Grassy Mountain coal mine hearings met by protests in Calgary

Dozens of protesters gathered outside the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) offices in downtown Calgary as the second round of public hearings regarding the contentious Grassy Mountain coal mine kicked off Tuesday morning. 

The energy regulator is holding the hearings to review exploration permits submitted by Northback Holdings, the company behind the proposed coking coal mine in the M.D. of Ranchland, just north of Crowsnest Pass.

The first round of hearings was held in Pincher Creek in early December. 

Contamination of the Old Man River watershed, water shortages, potential impacts to southern Alberta agricultural producers, and damage to the environment surrounding the mine were among the concerns expressed by demonstrators. 

"I don't think [the Alberta government] has listened to us. I don't think they've studied the reports … They have their overlord, it appears, dictating to them what they should be doing. They're not listening to Albertans, and particularly the ones along the drainage of the Old Man River," said Jackie Chalmers, the founder of the Chinook Watershed Society. 

The hearings are the last opportunity for public input before the energy regulator decides whether Australian-owned Northback Holdings Corp. can move forward with a temporary exploratory drilling program and acquire a licence to divert water to the project.

The project was previously rejected by the federal government in 2021, citing adverse effects "on surface water quality, including from selenium effluent discharge."

Crowsnest Pass residents recently voted in favour of the project in a non-binding referendum, citing the economic boost it could bring to the community. 

"We were able to help them understand that we can indeed meet all the regulatory requirements put in place to protect the safety of Albertans, residents, the water and the environment," Rina Blacklaws, spokesperson for Northback, said in an interview.

The company says the exploration program would use water from previously mined end-of-pit lakes and would not be connected to nearby bodies of water.

Kathleen Ganley, the MLA for Calgary-Mountain View who attended today's protest, said she's not sure the issue can be described as a simple trade-off between jobs and the environment. 

"I don't think the economics on this project are that good, because what we're talking about is potential impacts to our water and land for generations. And we're also talking about a relatively minor amount of profit or royalty to the people of Alberta compared to the potential cost." 

Third-generation rancher Lance Loree said those costs could come at the expense of his very livelihood. 

"I'm an organic farmer, I don't know. I don't think coal dust is gonna do much for the organic certification. You know, it'd be pretty easy to lose a market there," he said.