Nicole Hancock
Indigenous community hosts full moon ceremony ...

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.

Indigenous community hosts full moon ceremony to heal Chedoke Creek

open-pit coal mine

Instead of a coal mine, this Alberta mountain may now become a 'green energy complex'

Instead of a coal mine, this Alberta mountain may now become a 'green energy complex'

An Australian mining company that had proposed a major open-pit coal mine in southwestern Alberta now says it may want to build a "renewable energy complex" on the site instead. Montem Resources had initially planned to develop an open-pit coal mine on Tent Mountain, just southwest of Crowsnest Pass, and was in the process of seeking regulatory approvals for the project. But after the federal and provincial governments rejected a nearby mining proposal — Riversdale Resources' Grassy Mountain project — Montem rethought its plans for Tent Mountain.

Alberta committee consulting public about proposed coal mining in Rockies can't ask about land, water use

Alberta committee consulting public about proposed coal mining in Rockies can't ask about land, water use

A committee that is supposed to consult Albertans on coal development in the Rocky Mountains won't be allowed to hear what people want to say about water and land use. "The terms of reference say we're consulting on everything but what we want to talk about," said local landowner Kevin Van Tighem. That document, posted to a government website, says the five-member committee will only be able to consider issues under the control of the Department of Energy.

Alberta government wants to rewrite the water use rules along eastern slopes of Rockies

Alberta government wants to rewrite the water use rules along eastern slopes of Rockies

The Alberta government wants to rewrite the rules on water use along the eastern slopes of the Rockies as part of its economic recovery plan, including a push for new coal developments in the area. Water use is highly restricted in southern Alberta due to concerns about supply, and new water licences cannot be issued, they have to be purchased from existing licence holders on the open market. The new plan put forward by the Alberta government would affect water pulled from the Oldman watershed above the dam.

Follow us