Environment

A group camped near Allison Creek in the Crowsnest Pass wants a planned logging project paused until West Fraser Timber and the province release the science behind it. Defenders of the Eastern Slopes set up the camp Sept. 22 in the Allison and Tecumseh creek watersheds, about 15 kilometres northwest of Coleman, where West Fraser […]

MD of Pincher Creek council will tell the province it has concerns about changes that give provincial gravel pit approvals priority over local planning, following its Sept. 8 meeting. Council also heard a neighbour’s objection to a proposed gravel pit east of Pincher Creek and agreed to keep subsidizing waste service at Castle Mountain Resort. […]

Alberta’s transportation minister says the province is still working through the most challenging stretch of the Highway 3 twinning project — the section between the Crowsnest Pass and Piikani Nation — and cannot yet say when construction will move forward. Speaking at an Aug. 11 rural media roundtable, Devin Dreeshen said the complex mountain section […]

The fight over coal mining near the headwaters of the Oldman River is headed to court. Corb Lund‘s Water Not Coal campaign has asked a judge to overturn Elections Alberta‘s decision that its petition, signed by more than 200,000 Albertans, fell just short of forcing a referendum. One of the two projects the petition targeted […]

Water Not Coal is asking people contacted by Elections Alberta during petition signature verification to share their experiences, as the campaign weighs a legal challenge with a filing deadline of Aug. 2. “We’re still gathering our information. We’ve put out a public call,” campaign proponent Corb Lund says. “We want to understand their experience and […]

The Water Not Coal campaign says it submitted more than enough signatures to force a referendum on new coal mining in Alberta’s Eastern Slopes, but Elections Alberta says it missed the mark by 5,644. Now proponent Corb Lund is exploring a court challenge over how the count came up short. In a statement issued July […]

One-third of the global food supply is pollinated by non-native honeybees, a fact that becomes easy to appreciate once you understand how much these small workers carry. That was among lessons Calgary gardener Sheryl Normandeau shared May 28 in the gardening speaker series hosted by Pincher Creek Municipal Library. While honeybees are kept in hives, […]

A citizen-led campaign aimed at stopping new coal mining along Alberta’s Eastern Slopes has failed to clear its final hurdle after a provincewide signature review. Elections Alberta confirmed July 3 that the initiative led by musician Corb Lund and the Water Not Coal group is unsuccessful under the Citizen Initiative Act. Chief Electoral Officer Gordon […]

Producers have until July 6 to share predation data that could reshape provincial compensation Southwestern Alberta ranchers have long absorbed losses they couldn’t prove — calves that vanished into the bush or carcasses too picked-over to confirm a predator kill. A survey now underway could reveal ranchers’ true livestock losses and help set a multiplier […]

Community concerns over rail noise, infrastructure support and regional project planning were among the issues before MD of Pincher Creek council June 9. Council also addressed correspondence items ranging from community events to infrastructure support and a proclamation recognizing municipal development officers. Reeve Rick Lemire and councillors Tony Bruder, Dave Cox, John MacGarva and Jim […]

Corb Lund’s campaign to halt new coal mining along Alberta’s Eastern Slopes has cleared its threshold, but Premier Danielle Smith says the question won’t appear on the Oct. 19 referendum ballot, despite earlier indications it would. On June 10, Lund and a group of Water Not Coal supporters unloaded 18 bins of signature sheets from […]

Corb Lund’s campaign to halt new coal mining along Alberta’s Eastern Slopes has cleared its threshold. Organizers delivered more than 205,000 signatures to Elections Alberta on June 10, about 27,000 more than the 177,732 signatures required under the Citizen Initiative Act. Lund and a group of Water Not Coal supporters arrived at the Elections Alberta […]

Municipal District of Pincher Creek council heard updates on a proposed water management approach linked to Northback Holdings and made several decisions on local infrastructure and community funding during its May 26 committee and regular meetings. Highlights included approval of emergency bridge repairs near Connelly Creek, the defeat of a Fish Lake pumping proposal and […]

The Oldman Watershed Council, a two-decade-old non-profit, says it is carrying out some of its most consequential work yet. From planting thousands of willows along eroding streambanks to restoring wetlands and fencing sensitive areas, dozens of annual OWC stewardship projects add up to millions of dollars in ecosystem benefits across southern Alberta, according to the […]

MD of Pincher Creek council dealt with recycling changes, a Burmis Lake lease transfer, summer meeting cancellations, sponsorship requests and several land matters during its May 12 meeting. Reeve Rick Lemire and Couns. Dave Cox, John MacGarva and Jim Welsch were present; Coun. Tony Bruder was absent. Recycling changes Council approved a public information release […]

A water licence application filed by Northback Holdings is drawing sharp criticism from the Livingstone Landowners Group. The group says the application contradicts the coal company’s public statements and raises questions about transparency. Calling the application filed with the Alberta Energy Regulator to divert water from the Blairmore Creek watershed “premature,” the LLG is urging […]

With a June 10 deadline approaching, Pincher Creek volunteers continue gathering signatures for a citizen-led petition that would ban new coal mining along Alberta’s Eastern Slopes. Water security is the issue bringing most residents to the table. The provincewide campaign was launched by country musician Corb Lund. The petition seeks to prohibit new mining on […]

Conservation, water use and municipal advocacy were among the key topics discussed at the MD of Pincher Creek’s April 28 council meeting. Councillors approved a conservation easement registration request from the Southern Alberta Land Trust Society. They also finalized amendments to the municipality’s land-use bylaw governing agricultural reservoirs and dugouts. Conservation easement approved Council acknowledged […]

More than 40 people turned out April 21 for an Earth Day presentation on Alberta’s All-Season Resorts Act and its implications for the Castle area. Kennedy Halverson of the Alberta Wilderness Association spoke to the Crowsnest Conservation Society, with her talk drawing an engaged crowd eager to hear about the legislation and its policies. Halvorson […]

Municipal District of Pincher Creek council dealt with both routine governance and broader regional concerns at its March 24 meeting, including receiving correspondence tied to the Northback coal proposal that alleges potential threats to groundwater systems. Council also approved a rezoning bylaw for a rural business, updated its dust control schedule, committed funding toward local […]