Southern Alberta Council on Public Affairs (SACPA)

When you think of Alberta’s Rocky Mountains, including the Oldman Watershed in Southern Alberta, you probably think of scenic mountaintops, rolling foothills and clear blue streams. You probably don’t think of decommissioned parks or open-pit coal mines, but that’s exactly what the future could hold. On June 1, 2020, the Government of Alberta rescinded the provincial Coal Policy, created in 1976, restricting open pit coal mining and coal exploration in Alberta’s most environmentally sensitive areas in the Rocky Mountains. The area most affected by this change covers 1.5 million hectares of lands that provide drinking water to downstream communities in Alberta and beyond. These areas also provide essential habitats for wildlife and plants, including grizzly bear, elk and native trout and have provided beauty and bounty for generations. This comes on the heels of another government decision in March 2020 to remove protections on 175 provincial parks and recreation areas – approximately one third of all of Albe