‘Morally and ethically wrong:’
I don’t know what’s going on in this crazy this province. I mean it has always leaned right of centre, but these days, the Alberta UCP government is run by ugly corporations and extreme right-wing radicals, and it’s unable (or is afraid to) to stand up to these morons.
One huge concern (among many others) is the destructive coal mining on the East Slopes of the Rocky Mountains near Tent Mountain. Our government doesn’t seem to realize (or is afraid to – common theme here) the catastrophic environmental issues around leaching toxins into rivers and lakes. But this is what happens when you have an entitled government and no opposition. They don’t listen to anyone, except those who scream the loudest, even though the yellers are a minority.
Coal mining is destroying waterways by pouring Selenium into both Crowsnest Creek and East Crowsnest Creek to the point where trout are now extinct. Tests showed concentrations of Selenium were 151 micrograms per litre. The provincial limit is 2 while the federal maximum is 1. I find it hard to believe Environment Alberta (Rebecca Schultz, minister) doesn’t have this information, demanding immediate action.
Nearly 70% of people in the province disagree with mining in the Crowsnest Pass except those who live there, but the issue is larger than the four hundred jobs promised (where have I heard this before) for the six thousand residents nestled in the Canadian Rockies, a small minority in a province of 5 million. Water flows, effecting many more downstream, including Indigenous peoples – they have enough clean water issues. And what about the four-legged creatures, drinking from these once pristine waterways? My precious Alberta beef!
And to have an Australian asshole (Peter Doyle, CEO of Montem Resources,) come to this country and bully the government into changing environmental policy is a joke. This idiot threatened to sue the entire Alberta Energy Regulator (and the UCP government) over this issue. How can we sit here and get bullied by some freaking offshore idiot. His demonic corporation will mine the coal and export it to Asia. What other environmental issues occur when China or India burn coal – holy global warming Batman.
The UCP government is also running scared because they know any division in their “base” means they will lose power. Their management is not about any environmental concerns. It’s about losing power, so if corporations (their base along with squawking radicals) start rattling the cage, they’d better cave in like a cheap coal mine or lose support. And right now, they need all the support they can muster. People are angry.
It says something about a government bullied by offshore thugs meanwhile it bitches about manipulation by the Federal government. Maybe the UCP should come up with a separatist act against foreign interference. Dani Smith needs to realize her government works for the people of Alberta, not the other way around. And with cave-ins like this, she’ll need a new job peeling shrimp in Australia.
For more information and to lend a helping hand, try these.
And an excellent article from my new favourite on-line news source The Tyee out of Vancouver – Inside an Australian Miner’s Brawl with Alberta Regulators
The Spicy Road 