CROWSNEST PASS, Alta. — Heavy snow didn't stop a steady stream of voters in Crowsnest Pass from casting ballots Monday on whether they wish bring King Coal back to this scenic rocky patch of Alberta’s southwest.
The issue has polarized debate, but signs visible on the way to voting in the community hall were clear: I (love) Crowsnest Coal, said one. We are a Coal Town, said another.
A third was more succinct: Vote Yes to Grassy Mountain.
More than 40 years after coal mining ended in the Crowsnest Pass, the municipality is asking the 6,000 residents to say yes or no to a straightforward question: “Do you support the development and operations of the metallurgical coal mine at Grassy Mountain?”
Advance voting began days earlier and while Monday’s result won't be binding or have any influence on regulatory or legal challenges, it’s another factor in the heated debate of economy versus environment.
One of the voters at the community hall was Steve Arbuckle, whose grandparents were miners and lived in Coleman, one of the communities that make up Crowsnest Pass.
"I know coal," he said as he left the hall.
The economy, he said, needs a boost. "It could sure use something," he said. "Taxes are crazy for a person who owns a home."
Tony Vastenhout, who grew up in Crowsnest Pass, said he's nearing 70 and remembers that when there were coal mines, there were jobs.
"There were a lot of opportunities then and there are none for our kids now," he said. "I hope the vote goes yes.”
Crowsnest Pass Mayor Blair Painter supports the plan.
"The fact is we have been on a direction of supporting this project. We don't have an industry. We need an industry," Painter said in an interview.
"Our tax base is over 80 per cent residential. We'd like to ease that off our residents."
Australia-based mining company Northback said it wants to develop the Grassy Mountain coal project at a site that was mined over 60 years ago but never properly restored. It says it would be reclaimed throughout the duration of the project.
Northback says metallurgical coal, which is used to make steel, is a basic building block for any economy, but opponents worry about the effects on downstream drinking water and the broader ecosystem.
The issue is still before Alberta’s energy regulator and opponents are also challenging the project through the courts.
David Thomas, the communications co-ordinator with Crowsnest Headwaters – which is leading the no campaign -- said the issue has divided the community.
"If we win the referendum, it will be a little more difficult to raise the alarm in the rest of the province,” Thomas said.
“If we lose, it will be more easy. Our plan is to take the story to the downstream municipalities and the irrigation districts in Alberta."
David McIntyre and his wife, Monica Field -- both former managers of the Frank Slide Interpretive Centre -- have been vocal opponents to development in the area.
McIntyre, who lives about 10 kilometres downwind of the proposed mine, is worried about the noise and carcinogenic particles that would come with it.
He said they were told they are just outside the municipal boundary and are unable to vote. He said there are hundreds more that moved in during the "post-coal era" who are also on the outside looking in.
McIntyre said if the mine does go ahead, it won't mean long-term prosperity for the area.
"If it's a go, it won't be the future of the Pass," he said.
"It will be the short-term future of the Pass but won't impact its long-term worth."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 25, 2024.
Bill Graveland, The Canadian Press