Alberta Premier Danielle Smith faces raucous, angry town hall on province's coal policy

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and three of her ministers got an earful on Wednesday night from southern Alberta locals at a rowdy, hours-long town hall to discuss the province's coal policy.

About 500 people, many dressed in cowboy hats, belt buckles, and jeans, packed a community hall in Fort Macleod, Alta., for an event marked by heckling, competing applause and placards.

"If we are not prepared to look and find middle-ground solutions to allow for industries to proceed while reducing our environmental footprint, you're going to find that different industries become the next on the hit list," Smith said through a chorus of protesting voices and verbal jabs.

"Banning industries is just not something we are going to do."

The premier and her ministers of energy, environment and agriculture took questions and were shouted down on several occasions by attendees as they defended changes to the province's coal policy.

Many in the crowd held small placards reading "lie" and "false," raising them each time they disagreed with a statement. There was a notable group that came in support of the province's coal policy, frequently applauding the ministers and answering back at other crowd members. Many attendees carried notebooks and pens, keenly taking notes throughout.

The town hall came weeks after the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) granted an Australia-based coal company permission to start a controversial coal exploration on the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains. Northback Holdings Corp.'s project at Grassy Mountain was initially rejected in 2021 when a panel ruled that the likely environmental effects on fish and water quality outweighed the potential economic benefits.

Late last year, the project was exempted from the Alberta government's decision to ban open-pit coal mines because Northback's application was considered an "advanced" proposal.

The issue has been polarizing in southern Alberta, where the debate has primarily revolved around the economic implications of development against environmental effects. A non-binding referendum in Crowsnest Pass saw 70 per cent of voters saying they'd support the nearby coal project.

Despite frequent pushback over the two-and-a-half-hour event, Smith rarely chose to get into back-and-forth discussions with attendees. She defended the province's approach to coal developments, pitching responsible development that prioritizes environmental standards.

Smith also frequently cited a lawsuit by five coal companies that say they're owed $15 billion by the province in lost revenues and sunk costs. She argued again on Wednesday that she had taxpayers in mind when the province lifted its moratorium on coal mining and development on the eastern slopes.

"If we do nothing, then we are told we'll likely lose those cases and have to pay [$15 billion]."

Brian Jean, the province's energy minister, frequently challenged the boisterous crowd and at times trotted offstage to hand his business card to those asking questions.

"I live in the oilsands. You can't tell me what I'm concerned about and what I'm not concerned about. I'm very concerned about our Earth and our planet," he said.

Several questions returned to a new study by Alberta government scientists, yet to be peer reviewed, which recently said old coal mines on the eastern slopes are poisoning fish and any further coal mining there would result in "population collapse" of fish species in a nearby lake.

Asked about the report, Environment Minister Rebecca Schulz said the province is looking into the issue and is waiting for it to be confirmed by the peer-review process. She said further studies to be released later this year are being conducted.

"We want to understand what is happening there so that we can prevent that from happening in the future."

The premier also jousted with protesters while speaking to reporters before the town hall. When a group gathered behind her and started yelling, she turned around and asked them to let her finish the interview.

"I'm looking for a little bit of courtesy," she said.

The event was scheduled to last two hours, but Smith asked to take questions for an extra 30 minutes after the clock had run out.

Carmen Linderman, president of the group Citizens Supportive of Crowsnest Coal, made the drive east to show support for the coal exploration project.

"We believe that this can be done responsibly," she told CBC News. "Our community needs high-paying jobs, mortgage-paying jobs."

Laura Myers, who lives about an hour north of Fort Macleod, attended the town hall and described it as "emotionally charged."

"Those of us who are aware of this issue and have been fighting this issue for the past bunch of years don't trust [Smith]. We don't trust her. We don't trust the AER. We don't trust the people making the decisions," she said after the meeting.

"It seems like they're listening to Northback Holdings ... but they're not listening to Albertans."

Lethbridge Polytechnic student Alexx Olsen travelled to the town hall from Coaldale, Alta., to hear Smith respond to the concerns.

"There's been a lot of lost faith and she's going to have to work really, really hard to get that back," said Olsen. "I do not think she achieved that today."