Alberta coal mining opponents ‘exasperated’ after citizen petition cancelled

Opponents of coal mining in the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains have some sharp criticism for Alberta's UCP government after being told to resubmit their citizens petition.

Corb Lund says he is disappointed, but is vowing to continue his fight against coal mining in the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains.

In early December, Lund was told his petition demanding the province pass a law banning coal mining on the eastern slopes had been approved by Elections Alberta, giving him the go-ahead to start collecting signatures.

But just days later, the UCP government passed Bill 14, which made changes to the citizen petition process, and Lund was told his petition was no longer valid and he’d need to resubmit it.

Canadian country music star Corb Lund is a sixth-generation Albertan who lives in the Taber area, downstream from the headwaters of the Old Man River, where some of the new coal mines could be located.

“I’m not sure legally how that works, how you can retroactively cancel something that’s been approved already?” said Lund.

“But I feel the most disappointing thing is, Premier Smith said a few weeks ago on television after hearing about the approval of our petition — she said she’s a big supporter of citizens’ initiatives and that she’ll be watching closely and that the rules are out there, so we’ll see what happens. And then they change the rules overnight,” said Lund.

“I’m surprised they can have this little shame.”

Lund is a sixth-generation Albertan who lives and ranches in the Taber area, downstream from the headwaters of the Old Man River, where some of the coal mines could be located.