Canvassers now collecting signatures for the citizen-led Water Not Coal petition

Posted on April 9, 2026 by admin

By Anna Smith
Southern Alberta Newspapers
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Organizers are taking to the petition tables, collecting signatures in an effort to protect southern Alberta’s watershed from coal mining.

Water Not Coal, started by Corb Lund last month, seeks to collect signatures for a citizen initiative petition which would call on the Government of Alberta to “prohibit through legislation all coal exploration and mining activities within the Eastern Slopes of Alberta’s Rocky Mountains, other than mines that are in actual production as of January 1, 2026,” according to the official website of the petition.

This prohibition would include Northback Holdings’ Grassy Mountain Project and Valory Resources’ Blackstone Project, as well as any projects to expand any producing mines.

Canvasser Anna Hansen says coal mining in this area puts water the entirety of southern Alberta relies on at risk, as any minerals or chemicals that escape from the mining operation inevitably enter the waterways used by farmers and residents.

“When they start the coal mine, they have to take all the cap rock off to get at the coal underneath. And it’s this cap rock that has things like the selenium, which gets into the water,” said Hansen. “Even the government has said, yes, it will get into the water, but they have mitigation measures. But currently the science is not there to actually remove selenium from the water. That’s what we’re fighting for, for this to just stay a watershed.”

Hansen suggested that while there may be resources in the slopes, organizers feel these resources may need to stay un-utilized for the health of everyone in the region.

She and her fellow canvassers will be collecting signatures through to June in a variety of locations. Those seeking to sign can find a location by visiting waternotcoal.ca.

The petition requires a total of 177,732 signatures to be considered successful.