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Nanton Town council did not choose to write another letter to the province regarding coal development along the Eastern Slopes after receiving correspondence from High River’s mayor.
In a letter dated April 19, High River Mayor Craig Snodgrass wrote to Nanton Mayor Jennifer Handley asking that Nanton’s council consider writing to Premier Jason Kenney and Energy Minister Sonya Savage requesting that all exploration activities on the Eastern Slopes of the Rockies be ceased, pending the outcome of a meaningful public consultation process.
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CALGARY As public outcry grows over the dramatic expansion of coal leases along the previously protected foothills, Energy Minister Sonya Savage tried to ease tensions this week. But critics say the announcement affects a tiny fraction of the more than 400,000 hectares opened to strip mining last May. The change in policy removes nearly 45 years of protection under the Alberta Coal Policy of 1976. “It means nothing,” says High River Mayor Craig Snodgrass, speaking about the cancellation of 11 leases sold in December. “People that aren t watching that are mad about this. That s what this is, a play to get everything to calm down.
Meanwhile, signatures on two petitions on Facebook opposing the UPC government’s pro-coal mining moves surged past 100,000.
Last March, at the beginning of the pandemic, the Jason Kenney government quietly revoked the province’s 44-year-old Coal Policy.
The visionary policy, created by former premier Peter Lougheed after extensive public consultation, said most of the eastern slopes of the Rockies should remain off limits to mountain-top removal in order to protect water security, wildlife and the area’s beauty.
Kenney’s axing of the policy immediately opened up 1.5 million hectares of the Rockies for coal development, including the headwaters of major rivers in the South and North Saskatchewan river basins.
Some rural communities thankful for provincewide mask mandate calgarysun.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from calgarysun.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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Some rural officials say they’re relieved by Alberta’s new provincewide mask mandate, putting to rest a contentious issue among Albertans outside of the province’s major centres.
While some jurisdictions took matters into their own hands, many communities waited for the provincial government and chief medical officer of health to mandate masks.
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“People have picked a camp, whether they’re pro- or anti-mask, but for the most part, I’ve seen the majority of people wearing masks around town,” said High River Mayor Craig Snodgrass.