City reaffirms opposition to coal mines

By Al Beeber - Lethbridge Herald on February 26, 2025.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDabeeber@lethbridgeherald.com

Lethbridge city council on Tuesday unanimously supported an amended motion calling on the City of Lethbridge to reconfirm that it is opposed to any and all coal developments that risk damaging the Oldman watershed.

The amended official business motion, presented by Councillor Belinda Crowson, also called upon council to have administration at the March 13 meeting of the Economic and Finance SPC give a presentation on potential concerns about future coal mining for the watershed and the City’s water supply.

However, the motion was divided into two parts and changed, with council instead voting on a motion to have administration make a presentation to the Economic and Finance Standing Policy Committee on April 10 on potential concerns related to future coal mining for the Oldman Watershed and the City’s water supply.

That motion passed by only a 5-4 margin after a lengthy debate about whether having the meeting was a moot point, given how council had just stated it was opposed to mining.

Several councillors, including Crowson, Ryan Parker and Jenn Schmidt-Rempel, stated they felt it was important for the public – who will get a chance to speak at that SPC – to have more information on potential impacts to the water supply here.

Councillor John Middleton-Hope, who supported the motion, stated he wanted all relevant parties to be invited to speak, including Northback Holdings, the company that wants to start a mine at Grassy Mountain on the Eastern Slopes of the Rockies.

But Councillor Rajko Dodic and Acting Mayor Jeff Carlson argued that, by having the presentation, it might create the impression council was wavering on its opposition to mining.

Dodic told council several mining companies are now involved in lawsuits against the province and it would be unlikely any would speak at such a meeting.

“I just want us to say no to coal mining, period,” Dodic told his peers.

Deputy Mayor Nick Paladino questioned whether the meeting was out of the City’s jurisdiction, stating that if mining is approved on the Eastern Slopes, the matter wouldn’t be brought to city council to address.

Council previously addressed mining on the Eastern Slopes earlier in its term. In October 2023, it directed Hyggen, who supported Tuesday’s motion to have the administration presentation, to write a letter on its behalf to the Alberta Energy Regulator about mining concerns.

And on Oct. 19, 2020, the previous council adopted a resolution putÂ forward by Crowson and fellow Councillor Rob Miyashiro directing then-Mayor Chris Spearman to send a letter to provincial officialsÂ including the premier, Minister of Environment and Parks and the Lethbridge East MLA highlighting city governance’s concerns about water quality while referencing the Oldman Watershed Council’s submission to the joint review panel on the Grassy Mountain project.

In an interview with The Herald last week, Spearman said it’s overdue for council to tackle the subject “but I’m glad to see them moving forward.”

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