CALGARY — The final days of hearings into a contentious coal mine in southwestern Alberta were met with protests in downtown Calgary.
Honking vehicles and chants were the backdrop to Alberta Energy Regulator hearings weighing a potential coal exploration project in Crowsnest Pass.
The hearing is the last opportunity for public input before the energy regulator decides whether Australian-owned Northback Holdings Corp. can move forward with a temporary exploratory drilling program and acquire a licence to divert water to the project.
The previously rejected project has been revived in the past year and has led to stark divisions between those keen on the project's economic boost and those concerned about its ecological impacts.
Crowsnest Pass residents recently voted in favour of the project in a non-binding referendum and Northback says it will mine responsibly, but critics — including third-generation rancher Lance Loree, who attended today's protest — are concerned about issues like drought and water contamination.
The project's fate is to be decided within 90 days of hearings wrapping up.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 14, 2025.
Matthew Scace, The Canadian Press
