Country singer Corb Lund relaunches provincewide petition to ban new coal mining in Alberta's eastern slopes

A citizen initiative petition by Alberta country singer Corb Lund calling for a ban on all new coal mining in the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains was officially relaunched at three events in different parts of the province.

The events — held in Lethbridge on Friday, Calgary on Saturday and Edmonton on Sunday — marked the start of the Water Not Coal petition campaign, which needs 177,732 signatures by June 10 to proceed to a vote.

"I just don't think the majority of Albertans want their mountains, and especially their water, destroyed for minimal economic gain and and maximal ecological damage," Lund told CBC News at Saturday's event in Calgary.

The petition — which comes after a similar petition by Lund was cancelled last December due to recent legislative changes — calls for legislation to ban all new coal exploration and coal mining in the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains, with the exception of mines actively in production as of Jan. 1, 2026.

Lund, who hails from the southern Alberta town of Taber, has received numerous Juno, Canadian Country Music Association and Western Canadian Music awards and nominations. In recent years, he's used his platform to speak out against coal mining in the eastern slopes.

"The entire handling of the coal situation right from the beginning has been utterly chaotic," Lund said.

Lund said the ban he's proposing would include the Grassy Mountain project near the Crowsnest Pass community of Blairmore, and the Blackstone project in central Alberta's Clearwater County, operated by Northback Holdings and Valory Resources, respectively.

In an emailed statement, Valory spokesperson Glenn Vassallo pointed to the economic value of coal production, particularly the steel-making coal the company aims to mine.

"We are several years away from permitting what we expect will be a very important element of Alberta’s economy," Vassallo said, referring to the Blackstone project.

"Alberta and B.C. are uniquely positioned to provide steel-making coal to the world responsibly," Vassallo said.

"Much of the debate around coal in Alberta often overlooks the fact that today’s underground mining is science-based, regulated and fundamentally different from very outdated perceptions. ... Valory is advancing a tightly regulated underground mining project designed to meet stringent environmental thresholds while delivering appropriate economic growth." 

Brett Wilson, one of the investors behind Valory's Blackstone project, "has been engaging directly on this petition with his friend Corb Lund," Vassallo said.

Lund said opponents of the Grassy Mountain and Blackstone projects worry they would affect the quality of drinking water from the Oldman and North Saskatchewan rivers due to their respective locations.

A peer-reviewed study published last year found contamination from old coal mines in Alberta had been polluting nearby bodies of water, negatively impacting water quality and aquatic ecosystems.