The Eastern Slopes of Southern Alberta's Rocky Mountains are being threatened and need our voice.
Jan 18th, 2021 Jason Kenney and the UCP made a big announcement about "listening to Albertans". They suggested this grandiose gesture involving the cancellation of 11 Coal mines and leases, in an attempt to appease the advocates of the eastern Slopes. This was little more than a predictable PR stunt that needs to be put into perspective:
-The 11 mine cancellations are 1800 hectares of the 840 000 total hectares of coal mines and leases in our eastern Slopes.
-That is less than half, of 1/2 a percent. They canceled 0.02% of the coal mines and expect that to appease Albertans and make advocacy groups go away.
-Will a 0.02% concession buy your silence?
Make your voice heard, contact your MLA and MP now
"June 1st, 2020 the Coal Association of Canada and Alberta Energy Minister, Sonya Savage, cancelled the former Coal Policy that has protected Alberta’s Eastern slopes for the past 45 years. The heart and soul of Alberta - our mountains - are now vulnerable to open pit mining by domestic and foreign corporations. Open pit coal mining pollutes our rivers, kills our wildlife, poisons our drinking water and will destroy our unique mountain ecosystem for future generations.
We must unite as a community to reinstate the former Coal Development Policy for Alberta. And tell the current Alberta government through our petition that Albertan’s want our Eastern slopes preserved forever." Excerpt from: https://www.stopcrowsnestmines.org/
We understand that Alberta is dealing with unprecedented economic times, with Oil taking a big hit and the COVID pandemic, but coal mines in our pristine Rocky mountains are NOT an acceptable alternative. The headwaters of the Oldman would surely see major impacts and the area propose for the mine is one of Alberta's most popular and heavily utilized outdoor recreation areas.
Our Eastern Slopes need your voice!
Help Save Our eastern Slopes
Writing or contacting your MLA and MP's are the most important things we can do to have our voices heard. Online petitions can help, but letters and contacting our elected officials is one of the most important things we can do. Here is a a combined list of action items, letter writing campaigns and petitions you can utilize to help make your voice heard. In under 10 minutes you can visit and sign all of these petitions and letter writing campaigns.
Please help Save Our Slopes
Click each of the links to go directly to those sites:
CPAWS Letter to Federal Minister of Environment and Climate - Stop Grassy
Backcountry Hunter's Letter to your MP & MLA - TAKE ACTION AGAINST COAL MINES IN THE ALBERTA ROCKIES
Postcard to Federal Minister of Environment and Climate - No Coal Mines on Niitsitapi Land
Change.org Petition #1 - Stop Open-Pit Mining from happening around the Canadian Rockies!
Change.org Petition # 2 - Stop the Alberta Government from selling our Mountains
A big thanks to Tanner, who was good enough to put together a consolidated list of the petitions and action items we've listed above in one place to save everyone time: https://albertacoal.squarespace.com/ Thank you for your time and effort Tanner.
We're asking and urging everyone to please take the time to make your voices heard as outlined above. The Oldman watershed is near and dear to the hearts of so many of us, and as we saw with the recent success of the No Pebble Mine campaign in Alaska, we need to be the voice for our watersheds. We use and enjoy the outdoors, now is when we need to stand up and advocate for them! Please join us before its too late.