Kristen Villebrun and Wendy Bush hoped they wouldn't have to pray for Chedoke Creek, but four years after they first raised alarm about the water's condition, they were part of an Indigenous full moon ceremony to do just that. About 50 people showed up near Princess Point on the dark and frigid Monday evening for the monthly ceremony, which was particularly special as it focused on Chedoke Creek. The body of water that runs into Cootes Paradise had about 24 billion litres of sewage and storm water runoff leak into it due to a gate being left open.
An Australian coal company is withdrawing its plan for a mine in the Crowsnest Pass region of the eastern slopes of Alberta's Rocky Mountains. "The coal mine, in our minds, is a no-go," said Peter Doyle, CEO of Montem Resources, which had proposed to redevelop the Tent Mountain site to produce steelmaking coal. In a letter filed Tuesday, Montem Resources asked the Alberta Energy Regulator to end the environmental impact assessment for the proposal.
An environmental group says an exchange of coal exploration lease applications in Alberta's Rocky Mountains suggests mining companies expect to be able to go ahead with their plans despite a provincial debate on the industry's future. "They wouldn't be buying those lease applications if they didn't think they could do something with them down the road," said Katie Morrison of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society.
The Conservative Party of Canada is not saying if an Erin O'Toole-led government would keep measures supported by the two other main parties that would increase scrutiny of open-pit coal mine proposals in Alberta's Rocky Mountains. "[The Conservative platform] ensures that we will meet our environmental and climate targets while ensuring we get Canadians back to work in every region and in every sector," said an email from party spokesman Mathew Clancy.
