EDMONTON — Country musician Corb Lund has officially submitted his anti-coal petition to Elections Alberta, stating that more than 200,000 signatures have been collected in opposition to new coal mining projects in the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains.
On a rainy Wednesday afternoon, surrounded by supporters, Lund personally transported boxes of signed petitions from a horse trailer into Elections Alberta’s Edmonton office, marking the formal handover of a campaign that has mobilized thousands of volunteers across the province.
“It’s been a very wide swath of the Alberta public who have said very clearly to the government that they don’t want irresponsible foreign coal mining inside the headwaters of our rivers in the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains,” he said.
If Elections Alberta confirms at least 178,000 valid signatures, the petition would force Alberta’s provincial government to either introduce legislation banning new coal mining or send the issue to a provincewide referendum.
Lund said he expects Premier Danielle Smith’s government to respect the outcome if the petition is validated, but he remains skeptical that any resulting legislation would fully reflect the intent of signatories.
Smith has previously stated her support for direct democracy and has cited Lund’s petition as an example of public participation in policy decisions, alongside her broader approach of referring major political questions to referendum.
The petition specifically targets two proposed coal projects: Northback Holdings’ Grassy Mountain project and Valory Resources’ Blackstone mine, calling for them to be blocked from receiving regulatory approval.
Lund emphasized that if the issue reaches a referendum, he expects the government to use the petition’s wording exactly as submitted, including project-specific prohibitions.
“They shouldn’t be changing our question,” he said. “We’re watching them like hawks.”
Northback Holdings responded by stating that the Grassy Mountain project has significant local support, referencing polling data and a 2024 non-binding referendum in Crowsnest Pass, where 72% of participating residents reportedly supported the project. The company also argued that the mine would generate economic benefits, including hundreds of jobs, while operating under strict environmental standards.
Valory Resources CEO Ian Slater also defended the Blackstone project, saying it fits within Alberta’s environmental and regulatory frameworks and would support job creation, local economic development and global resource demand.
Lund, however, rejected these claims, expressing doubts about long-term job projections due to increasing automation and questioning whether environmental protections would be effectively enforced. He also argued that previous consultations, such as the Crowsnest Pass vote, did not reflect the broader provincial population most affected by potential mining impacts.
“They cherry-picked a group of people who want the jobs who will not suffer the effects of the mine,” he said.
Elections Alberta has 21 days to verify the signatures submitted as part of the petition process.
Meanwhile, Justice Minister Mickey Amery’s office stated that the government will wait for the official verification results before determining its next steps.
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