Retired miner John Kinnear worked three decades in British Columbia’s Elk Valley. His father was a mine surveyor. Both of his grandfathers worked in mining.
“I’ve been in it for a long time. I have an immense respect for mining history,” said Kinnear, who retiredjust across the B.C.-Alberta border in Crowsnest Pass in southwest Alberta in 2011.
A few years ago, when Kinnear first heard about plans for a new coal mining project in the area — which would be the first in decades — the writer of mining history was cautiously optimistic. But now, he says he’s torn.
Like others, he sees the need for an industry that could help lift the community’s economy.
But he also hears the concerns of those worried about where things might lead if mining takes off again near this postcard setting of a town tucked at the foot of the Rocky Mountains.
“It’s a double-edged sword,” he said. “I am really, honest to God, stuck in the middle on this one.”
As public hearings begin this week for the first major coal project the community has seen in years, debate continues over whether its future — like its past — should rest with coal.
Unlike most mines of the area’s past, which tunnelled underground to access coal, this would be an open-pit mine. It involves breaking apart a mountain top, separating the rock, and hauling the valuable parts away.
The Municipality of Crowsnest Pass, which is nearly a three-hour drive southwest of Calgary, is actually a series of amalgamated towns that stretch east-west along Highway 3 in southwestern Alberta. These communities were built in the late 1800s and early 1900s when Canadian Pacific Rail, drawn by the area’s vast coal deposits, extended its main line from Lethbridge westward along this route.
Mining was the lifeblood of Crowsnest Pass for most of the 20th century, but the last mine in the area closed in 1983.
The proposed Grassy Mountain project, located roughly seven kilometres north of Blairmore, would pick up where a previous mine left off. A section of the 1,500-hectare site has already been disturbed by previous mining activity decades ago.
Australia-based Riversdale Resources submitted a proposal to regulators in 2016 for the project, which it estimates could produce 4.5 million tonnes of steelmaking coal annually over the mine’s 23-year lifespan. The company says this would create nearly 400 full-time jobs for the region.
And not just any jobs.
Some of the senior positions Riversdale has already advertised come with salaries well into six figures — a welcome boost to an area of Alberta with relatively low incomes.
The nearby Piikani First Nation has also officially supported the Grassy Mountain project.
But not everyone in the area welcomes the prospect of coal’s return.
Controversy over open-pit mining
Grassy Mountain is a controversial project that has raised concerns about the impact it will have on wildlife, air and water quality, and the landscape.
Many look nervously at the environmental damage just over the border in B.C., where coal mines have led to many complaints over the years about black dust in the air, contaminated well water and mass deaths or deformations of rare fish.
Bill Trafford, who speaks for the Livingstone Landowners Group, which opposes open-pit mining in the area, understands the economic argument in favour of coal mining, and he’s reviewed the Grassy Mountain project in detail. He doesn’t think the risk-reward calculation makes sense.
“The risk to the environment and the water is huge,” he said, “and the benefits are modest.”
But others see it as a project that can be done responsibly while bringing jobs, businesses, people and economic development.
And it could be the first of several.