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When dealing with complex issues, it is important to be transparent. For example, don’t put out notice of a policy change after-hours on the Friday of a long weekend. That looks shady.
It is also important to consult and educate. Since the government didn’t consult before repealing the 1976 Coal Policy, it wasn’t able to educate Albertans on the fact that the policy did NOT actually prohibit open-pit coal mines in the foothills.
The NDP knows this but is being hypocritical.
In 2016, the NDP energy minister confirmed that the “coal category 2 designation does not preclude surface coal mine development” in a letter encouraging a company to continue its application to mine the Ram River area. If you have never visited this area west of Rocky Mountain House, you should. It is gorgeous country, has Alberta’s prettiest waterfall, and the Notley government did absolutely nothing to discourage open-pit mining applications there.
Transparency, consultation and education have been missed on this issue, so many Albertans believe this government has killed environmental protections that used to exist. It hasn’t actually done that — but in politics perception quickly becomes reality. The perception of a lack of concern for the environment, the landscape and for water protection has turned many Albertans against any coal development whatsoever.
Indeed, the mishandling of this file means that two coal projects in southern Alberta whose applications had advanced under the NDP are now threatened. This is not to say that these projects would have been approved under Alberta’s stringent regulatory rules and procedures, but they were progressing and getting a fair hearing. That is going to be much harder now.