It’s clear that our provincial government does not care for or are controlled by Albertans, instead they are controlled by foreign big money resource industries like the Australian coal mine Northback.
We need to stand up for the preservation of our country's environment, our fresh water supplies and our healthy future and here's why.
Brian Jean’s mindless unthinking letter to the Alberta Energy Regulator encouraging them to reconsider Northback’s re-application to extract coal from Grassy Mountain could potentially poison southern Alberta people.
How does he think he knows better than this past court and government considerations of the the Grassy Mountain proposal, the site of significant mining in the past, has been before regulators for years.
The steel-making coal project was judged not to be in the public's best interest in 2021, after a long environmental review by a joint federal-provincial panel, and its permits were denied by both levels of government.
According to Corb Lund, after having a conversation with Brian Jean as provincial minister of Alberta Energy, Jean actually knows less about the Grassy Mountain coal mine and it’s potential harm to Albertans, than Corb does and as he says he’s just a guitar player.
It’s an excellent example of biting the hand that feeds you. All to enhance the wealth of an Australian billionaire and some Chinese steel workers and a pitiful few Alberta coal miners.
Is it really worth it to sacrifice our precious Alberta mountain environment, poison our fish and other wildlife that depend on the headwaters of the Old Man River for survival and on top of that risk the health of southern Albertans from coal mine effluent toxic elements like selenium pollution of our fresh potable water sources.
You only need to look west across the border to see the damage that Tech Coal mines of the Elk valley have done to the Kootenay waters and the several millions of dollar fine that has been brought against them for the poisoning of water that supplies many Americans, in addition to all the Canadians affected.
And that’s ongoing. Give your head a shake, do you really want to risk ruining the health of Albertans, their children and grandchildren for the benefit of a billionaire Australian?
Or has our government been bought and paid for by that Australian as well and she now controls our government.
Our government needs to seriously look at the big long-term picture and not focus only on a few royalty dollars this mine potentially represents. Time for a rethink.
Darrel Florence,
Cremona
