City resolution asks for coal mining ban in Eastern Slopes
By Tim Kalinowski on June 3, 2021.
LETHBRIDGE HERALDtkalinowski@lethbridgeherald.com
City council unanimously passed a resolution to encourage the province to ban all future coal exploration in the Eastern Slopes, and to reclaim all lands disturbed by coal exploration this past year, (before the Feb. 8, 2021 moratorium brought in by the province), by no later than Dec. 31, 2025.
Mayor Chris Spearman brought the motion before council during Tuesday’s public meeting.
“This is our opportunity to have input into the Alberta Coal Policy Committee as many other municipalities are currently doing (by) submitting letters,” stated Spearman. “If we submit a letter, it will be part of the consideration by the Coal Policy Committee before they bring out their findings.”
The resolution also called for a new coal policy which no longer distinguished any categories which would allow coal mining in the Eastern Slopes, and instead protects them as one category en masse known as the “Eastern Slopes.”
Spearman was gratified, but unsurprised, by the unanimous support from his council colleagues.
“Our city, our agriculture and food production economy, tourism, recreation, human health and animal health may all be at significant risk due to coal mining activity,” said Spearman in a statement released to the media after the vote. “The headwaters and landscapes of the Eastern Slopes are essential to the future of Southwest Alberta and the City of Lethbridge.”
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10-9
I am so pleased to see exhibited such a strong sense of courage, ethics integrity, honesty, standing and fighting for the common man and the common good. Very, very impressive leadership exhibited by Lethbridge City Council. Something much much different from what I have heard from our local UCP MLA representative (sadly), and other UCP MLA’s, and UCP Constituency Associations from around the province.
I hate to say this and/ or accuse anyone of spreading untruthful information. I won’t go into detail other than to say the UCP representatives I had contact with are either, exceptionally, misinformed, deluded, have done something terribly wrong and just don’t know how to correct it, or are simply lying to the people like crazy. It is so nice to know our elected civic representatives aren’t buying what the UCP is trying to sell or drinking the Kool Aide and neither should we.
Ensuring Coal Mining NEVER happens period; in the Eastern Slopes of the Rockies, in Alberta is WAY to important to ignore. Stopping The possibility of any Coal Mining is imperative to our health, and our economic livelihoods, and social way of life.
Please, Please, Please watch the spectacular Canadian made, and award winning documentary; THE NEW CORPORATION/THE UNFORTUNATELY NECESSARY SEQUEL https://thenewcorporation.movie/https. You can find it on CRAVE TV for free or You Tube for a fee. This documentary talks about Australian Coal Mines, how the these corporations have taken control of the Australian government, and how one Indigenous tribe fought a Coal Mining company and won. These are the same companies trying to get into Alberta.
The Award winning journalist Andrew Nickiforuk (The TYEE) has written dozens of well written informative, factual articles about Coal Mining in Alberta and in South East, please take a look.
Written information I have seen and received from our local UCP MLA representative (sadly), and other UCP MLA’s, and UCP Constituency Associations from around the province appears to be just so full of misinformation, propaganda, and blatant outright untruthful information it is heart breaking to see.
Boy did the UCP ever see us coming. P.T. Barnum would be so proud of them.
Thank you for your time and attention to this critical matter. Please become informed /educated about these critical issues and then let the information speak for itself so you may make up your own mind and believe who and what you want as you have every right to.
Respectfully,
Les Elford