'It’s a terrible idea': UCP coal mining proposal targeted by Alberta country singers
Alberta county star Corb Lund is not backing down on his fight against coal mining in Alberta’s eastern slopes - as he enlisted some help in a new protest video.
Lund re-released his 12-year-old tune “This Is My Prairie” on Tuesday and some of the words have been tweaked to target a proposal for more Rocky Mountain mining.
“I can't blame the miners or the guys drivin’ truck. For feedin’ their families and makin’ a buck. But take a close look at the stock that you own. Cuz this is my prairie, this is my home,” the lyrics go.
Brett Kissel, Terri Clark, Sherryl Sewepagaham, Paul Brandt, Armond Duck Chief, Katie Rox and Brandi Sidoryk (Nice Horse) all appear in the song as well.
Lund said the tune was originally about a rancher trying to preserve the countryside.
The new version captures the fight Albertans launched against mining development in the mountains, he said.
“It's just a terrible idea because all we’re getting out of it is a handful of jobs. And if you weigh those against the agricultural impacts and the tourism impacts, and most of all the impact on our water, it’s a terrible idea,” he argued.
Lund started speaking out about the issue in January when he said he was “kind of pissed off,” about the plan and what he argued was a lack of consultation in building it.
At the time, the UCP government argued metallurgical coal exporting would create jobs for Albertans and the mines would be highly regulated.
But in April, after a public backlash, Energy Minister Sonya Savage said projects on certain lands would “be halted immediately.”
Alberta’s government is currently waiting to hear recommendations from a panel that's been canvassing Albertans to see how, or if, they want that type of development.
With files from The Canadian Press
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Bob Cole, veteran CBC broadcaster and former voice of 'Hockey Night in Canada,' dead at 90
Bob Cole, legendary CBC broadcaster and former voice of Hockey Night in Canada, has died. He was 90.
Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction overturned by N.Y. appeals court
New York's highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction, reversing a landmark ruling of the #MeToo era in determining the trial judge improperly allowed women to testify about allegations against the ex-movie mogul that weren't part of the case.
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that is banned at Queen’s Park.
CTE: Researchers believe widespread brain injury may contribute to veteran suicide rate
Researchers are working to better understand if some Canadian military veterans may be suffering from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, also known as CTE -- a disorder previously found in the brains of professional football and hockey players after their death.
1 arrested in northern Alberta during public shelter order
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
New deep-water channel allows first ship to pass Key bridge wreckage in Baltimore
The first cargo ship passed through a newly opened deep-water channel in Baltimore on Thursday after being stuck in the harbor since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed four weeks ago, halting most maritime traffic through the city's port.