CALGARY — Country music singer Corb Lund has stated that his campaign to stop coal mining in the Eastern Slopes of the Rocky Mountains has succeeded in collecting enough signatures to meet the referendum threshold.Lund did not reveal the exact number of signatures his Water Not Coal campaign has received, but roughly 178,000 are required under Alberta’s Citizen Initiative Act.In a press release issued on Monday, Lund said he will hand over the list to Elections Alberta for verification on the deadline day — Wednesday at 3 p.m."Albertans showed up for their water, their land, and their future," Lund said."Reaching this threshold proves what we've known all along — people care deeply about protecting our headwaters, our Rocky Mountains, and our way of life."The petition, which specifically mentions two mines — Northback Holdings’ Grassy Mountain mine and Valory Resources’ Blackstone project — as being of concern, also states that “coal mining threatens the entire Eastern Slopes region and the critical headwaters that feed the Athabasca, Oldman, South Saskatchewan, North Saskatchewan, Peace and Red Deer river systems.”.‘FEAR OVER FACTS’: Coal Association fires back at Corb Lund’s anti-coal campaign.Laura Laing, a rancher, long-time advocate for protecting the Eastern Slopes from new coal development, and spokesperson for Water Not Coal, said that "people from every corner of the province — rural and urban, ranchers and anglers, farmers and business owners — came together to defend the Eastern Slopes through this petition.”In an official statement reacting to the news, Northback Holdings said, “Alberta has a proud history of building projects to meet world demand for our resources while adhering to the highest environmental standards, and that is why Northback remains committed to developing the Grassy Mountain steelmaking coal mine."The statement also went on to point out that 72% of Crowsnest Pass residents voting to support the project in a 2024 non-binding referendum."Public opinion polling continues to demonstrate that a vast majority of Albertans support responsible steelmaking coal development," the statement reads. "Northback’s revised mine plan utilizes multiple lines of defence to ensure water quality remains high, and the mine will operate according to the highest standards. Northback remains committed to the regulatory process, and if successful, bringing jobs and the significant economic benefits that come with this project.” If validated, Lund's petition will move on to the next step under the Act, requiring the provincial legislature to either pass a law banning new coal mining or send the question to a province-wide vote.
