Country singer Corb Lund gets OK to launch anti-coal petition drive in Alberta
CBC
Singer Corb Lund has been given the go-ahead to start collecting signatures for a petition to ask the Alberta government to pass a law banning new coal mining on the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains.
Elections Alberta posted the official OK on its website Monday.
Lund, who has received multiple Juno and Canadian Country Music Association nominations and awards, lives in southern Alberta and has been a vocal opponent of coal mining.
In his application for the petition, he said he's seeking the intervention because mines could threaten land and water in the area.
"I get a lot of flak about being a celebrity or whatever, and I should shut up and sing. And it's like, well, I drink that water — like, I drink the water out of the Oldman River," Lund said in a phone interview from Las Vegas, where he has been performing.
"My animals drink the water, my mother drinks the water. So I'm not a guy flying in from L.A. on a private jet. I am a sixth generation rural Albertan, and I'm just trying to keep the water clean."
He added: "There's no subterfuge; there's no hidden agenda. It's just we don't want coal mining in the headwaters of the Rocky Mountain rivers. Simple."
Once Lund has completed some other housekeeping matters over the next few days, such as appointing a chief financial officer, the signature collection can officially start.
Lund then has four months to gather signatures equal to 10 per cent of votes cast in the last general election — almost 178,000.
If successful, the legislature would consider passing a law banning coal mining or send it to a provincewide vote.
Leading up to Monday's petition approval, Lund said he has been preparing a team of canvassers to help him.
They'll also be the ones to oversee the work of gathering signatures in March while he's on tour across the United States.
Lund said he's confident the issue will extend beyond partisan lines, and appeal to urban and rural Albertans to draw signatures from around the province.
It's the latest in a string of petitions underway to force government action on everything from recalling politicians to confirming Alberta's place in Confederation.
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