(Canadian Press)

By Sheldon Spackman

Continued Advocacy

City council affirms need for consultation on coal mining policy changes

Feb 17, 2021 | 2:24 PM

Red Deer city council has unanimously approved sending a letter to the provincial government requesting that broad consultation be conducted before any future changes are made to Alberta’s coal mining policy.

The government rescinded the 1976 coal mining policy – governing land use planning, royalties, labour requirements, landowner rights and environmental protections last spring before reinstating it earlier this month following heated public backlash.

“We would be raising specific questions about impacts to the watershed and any impacts of other municipal partners. But also very specifically requesting that municipalities be consulted with any potential legislation or amendments that they will be tabling,” said Mayor Tara Veer.

Steven Ellingson, Intergovernmental Strategist with the City of Red Deer, told council the government has not yet indicated the direction of their planned consultations in the future.

“The only thing we’re aware of is that they have committed to engaging Albertans on a broad basis. So if it impacts other pieces of legislation and areas of policy from the government, hopefully that will be included in that discussion,” he explained.

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Councillor Vesna Higham proposed an amendment to the original resolution, requesting the government conduct broad public and municipal consultation on any future changes to the coal mining policy, including but not limited to reviewing potential impacts to sensitive water and ecosystem resources throughout the province – an amendment supported by council.

“We’ve received a number of emails from our public. They were outraged by what the province has done in rescinding the 1976 coal mining policy, and now that it’s been reinstated, I think there is a big sigh of relief,” Higham said.

“Going forward, there needs to be a very intentional and mindful process to ensure that these issues are addressed in a fulsome manner.”

Councillor Dianne Wyntjes said she’s happy to see the province reinstate the policy, but added that in no way does it excuse what the province did.

“What I found very frustrating was that the coal mining industry knew about their initiatives prior to Albertans. There should have been a duty to consult prior to going down this road in terms of open pit mining,” she said.

“I personally sent a personal letter to my MLA and (received) no response. I’m frustrated by that because this is a significant issue. Thank you to Minister Savage for recognizing that they had to reinstate the policy, but the public trust has been broken. This conversation is far from over.”

The 1976 policy developed a land classification system dividing the province into land categories that allowed varying coal exploration and development levels.

The restrictions on category 2 and 3 lands were rescinded by the Government of Alberta on May 15, 2020 without first engaging with Albertans and without knowing the environmental impacts to the Rocky Mountains and the Foothills.

Coal mining in category 2 and category 3 lands would be expected to have a detrimental impact on three major rivers, including the Red Deer River, Oldman River, and South Saskatchewan River, which could impact watersheds and Albertans’ drinking water quality.

The 1976 policy offered protections for certain lands along the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains against open-pit and strip coal mining.

The 1976 policy allowed exploration on category 3 lands, but development in these areas was restricted.