Corb Lund relaunches petition to ban new coal mining in Alberta's eastern slopes

Corb Lund relaunched a provincewide petition seeking a ban on new coal mining in Alberta's eastern slopes, and the campaign needs 177,732 signatures by June 10 to proceed to a vote.

A citizen initiative called Water Not Coal was relaunched at three events in Lethbridge, Calgary and Edmonton. The petition seeks legislation to ban all new coal exploration and mining in Alberta's eastern slopes, exempting mines actively in production as of Jan. 1, 2026. Organizers need 177,732 signatures by June 10 to move the question toward a public vote; a previous petition was cancelled last December after legislative changes. Key facts: - The relaunch events took place in Lethbridge, Calgary and Edmonton this week. - The petition would cover new coal projects in the eastern slopes and specifically names the Grassy Mountain and Blackstone projects. - Organizers must collect 177,732 valid signatures by June 10 for the question to proceed to a referendum. - Valory Resources issued a statement highlighting the economic role of steel-making coal and said its project would be regulated; Northback did not provide a comment before publication. Summary: The immediate impact is an active signature drive across the province aimed at meeting the June 10 threshold. If the petition reaches the required number of signatures, provincial officials have said the question would be included among the items on the scheduled Oct. 19 referendum.