UCP tried to slip pieces of coal into our stockings — until we noticed
But the mining fight isn't over,
There is a big difference between being stupid and simply not paying attention. That's a lesson that the UCP government has yet to learn as they try and grope their way out of an entirely unnecessary coal mess of their own making.
Albertans are not stupid. And in the wake of a grim and unpleasant Christmas season during which many things became clear, we are definitely paying attention.
It began on a Friday before a long weekend, as so many bad things do. On May 15, 2020, the Kenney government released an Information letter that advised anyone paying attention that the province's Coal Development Policy, in effect since 1976, would be rescinded effective June 1. Very few of us, however, were paying attention. We were worrying about our families during a pandemic. Maybe that was the plan.
The coal industry was certainly paying attention. They had lobbied, behind closed doors, for vast areas of the eastern slopes, protected for decades from the devastation of coal strip mining, to be opened for exploitation. In fact, they were the only sector the government had bothered to consult with, as if nobody else should care about our mountains, foothills, creeks and rivers.
But those eastern slopes produce water for a thirsty province, outdoor recreation for Albertans, and tourism destinations for visitors.
That was why the Peter Lougheed government protected them from strip mining, after years of study and public consultation. Some places are just too important to dig up.
Life, and the pandemic, went on. Then came the Christmas of our collective discontent when, hunkered down at home hiding from the virus at the advice of provincial politicians, we learned that several of them had gone on nice vacations to sunny resorts.
And then we found lumps of coal in our
What kind of government would sell out our mountain water sources to Australian mine speculators?
stockings.
When people are stuck at home, there's only so many ways to stay busy. One way is to spend time on social media. And while Albertans were brooding about the hypocrisy of globe-trotting UCP politicians, we started reading about strip mining. In our headwaters. Where we camp, fish, hunt, hike and play. Where our precious river water originates. What?
Public outrage exploded in early 2021. Celebrities like Corb Lund and k.d. lang weighed in.
What kind of government would sell out our mountain water sources to Australian mine speculators?
The kind that thinks its OK to get suntans while we're all stuck at home, evidently.
As Albertans of every political stripe, rural and urban alike, began to clamour for explanations, the government seemed to think it could continue to treat us as stupid. Jason Nixon, the so-called environment minister, assured us that all coal projects are subject to rigorous environmental reviews. Then it came out that Elan Resources had twice applied for exemptions from wildlife protection rules and been approved in mere hours: so much for rigour. Sonya Savage, the energy minister, said the coal policy was out of date now that we had land-use plans. Only thing is, we don't; the only approved land-use plan in our headwaters covers the Oldman drainage. And it doesn't address coal mining.
When a government's polling shows that the honeymoon is over and divorce is becoming a serious possibility, that tends to focus their minds. And so — this time on a Monday — the government announced that it was responding to public concern by cancelling its latest batch of coal lease sales and putting a pause on new leases. Happy now, Alberta?
Well, no. The cancelled leases cover less than one per cent of the land the UCP has opened up for strip mining. And the government has neither reinstated the coal policy nor promised to protect our eastern slopes from massive, polluting strip mines. In hockey parlance, it's a head fake. In practical parlance, it's offensive.
Nice try, UCP, but we Albertans are not stupid. And we're still paying attention.