Crowsnest Pass residents voting on support for new coal mine

It’s been much than 40 years since coal was king successful the scenic Crowsnest Pass of southwestern Alberta, but a referendum ballot Monday could sway a contentious statement connected bringing it back.

The Municipality of Crowsnest Pass, location to astir 6,000, is asking residents to accidental yes oregon nary to a straightforward question: “Do you enactment the improvement and operations of the metallurgical ember excavation astatine Grassy Mountain?”

Advance voting began days earlier and portion Monday’s effect won’t beryllium binding oregon person immoderate power connected regulatory oregon ineligible challenges, it’s different origin successful the ongoing, polarizing nationalist statement of system versus environment.

Crowsnest Pass Mayor Blair Painter supports the plan.

“The information is we person been connected a absorption of supporting this project. We don’t person an industry. We request an industry,” Painter said successful an interview.

“Our taxation basal is implicit 80 per cent residential. We’d similar to easiness that disconnected our residents and this would springiness america the accidental to beryllium capable to bash that.”

Australia-based mining institution Northback said it wants to make the Grassy Mountain ember task astatine a tract that was mined implicit 60 years agone but ne'er decently restored. It says it would beryllium reclaimed passim the duration of the project.

Northback says metallurgical coal, which is utilized to marque steel, is simply a basal gathering artifact for immoderate economy, but opponents interest astir the interaction connected downstream drinking h2o and the broader ecosystem.

The contented is inactive earlier Alberta’s vigor regulator and opponents are besides challenging the task done the courts.

David McIntyre, who on with his wife, Monica Field, were erstwhile managers of the Frank Slide Interpretive Centre, person been vocal opponents to improvement successful the area.

McIntyre, who lives astir 10 kilometres downwind of the projected mine, is disquieted astir the sound and carcinogenic particles that would travel with it.

He said they were told they are conscionable extracurricular the municipal bound and are incapable to ballot and that determination are hundreds much that moved successful during the “post-coal era” who are besides connected the extracurricular looking in.

“It appears precise evident that the assemblage of Crowsnest Pass, to effort and get this vote, are moving precise hard to guarantee that the radical they person voting, the old-school miners and families who are hoping for coal, (will) crook the tide,” McIntyre said successful an interview.

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McIntyre said if the excavation does spell ahead, it won’t mean semipermanent prosperity for the area.

“If it’s a go, it won’t beryllium the aboriginal of the Pass. It volition beryllium the short-term aboriginal of the Pass but won’t interaction its semipermanent worth.”

For a century, King Coal reigned successful the Crowsnest. The area, sitting connected the provincial bound with British Columbia, became the biggest ember centre successful Alberta, out-producing different mining regions successful the province.

Five of the archetypal 10 ember communities that sprang up connected the Alberta broadside of the Pass remain: Blairmore, Frank, Bellevue, Coleman and Hillcrest.

The past excavation closed successful 1983 arsenic cheaper and safer open-pit mines opened connected the British Columbia broadside of the pass.

But the Alberta authorities has since revised its argumentation to unfastened up caller areas of the state that had been disconnected limits to open-pit mining since 1976.

Country singer-songwriter Corb Lund, who has been speaking against ember mining connected the Eastern Slopes of the Rockies, held a payment performance past week with proceeds going to Crowsnest Headwaters, a section radical committed to protecting the area.

McIntyre said helium was a spot tense attending the lawsuit since his views person not been popular.

“We had an axe caput driven done our windshield and tires slashed,” helium said.

“I can’t property it to thing different than the information we person spoken retired connected issues, water-related issues and mine-related issues.

“It’s a immense contented connected some sides — and volatile, I would say.”

This study by The Canadian Press was archetypal published Nov. 25, 2024.