Corb Lund has high hopes for anti-mine petition
By Lethbridge Herald on December 3, 2025.
Alexandra Noad
Lethbridge Herald
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Country singer Corb Lund has taken Premier Danielle Smith up on the challenge she gave at the Coal Town Hall in Fort Macleod last summer to hold a public initiative to prove the majority of Albertans are against coal mining of the Eastern Slopes.
Lund consulted with experts from conservationists and scientists to policy makers – including one who helped write the province’s coal policy in 1978 – to write a citizens petition which has been sent to Elections Alberta.
The application process for the petition can take up to 30 days and collecting of signatures can’t happen until it’s approved.
Lund says there was a lot of discussion on how to word the petition to keep it clear and precise.
“There was a lot of brain power in the room and we hashed it out and it’s quite simple, it basically says that we don’t want any new coal miny of any form in the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains.”
He explained over the last six years the Alberta government has changed the type of mining they plan on doing, but the end result is the same.
Six years ago, Lund was first introduced to the coal mine issue after cattle producers’ west of Nanton generational land was threatened by coal mines after the UCP government rescinded the previous coal policy.
After taking a deep dive into the issue, he came to the conclusion that coal mining in the Rockies was a bad idea and he continues to fight the same battle.
He adds that he considers himself non-partisan and also not anti-resource, but the benefits must outweigh the risks.
“It’s got nothing to do with political parties for me. It’s completely about keeping foreign coal mines out of the headwaters of the rivers, for agriculture, for tourism and for the general well-being of the mountains that we all own together as a province.”
Lund believes it’s important to look at the whole picture, not just a few hundred jobs for a couple of years.
“You’re talking about 200,000 people using the water downstream, you’re talking about a hug ag business (agriculture) that’s the core of Alberta…and southern Alberta is 70 per cent of the country’s irrigated farming.”
Lund says Northback, the Australian company looking to rekindle mining in the Grassy Mountain area, is in “public relations mode” creating flashy commercials and visiting stakeholdrs. Lund hopes Albertans will get all of the facts to make their own conclusion on the issue.
According to a Leger poll, commissioned by the Pekisko Group and the Livingstone Landowners Group, up to 75 per cent of Albertans are against coal exploration in the eastern slopes. With those numbers, Lund has high expectations of reaching the required 178,000 signatures in the allotted four months.
“I’d like to get a lot more than that because the stance of the province is pretty one sided about this thing.”
Once the petition is approved, Lund says there will be door-to-door canvasing and public events where people can sign.
18-17
Myself, and my small family will be signing this petition…5 of us.