Albertans’ views on coal mining haven’t changed

By Lethbridge Herald on November 20, 2025.

Chris Spearman
For the Herald

As I write this update on the status of the coal mining issue, the Chinook winds are gusting at 102 kph.  I’m reminded of the recent Alberta government science report on wind blown coal dust, just one of four Alberta government research studies that document the harm done by active open pit coal mines to air, water and soil.

Recently, Northback Holdings engaged Janet Brown Opinion Research to conduct a poll of Albertans on their views on coal mining. It’s important to note that Northback paid for this poll and approved the questions and the poll design.

Northback and supporters of coal mining in the Crowsnest Pass are claiming, based on this poll, that support for coal mining among Albertans is now as high as 74 percent.

Since this result is significantly different from the results of all previous polling on the coal issue, the poll methodology needs careful scrutiny.

I found that this was a province-wide telephone poll and only 11percent of the respondents were familiar with the coal issue and 89 percent were not. Only when the pollster states that coal companies can protect waterways and the environment, does support from this largely uninformed polling group for coal mining reach 74 percent.

That is an interesting statement for the pollster to make.  As many readers know, Albertans and organizations concerned about coal mining have been asking questions to Northback and Alberta Government cabinet ministers and have been receiving no answers.

I will leave it to the reader to guess why Northback would attempt to misrepresent and influence public opinion by paying for and designing their own poll.

The Alberta government’s own extensive science research documents the harm coal mining does to the environment. There is  easily available evidence of ongoing pollution and coal company fines in the Elk Valley despite investing more than a billion dollars in efforts to remediate the issues.

The major concerns for southwest Alberta are the impact of coal on the agricultural economy and the risk of contamination of the Oldman River, the major source of treatable water to create potable water. 

Coal mining ceased operations in the Crowsnest Pass in the early 1980s, in part due to the inferior quality of the available coal. Northback acknowledges that the coal in the Grassy Mountain coal seams is of inferior quality to the coal in the Elk Valley today. This raises questions about how much Northback is willing to invest in remediation efforts.

Ranchers, farmers and irrigated agriculture have been the backbone of the economy in southwest Alberta for almost a century.  We have attracted internationally know food processing companies to create value added food products for export.

Do we really want to risk the thousands of jobs in the agrifood economy for a coal mine that might employ 400 people? What about the safe potable water we rely on for drinking water and cooking our food? 

Municipal engineers tell us that there is no known technology in use anywhere in the world to remove excess selenium from river water in municipal water treatment plants.  

I have asked Northback and our Alberta government cabinet ministers to provide examples of where municipalities have been able to successfully remove excess selenium.  They have not replied.

Municipalities in B.C., including Sparwood and Fernie, cannot use the Elk River as a source for their potable water, but they have access to alternative sources of water.

At the Coal Town Hall held in Fort Macleod in June attended by Premier Smith, Energy Minister Brian Jean, Environment Minister Rebecca Schulz and Agriculture Minister RJ Sigurdson, I stated that I had written to both Northback and the Albeerta government several times with my questions and had yet to receive answer. 

Brian Jean got up from his chair and presented his business card, committing in front of 500 people to answer my questions. On June 17, I wrote to Minister Jean and asked what the back up source of treatable water for the city of Lethbridge and other southern Alberta communities would be if the Oldman River became contaminated with excess selenium.

Four months later, I have yet to receive an answer.

The recent Alberta government science research reports document the harm done by modern coal mining methods. The concerns of Albertans are reasonable. We are still waiting for answers to our questions.

The Government of Alberta and Northback should be providing answers. An official petition opposing the Grassy Mountain coal project gathered 6,787 signatures. The petition, organized by the Water for Food group demonstrated broad public opposition to the Grassy Mountain coal mine, primarily in areas downstream that would be affected by potential water, air and soil  contamination. 

The number of signatures collected was more than three times the number of votes in favour of the project in a non-binding plebiscite held within the Crowsnest Pass municipality. The petition was officially submitted to and tabled in the Alberta legislature.

To conclude, if Northback Holdings and the Alberta government have answers to the questions that Albertans have been asking, please provide them. Tell us where coal mining has been done without harming the water, air and soil so we can verify those claims. Tell us exactly which municipalities  have successfully been able to remove excess selenium from river water to create potable water.

If you can’t provide the information requested, please stop telling Albertans that coal can be mined responsibly with no harm to the environment.

Chris Spearman is a former Lethbridge mayor and a spokesperson for the Water For Food Group