News & Announcements

The Coal Consultation Update: Some Good News… But the Cart is Still Before the Horse

Energy Minister Sonya Savage delivered some good news in her April 23, 2021 coal consultation update: all coal exploration projects in Category 2 lands in Alberta’s Eastern Slopes must halt immediately. AWA welcomes the Minister’s decision to eliminate the immediate threat to landscapes and wildlife that could have resulted from the activities of Cabin Ridge and Valory Resources on Category 2 lands. Read More

Civil Society Reacts to Canada’s Newly Announced Federal Climate Target

Unceded Algonquin Anishinaabe Territories (OTTAWA), April 22, 2021 – This morning during the opening plenary of President Biden’s Leaders’ Summit on Climate, Prime Minister Trudeau announced Canada’s new 40-45% climate target range. This target marks an increase in ambition, up from the nation’s previously stated target window of 31-40% as announced in December 2020’s Healthy Environment Healthy Economy Plan. Read More

Camping Fees: Breaking A UCP Election Promise

The Government of Alberta has introduced Bill 64, the Public Lands Amendment Act. This Act proposes a new Public Lands Camping Pass. AWA believes this initiative unjustifiably targets low impact users of Alberta’s backcountry and will reduce accessibility to public lands for lower income Albertans.

The UCP election platform promised to: “Apply a mandatory $30 trail permit fee to Off-Highway Vehicles (OHV) and camping trailers to pay for restoring and creating OHV trails and preventing damage in Alberta’s great outdoors, and to hire additional enforcement officers.” Read More

Tent Mountain coal mine: Niitsitapi Water Protectors, landowners group, environmental orgs urge Canada to designate project for assessment

April 6, 2021 - A number of Alberta-based organizations, including a conservation organization, an Indigenous collective and a landowner organization, are calling for a federal review of the Tent Mountain Coal Mine Project in Southern Alberta.

On behalf of CPAWS Southern Alberta Chapter, Niitsitapi Water Protectors and the Livingstone Landowners Group, Ecojustice submitted a designation request to the Impact Assessment Agency on April 4. Read More

AWA Calls For Federal Impact Assessment of the Tent Mountain Coal Mine Project

Alberta Wilderness Association has requested that Environment and Climate Change Minister Jonathan Wilkinson conduct a federal impact assessment of the Tent Mountain Mine Project. Under section 9 of Canada’s Impact Assessment Act, the Minister has the power to designate a project for an assessment if: Read More

New government coal consultation misses the mark, failing to engage with Albertans on the issues they care most about

76% of Albertans are in favour of more protections for nature and recreation in the Eastern Slopes. 64% of those aware of the issue opposed ongoing exploration activity in the Eastern Slopes.

Yesterday’s announcement from the Government of Alberta launching the consultation process for a new Coal Policy does not address CPAWS Southern and Northern Alberta Chapters’ concerns around coal development in Alberta’s Rocky Mountains. While CPAWS is happy to see that the process will be run by an independent committee, the survey released as part of the consultation is narrowly focused on regulation of coal developments.  Read More

Alberta unveils two new land use plans to achieve caribou recovery

Edmonton – The Government of Alberta has released two draft plans for caribou recovery in the northeast and northwest of the province, encompassing two herds of Threatened woodland caribou. Alberta’s caribou have been waiting for almost a decade for these sub-regional range plans under the Species At Risk Act (SARA), while experiencing ongoing declines on some of the most busy landscapes in the country. Read More

Northwest Alberta’s Bistcho Lake Draft Caribou Sub-Regional Plan Released

March 29 – Today the Alberta government issued the draft Bistcho Lake sub-regional plan for public consultation. Alberta Wilderness Association (AWA) has participated as a member of the Bistcho Lake Task Force since November 2019 and will be studying the draft plan to see if it responds well to the Task Force recommendations. Read More

Poll Shows Albertans Want More Protections in the Eastern Slopes and Oppose New Coal Mines

76% of Albertans are in favour of more protections for nature and recreation in the Eastern Slopes. 64% of those aware of the issue opposed ongoing exploration activity in the Eastern Slopes.

Calgary, AB – As the Government of Alberta prepares to launch consultations on the development of a new coal policy, a new poll found that the majority of Albertans want more protection for the Eastern Slopes of the Rocky Mountains. Of those who were aware of the coal issue, more than half do not trust that the government’s public consultation will provide a fair representation of what the public wants regarding coal development. Read More

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