Fight against coal mine expansion to be brought to UN climate change conference

Erin Blondeau is one of two recipients of the 2022 CJF-CBC Indigenous Journalism Fellowships, established to encourage Indigenous voices and better understanding of Indigenous issues in Canada's major media and community outlets.

A coalition of environmental groups is taking the fight against an Alberta coal mine expansion to the international stage at the 27th annual United Nations climate conference (COP27) this month.

Keepers of the Water is a coalition of First Nations, Métis, Inuit, and environmental groups formed in 2006 over concerns about water quality in the Mackenzie River. The coalition has since expanded as more communities come forward with concerns about pollution in their watersheds.

Their goal at COP 27 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, is to raise awareness of the potential expansion of the Vista coal mine near Hinton, Alta., and proposals for the treatment and release of oil sands tailings. If an expansion of the coal mine proceeds, it has the potential to be one of the largest export thermal coal mines in North America, according to Coalspur, the mine's owner.

"Word needs to get out there to the world, to the countries that are trying to combat climate change and carbon emissions, for them to know what's happening on the ground in the communities," said Jesse Cardinal, executive director of Keepers of the Water.

Fate of mine uncertain as government pledges to ban coal exports

Coalspur Mines was planning to build an expansion to an existing surface coal mine and a new underground mine, but the project stalled in 2020 when the federal environment minister announced that a federal impact assessment was required before it could proceed.

Coalspur and Ermineskin Cree Nation challenged the minister's decision. Ermineskin has an impact benefits agreement for the project.

Coalspur has not responded to requests for comment.

According to court documents, Ermineskin Cree Nation argued that its constitutional rights were breached when the federal government failed to consult with them on the requirement of a federal assessment.

A federal judge sided with Ermineskin, finding that it "was inexplicably frozen out of this very one-sided process" as the federal government had consulted only with Indigenous groups that were seeking a federal impact assessment, which included Keepers of the Water. The judge ordered the minister to reconsider the matter.

In September 2021, the minister again ordered a federal assessment, citing "adverse effects to fish and fish habitat" and damage to the "intergenerational transmission of cultural heritage" of Indigenous peoples.

Later that year, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced at COP26 that Canada will end exports of thermal coal by 2030.

Carol Wildcat, Ermineskin's Industrial Relations consultation director, said she cannot comment on specifics of the case but said she has to consider the wellbeing of her community with a project like the Coalspur mine expansion.