, which began with a protest convoy from Crowsnest Lake to Brocket, was organized to bring awareness to mining in the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains.

Sixty cars, decorated with protest signs, left the Crowsnest Pass at 10 a.m. to spread their concern across Southern Alberta.

They were heading to the rally, which was set to begin at 11:30 a.m. in the river valley on Piikani Nation land.

However, rally organizer and chair of the MVCS, Adam North Peigan, was informed that only band members would be allowed to attend the rally.

"Our chief and council have imposed a media ban as well as a ban on any non-nation members being able to attend the rally," said North Peigan.

"It's unfortunate that chief and council have done that and it's really, really a sore spot in our leadership."

North Peigan had arranged for multiple non-nation members to speak at the rally including MLA's from Lethbridge and Edmonton, as well as anti-coal activist and country music star, Corb Lund.

After having to change the location prior to the event, North Peigan says he believes this was done because of the chief and council's support of the Grassy Mountain mine.

"I call out on Chief Stan Grier and members of council to get behind the members of Piikani Nation," he said.

"We are the true rights holder to this ancestral land that's looking to being desecrated by coal exploration in our ancestral land."

Piikani Nation elders were also present to speak towards their feelings on what is happening in the eastern slopes.

"I'm sad, the elders are sad," said Wilfred Yellow Wings Sr.

"The people that are gathering to support no mines are all here."

We spoke with Piikani Nation who said the decision to make the rally a band-only event was due to a concern for the health and safety of its members.

In a statement they said:

"The Piikani Nation has worked for over five years to be confident that the Grassy Mountain mine will pose a minimal risk to its lands, waters, culture and traditional way of life. Through agreement with the project proponent, it has created strict legal obligations for the mine to protect the environment and its sacred sites.

The Piikani Nation has not provided its consent to any other coal mine.

With respect to the protest planned on Piikani reserve lands, the Nation is only preventing off reserve members from entering the community to protect its members from the pandemic.

Any suggestion that the Piikani Nation is stopping members from voicing their opinions on Piikani decisions is categorically false.

The simple fact is that the Piikani Nation can't risk a COVID outbreak in its community. It has made considerable sacrifice and allocated significant resources over the last year to prevent outbreaks in the community and the devastation that the virus inflicted in other communities and the world."

Those who were not able to attend the event still took the time to express their concerns about mining exploration and what it means for the lands and water sources in Southern Alberta.

PROTESTERS LINE THE HIGHWAY OUTSIDE PIIKANI NATION

"Everyone is worried about access to water and giving away billions of liters of water to coal mining companies that are going to use it and potentially really abuse it for 10 to 12 years and a couple hundred jobs is just not worth it for the jobs we are putting at risk now," said Shannon Phillips, MLA for Lethbridge-West.

"We should be able to make a living off the landscape, trust the water that we drink and protect the wildlife, the traditional land uses and the communities that rely on this watershed."

MLA for Edmonton-Gold Bar and NDP Environmental Critic Marlin Schmidt was also in attendance.

"We know that here in southern Alberta, we don't have enough water and that we need to keep the water that we do have clean, and the coal mines threaten both of those things."

Anti-coal activist, country music star and Lethbridge resident Corb Lund showed up as well express his opposition.

"I've looked into the coal issue a lot in the rockies here in Alberta, and I just think it's a terrible idea for lots of reasons," he said.

"For financial reasons and for safety reasons and for ecological reasons. It's a terrible idea."

The rally was still able to be seen and heard from the highway, with many Piikani band members in attendance to listen to the words of North Peigan on the shores of the Old Man River.

"We need to do what we need to do to protect mother earth now and for future generations."

Lund will be hosting another anti-coal event for media on June 16 at the foot of Cabin Ridge in the Mount Livingston Range to give people a close-up view of a proposed coal development zone and speak to the effect it will have on the families who live and work in the area.

Loads of Coal Disinformation from the Kenney Government
How Alberta’s energy and environment ministers misled on open-pit mining plans.

Andrew Nikiforuk 25 Jan 2021 | TheTyee.ca
Tyee contributing editor Andrew Nikiforuk is an award-winning journalist whose books and articles focus on epidemics, the energy industry, nature and more.

Alberta Energy Minister Sonya Savage with Premier Jason Kenney at a 2019 press conference. Neither made a public appearance in the face of a public backlash against the government’s easing of coal mining. Photo by Jason Franson, the Canadian Press.


Last week Alberta’s government tried to hide political reality by issuing statements implying the “passion” of citizens had convinced it to back off its efforts to bring open-pit coal mining to a vast, ecologically-vital portion of the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains.

We’ve got a global crisis or two — or three — on our hands. Let’s take these solutions into 2021.

Apparently, Jason Kenney’s government hoped to administer an anesthetic so that Australian and Canadian mining companies could proceed with their carving away of mountaintops without public interference.

But the propaganda didn’t work. The pain is intense, and the howling only rises. Craig Snodgrass, the eloquent mayor of High River, noted on Facebook that “the announcement was another strategy by the government of Alberta and the coal industry only to try and whitewash over this scandal and calm the public.”

Last May the Kenney government rescinded the 44-year-old Coal Policy, which had it been in place would have prevented most of the proposed mines.* It killed the policy at the beginning of the pandemic on a late Friday afternoon with no public consultation.


Gone was the product of years of democratic consultation, a policy that recognized the eastern slopes create, guard, clean and secure mountain water as it brings life to the Canadian prairies, and so protected much of the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains from open-pit mining.

The Tyee has since August reported on the Coal Policy’s demise and the government’s courting of open-pit miners, but it took months for a groundswell of public opposition to form.

In recent weeks more than 100,000 Albertans from all political parties and all walks of life, including prominent singers from Corb Lund to Jann Arden, have demanded that the policy be reinstated.

In response to the outrage — what one academic called a “prairie fire” — the Kenney government hid from the public and turned on its propaganda machine.

Soothing words from the energy minister (who fights for coal in court)

Energy Minister Sonya Savage, who did not display the courage to face the press, began the B.S.-fest by releasing a brief statement at the very end of the day on Jan. 18 that referenced “the passion” of Albertans, and promised now to cancel 11 coal leases. It also said it would pause any future coal lease sales but provided no details.


The press release didn’t mention that the 11 leases — representing an insignificant 1,800 hectares — amounted to less than 0.2 per cent of the existing 420,000 hectares that the government had made available for open-pit mining in the eastern slopes.

So what Savage’s press release really told Albertans was this: “We’ll make a token gesture to appease your anger, but we are not going to change our policy and protect your water supplies. Our plans to mine the Rockies remain unchanged. We support Australian coal miners and will not consult with Albertans.”

At the same time that Savage released her misleading statement, a lawyer representing Savage’s ministry declared the government’s real intentions in court against an application by ranchers and First Nations seeking consultation and restoration of the Coal Policy.

“There’s no getting around the fact that the decision to rescind the Coal Policy may be seen as an unpopular one to some Albertans,” argued the lawyer, Melissa Burkett. “However, an unpopular decision is not an unlawful decision.”

Soothing words from the environment minister (who helps foreign coal miners)

Meanwhile Alberta Environment Minister Jason Nixon posted a three-page statement on Twitter saying he, too, had heard concerns from Albertans about coal mining in the eastern slopes.


The letter added that the killing of the Coal Policy had not changed the province’s environmental protections one iota, and that there would not be a mining “free for all” in the slopes.


Nixon began the letter by calling the eastern slopes “his backyard and your backyard.”

But David Luff, the former deputy environment minister who helped craft the Coal Policy, doesn’t think Nixon understands what the hell he is talking about.

“Indicating that his backyard is also the backyard of all Albertans implies that the minister is our neighbour. Good neighbours talk to one another and inform one another — particularly when one of the neighbours plans to remove the tops off all the mountains that are in our joint backyard.”

Nixon then tried to imply that no environmental standards were weakened by killing the Coal Policy: “Unfortunately there are a lot rumours and misinformation out there, including the notion that Alberta energy’s recission of the Coal Policy 1976 has opened up the Eastern Slopes for strip mining.”

Unfortunately, Nixon’s assertions don’t match the facts.

The Coal Policy, which placed restrictions on what could and could not be mined, protected Category 2 lands (1.5 million hectares) in the Rockies from open-pit mining. By abolishing that policy, the Kenney government has encouraged several Australian and Canadian firms with leases on Category 2 lands to explore and develop those lands.

That represents more than 800 square kilometres of the Rockies. At least a half a dozen firms, such as Montem, Atrum Coal, Benga Mining, Cabin Ridge and Valory Resources have proposed something unprecedented — more than half a dozen open-pit mines in watersheds where such activity was previously forbidden for nearly half a century.

Nixon’s disinformation is rebutted by the energy minister’s own statements. Sonya Savage has plainly characterized the Coal Policy as an obstacle to development.

Moreover, look who were alone in congratulating the Kenney government on killing the Coal Policy: Australian coal companies such as Atrum Coal, and the Coal Association of Canada, which happens to be directed by a former Alberta environment minister. Which in turn tells us something about how Alberta’s political powers define the loyalties of their environment ministers.

In his letter, Nixon tries to convince Albertans that the Coal Policy was old, outdated and ineffective. “Without question, the laws and policies that guide development today are stricter than those that existed in 1976.”

But that’s not true either. The Coal Policy required thorough environmental assessments just like today’s laws. It also required cost-benefit analyses — something new regulations don’t require. It discouraged bust and boom projects that left Alberta poorer. It also mandated royalties much higher than the one per cent now charged by the Kenney government.

When Kenney rescinded the Coal Policy, his government also gutted Directive 061, which contained 300 detailed pages on how companies must apply for and develop coal mines. The Kenney government replaced it with a 40-page manual fulfilling a promise to Australian coal miners to cut “red tape.”

Alberta Environment Minister Jason Nixon. Last week he said rescinding the Coal Policy won’t expedite coal mining, but the province’s energy minister flatly called it an obstacle to the same.

Whenever Australian companies have been asked why they’ve come to Alberta, they give three reasons: weak regulations, a one-per-cent royalty and a highly-supportive government such as Environment Minister Nixon. As The Tyee has reported, Nixon was eager to help foreign coal miners in their designs on Alberta even before the Coal Policy was erased.

He remains handy to their aims. Last summer, Atrum’s senior director Tony Mauro told a meeting of the Crowsnest Pass council that the company didn’t have a defined water source in southern Alberta where most watersheds are already over-allocated.

However, Nixon’s Environment Ministry was working on solving that, he explained, by “seeking to modify” a 20-year policy in order to free up more water from the Oldman River for “interested parties that may have an industrial purpose.”

Nixon now has the gall to imply in his letter that the Coal Policy was totally deficient because it didn’t address water quality standards or selenium.

But the Coal Policy wasn’t designed to do those things. By forbidding coal mining, it protected watersheds and kept the water clean and free of selenium pollution. The overall goal of the policy was to preserve water security, tourism and recreation in the eastern slopes. It was, after all, a Coal Policy, not a Water Management Policy.

Gavin Fitch, a lawyer representing landowners opposed to the Grassy Mountain Coal Project now under federal review, notes, “The management and protection of water quality under the Water Act and [the Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act] are separate from and independent of where open-pit coal mining is permitted.”

And Alberta is not doing a good job on that front. Data on selenium pollution from three coal mines in northern Alberta show selenium levels exceeding safe levels for fish by three to nine times.

But Nixon goes on. “Today we take a comprehensive approach to management of the environment so we understand the cumulative effects from all activities on the landscape.”

That’s not true either. It certainly never happened in the oilsands. Ten years ago, the province passed the Alberta Land Stewardship Act to provide for comprehensive regional planning. Only two of seven regional plans for the province were ever completed. How comprehensive is that?

The Elkview coal mine in BC operated by Teck Resources is similar to the open-pit and mountaintop removal approach slated for the eastern slopes of Alberta’s Rocky Mountains now that the Coal Policy has been rescinded by the Kenney government. Photo via the Teck Resources website.

Albertans might want to ask why Nixon didn’t insist that the Kenney government do a cumulative impact assessment on proposed coal mines in the eastern slopes before it killed the Coal Policy.

They might also want to ask where Alberta’s studies on the cumulative impacts of open-pit coal mines on water supply, quality and quantity are.

If the province was actually concerned about cumulative effects, why did the Joint Review Panel on the Grassy Mountain Coal Project in the Crowsnest Pass, headed by two Alberta Energy Regulator staffers, refuse to ask Benga Mining to account for the environmental effects of multiple mine proposals in the Oldman River watershed?

Nixon does not explain in his letter why publicly-paid experts on water, selenium and endangered species were not allowed to participate in that public hearing.

Near the end of the letter Nixon tries to assure Albertans that he “has placed restrictions on the most environmentally sensitive lands in former Coal Category 1 lands.” But these lands largely contain Banff and Jasper national parks as well as many provincial parks and have always been off limits to mining.

Even here, Nixon has not told the full truth. As David Luff notes, “The Coal Policy applied to both Crown coal rights and freehold coal rights. Nixon’s ministerial directive, issued on Sept. 9, 2020, protecting the former Category 1 lands, specifically states that private lands and freehold minerals are exempt from the directive restrictions. This means that the Government of Alberta, by policy, supports mountaintop removal mining of freehold coal rights in the former Category 1 lands, near national and provincial parks.

Nixon lastly assures Albertans they have nothing to worry about, because the Alberta Energy Regulator will review all coal projects. He implies that the regulator, which has been plagued by one scandal after another, is independent of government. (This is the same agency that allowed the oil industry to not reclaim its abandoned oil wells creating a multi-billion liability for taxpayers.)

But the regulator is not independent of industry, and that’s what matters. It has no mandate to protect the public interest and is funded entirely by industry. It recently hired Jason Kenney’s former campaign manager, an individual who describes himself as a “political activist.” How’s that for impartiality?

Environmental and regulatory lawyer Fitch adds this point:

“What Nixon does not say is that the [regulator]’s jurisdiction over coal projects is found in the Coal Conservation Act. One of the core purposes of the CCA is to ‘ensure the orderly, efficient and economic development of Alberta’s coal resources in the public interest.’”

In other words, the premise of the CCA is that development of coal is in the public interest. “So when the [regulator] holds a hearing (as it did, jointly with the federal government, for the Grassy Mountain project) for the purpose of determining whether a project is in the public interest, the starting point is that coal development, per se (i.e., before consideration of environmental issues), is in the public interest.”

In conclusion Nixon assures Albertans that he has a personal interest in ensuring that the eastern slopes are protected, “and I am directing my department to do everything in its power to do that.”

Nixon is certainly directing his department to do everything it can — for coal companies.

Katie Morrison, conservation director of the southern Alberta chapter of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, notes that two Australian companies have asked for exemptions to rules that prevented them from operating during sensitive times for elk, sheep and grizzly bears. Nixon’s ministry granted those exemptions in two days.

In October 2019, Nixon sent a letter of support to Valory Resources, an Australian mining company. It had not yet been listed on the Australian stock exchange.

The minister said in the letter that he was pleased to hear that Valory Resources Inc. will be investing in Alberta and boasted of “efforts to streamline policy and processes to bring greater certainty and stability to our investment climate and make Alberta open for business.”

David Luff says that Nixon’s Twitter response to public outrage shows the government has no plan other than ignoring the best interests of Albertans:

“I am at a loss as to express how angry and upset Nixon’s letter makes me — the condescending tone, the egregious misrepresentation of the truth. Frankly, it’s quite disturbing,” said Luff. “If Premier Kenney wants to try and win back the trust of Albertans regarding the rescinding of the Coal Policy fiasco, he should remove Nixon from cabinet.”

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