Residents of Crowsnest Pass, a municipality in southwestern Alberta, have voted overwhelmingly in favor of restarting coal mining a few kilometers north of their community.
About 72% of voters answered yes to the question posed to them in a non-binding referendum held Monday: Do you support the development and operations of a metallurgical coal mine at Grassy Mountain?
The project to revive this mine, closed in the 1960s, is led by the company Northbackformerly known as Benga and now affiliated with the Australian giant Hancock Prospecting.
A joint federal-provincial committee rejected an initial mining proposal as not being in the public interest. The report highlighted many environmental concerns for limited economic benefits.
The company has, however, submitted a new request for exploratory drilling in the area and wishes to use the results of these drillings to present a new proposal for an open pit mine.
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To show their support for the Grassy Mountain mine project, many residents and businesses posted signs in their windows.
Photo: - / Tiphanie Roquette
Over the past few months and weeks, the issue has visibly divided the five communities that make up the municipality of Crowsnest Pass.
In the windows of businesses and homes, numerous signs appeared, mostly professing support for coal mining.
Non-binding result
The result of this referendum has no impact on the current regulatory or judicial process. The Alberta Energy Regulatory Agency will hold hearings next week and in January on the exploratory drilling application. The municipal district of Ranchland where the mine is located and a group of ranchers are contesting in court the fact that Northback be authorized to make this request.
The municipal councilor behind the holding of this vote, Dean Wardhowever, felt that his community had never had the opportunity to make its voice heard on the subject.
Many people, organizations and levels of government have expressed their opinions on whether or not the project should move forward and it is time for the residents of Crowsnest Pass to be considered
he justified when presenting his motion at the beginning of September.
