Will a mining company knock out the Oldman River?
By Lethbridge Herald on November 23, 2024.
GUEST OPINION
DAVID MCINTYRE
As hyperventilating and antagonistic Albertans throw elbows and verbal punches in the hallways, a pulsing crowd pushes its way into the boxing arena in advance of the advertised bout.
The feature fight: an insane and improbable slugfest between a heavyweight, Australian money, and its ability to knockout the abused—battered and neglected—Oldman.
Chaos is smiling as pandemonium blocks the exits.
Amid the mayhem, my mind flashes back to the autumn of 2017. It was then, in scenic Fernie, B.C., that the annual Crown of the Continent Roundtable met to discuss crowning achievements and threats to its Crown of the Continent poster child, one of Earth’s wildest, most diverse, and intact ecosystems.
The mayors of Crowsnest Pass, Fernie, and Whitefish were invited to the roundtable to provide their visions for their communities, located within the thinly-peopled necklace surrounding the Crown’s core attractions (Glacier National Park in the U.S., and Waterton Lakes National Park in Canada).
Annual visitation to these two internationally revered parks: more than 3 million people. (Think of these paired parks as Banff’s twin sister in terms of international, rare-earth appeal.)
Roundtable discussions in 2017 centred on ways communities surrounding Waterton-Glacier could benefit by offering, outside parks, the same brand of experiences visitors sought within them.
The roundtable’s focus: on the ability of communities surrounding these parks to offer experiences that mirrored or complemented visitors’ in-park experiences.
Mayors from the three communities were asked to address the assembled crowd.
Blair Painter (mayor of Crowsnest Pass) arrived with Riversdale (now rebranded as Northback) staff and sat at a table with them.
His message, in sharp and acidic contrast to the other two mayors, was to report that he was looking forward to the opening of the Grassy Mountain coal mine.
I, in response to his statement, raised my hand. I offered that the proposed mine wasn’t assured of a green light, and asked the other mayors (each supporting green initiatives) to comment. They did.
The mayor of Whitefish offered a “dark” (night sky viewing) vision for Whitefish as part of his answer.
But it was the Fernie response to Mayor Painter’s vision of an in-community coal mine that was priceless: “I’d be run out of town if I did that.”
The Crown of the Continent Roundtable, following the Fernie venue, met in Choteau, MT.
There, the focus of discussion centred on communities within the Crown that, due to their proximity to airports, health care, and striking natural features, were economically poised to lure amenity migrants and lucrative, high-end, “catch-and-release” visitation.
Crowsnest Pass is blessed with the essential ingredients that would enable it to benefit from this brand of internationally lucrative tourism, but only if the land’s raw and compelling wealth of aesthetic and ecological integrity are retained.
Today, most public land in southwestern Alberta offers “mud and ruts tourism.” It’s a brand that fails in its ability to generate meaningful revenue, and it continually degrades the land’s core worth, … and the headwaters of the priceless and irreplaceable Oldman.
My thought: Crowsnest Pass can celebrate its past without trying to relive its past, and without crippling and destroying its greatest assets, its potential worth … and its future.
David lives on the land he loves in the storied headwaters of southwestern Alberta’s Oldman River. He has passionate interest — and knowledge — in diverse natural history disciplines, and is a strong advocate for the long-range economic and ecological worth of intact landscapes. David holds a MSc from the University of Washington (College of the Environment) and, for decades, led multi-day study tours for the Smithsonian Institution — via hiking and whitewater rafting trips — throughout the U.S. West and the Canadian Rockies.
23-22
Wholehearted agree….and here’s more:
“A Miner’s Play to Undermine Alberta Democracy. What’s wrong with a Crowsnest Pass referendum on reviving Grassy Mountain coal extraction? Plenty.”
http://www.thetyee.ca/Analysis/2024/11/15/Gina-Rinehart-Grassy-Mountain-Coal-Crowsnest-Pass/?utm_source=edge&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=221124
This article also raises the alarm on how detrimental this proposed mine would be, and, emphasizes on how the location of it would be in the MD of Ranchland No. 66. What of the residents there? And, those of us millions who live downstream and depend on the Oldman River as our water source are also invested heavily in all of this. Does this show that the UCP care about us plebs, many of whom still vote for the toxic politics the likes of this? It just boggles the mind.
beautifully presented!
Teck has spent and Glencore will continue spending billions of dollars trying to clean the selenium from the runoff of their spoil dumps. The plants they have built at their Elk Valley mines have not proven to be 100% effective in removing selenium from the Fording and Elk Rivers which flow into Montana. Glencore has just agreed to look for alternative fresh water for the City of Fernie since their existing deep well is contaminated with selenium. Lawsuits from affected parties including the US govt will result in multi million if not billion dollar fines. This is proof that no more mining should be allowed along any mountain range as selenium is likely present in those rocks and would pollute waterways similar to what has happened with the strip mines in the Elk Valley.
Well said. And in addition, will these companies continue their treatment of water decades after the coal mining has ended? Doubtful economics in that expectation.
excellent.
and, regarding sophie’s concern that follows, we have a ton of history in this country that would make it a slam dunk the mining co moves on when done leaving us yet another toxic mess unattended.
Selenium. Is there a current allowable limit. Last time this issue reared its head I believe it was 1%. 1% of what, cubic meters, ppm, Can someone enlighten the masses and a current link to the info. Can’t seem to find it. Thanks.
I went to Google and typed in “safe levels of selenium in drinking water in Canada,” and lots of info came up. I checked out Fernie, B.C.’s selenium troubles and their levels are way too high, as was mentioned in the article above. Checking out “symptoms of selenium toxicity in humans” can be accessed as well. Typing in “toxic levels of selenium in water for fish,” states selenium in concentrations greater than 2-5 micrograms/L (liter) in water can be bioconcentrated in food chains and cause toxicity and reproductive failure in fish. A microgram is one millionth of a gram or one thousandth of a milligram.
To put that in perspective, that’s less than the mass of a Loonie dissolved in a billion liters of water.
Thanks. Found this browsing around.
https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Selenium-Consumer/#h1
Southern alberta cattle producers supplement rations to deal with selenium deficiencies in animals. Is selenium the new Fluoride we have to deal with now? Historically coal mining happened all over the Crowsnest Pass . Our water there rates among the best in the province ( a few years later I mite add).
Have to wonder if this was a lithium mine proposal? Can’t run towns or economies on coffee shops, haircuts and real estate. I can see from the responses that for the hard cores zero is the allowable limit although selenium is found in nature
Sure. And too much may lead to nerve and braim damage, as well as reproductive problems, particularly as it bioaccumulates. Max contaminant levels in water try to protect aquatic species and the people drinking the water and eating the fish.
https://wildsight.ca/2024/08/15/contamination-of-elk-valley-drinking-water-indicates-spread-of-selenium-pollution/
not sure of the limit, but as my wife and i do not take multivitamins, we spend about an hour a year in lake koocanusa for our annual dose.
So it would appear that once the river crosses the Libby dam the selenium is gone. Only in Canada you say.
what?! are you telling me tap water steeped red rose tea will then have selenium in it?
It’s a pity.