AWA’s Coal Conversations: Awareness, Advocacy, and Action – Feb. 28, 2026

March 10, 2026

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• Coal
• Energy
• Events
• Headwaters
• Wildwater

Text by Kennedy Halvorson, photos by Sara Heerema and Kennedy Halvorson

For the overview presentation and useful resource links, click here.

On a snowy Saturday at the very end of February, over forty folks gathered at AWA’s cozy office in the historic Hillhurst Cottage School to talk coal.

The event opened with a general overview from conservation specialist Kennedy Halvorson, who covered key coal events, information, policies, projects, and research relevant to Alberta, bringing the group up to speed and on the same page on the current coal context in the province.

Following the presentation, participants were organized into smaller groups to have the opportunity to ask questions, discuss concerns, and hear directly from subject matter experts working to protect the headwaters, foothills, and Rockies from further coal exploration and development.

In attendance were Drs. Claire Barber, Stephen Wilton, and Joe Vipond with the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, who noted the health impacts coal has directly on its workers during extraction, and indirectly to the public through its outsized contributions to climate change.

Cornelis Kolijn, a mining engineer with over 40 years of experience in the metallurgical coal, coke, and iron-making industries, led lively discussions on coal quality (or lack thereof), along with changing demands and trends globally.

Toxicologist and Professional Biologist Mandy Olsgard described to groups how contaminants move through the air, water, ecosystems, and species, recounting specific scientific studies and evidence from her 20 years of experience in providing environmental and human health risks assessments.

Complex legal policies, processes, and regulations were dissected for participants by Nigel Bankes, an emeritus professor of law at U of C, whose principal research focusses from 1984 – 2021 were in the areas of energy and resources law, property law, and international environmental law.

Plateau Cattle Company’s Laura Laing came as a representative of The Pekisko Group, a group of ranching families working to be good stewards with the Pekisko rangelands and shared how their livelihoods on the landscape had and continue to be impacted by proposed open-pit mines in the Oldman’s headwaters.

Then the event turned to the attendees. After all the info presented and discussed that day, folks were given time to reflect.

When asked “What are your greatest concerns?” about coal, while many reiterated the impacts to the environment and public health, the majority of comments vocalized worries about Alberta’s government, regulatory bodies, and the influence of industry:

• “Corrupt government.”
• “No decent regulations.”
• “Government adherence to law and regulations.”
• “Antidemocratic, climate and environmental science denying, lobbyist-conflicted provincial government.“
• “Corruption.”
• “Lack of public engagement, a government that prioritizes business interests over its citizens.”
• “I’m concerned that the AER is not going its job and is captured by the coal industry. I have no confidence in its ability to protect Albertans and the environment.”
• “Government giving us the cold shoulder and ignoring our concerns.”
• “The potential corruption of our government enabling this.”
• “Corrupt government (rubber stamp).”
• “Pressure on government by coal lobbyists, with likelihood that they will keep pushing to give way to coal companies.”
• “That there is nothing/no one to stop progress of coal mining and exploration.”

Participants identified knowledge and information gaps through the question, “Is there anything you are unsure about or would want more information on?” Many requested links to the information, articles, and research presented and discussed throughout the event, now available here. Others wondered about how to increase public awareness and media coverage on the issue, combat industry propaganda, and how to hold government to account.

When folks were asked what they thought was “most important for the general public to know,” they answered:

• “Coal mining is hazardous to health, both where it is mined and where it is burned.”
• “The amount of water mines will use and not return to downstream flows.”
• “Area of effect for these mining activities.”
• “Scam of poor quality coal. Speculation game – economics not there.”
• “The value of the coal resource – seems disproportionate to the efforts of the AB govt to allow the mining to proceed.”
• “That our current government is letting industry, not citizens, direct the future of our province – Companies dictate terms – Regulations not enforced – Negligible penalties for non-compliance – Numerous demonstrations of AB public’s stance against coal mining are ignored.”
• “The long term effects of coal/ ore and residue leaching to ground water/air to surface water and effects on aquatic ecosystems.”
• “Health risks associated with coal mining. There seems to be nothing good about coal mining.”
• “We don’t use coal in Alberta! The coal is low quality and it gets exported to countries that have other options.”
• “We sold our soul for sh*t coal!”