Volunteer Base Camp
Campaign Information, Resources, Tips and Action Items
Thank you for signing up to volunteer for Protect our Water – Alberta Beyond Coal! Welcome to the team! The campaign is building momentum and visibility because of hundreds of dedicated volunteers across Alberta.
Get updated on the status of the campaign. The Alberta Beyond Coal Volunteer Base Camp includes ideas on how to stay involved and tips to help spread the word.
How can I volunteer?
Register to volunteer to share your availability, preferred role and location.
I've signed up to volunteer but haven't heard back?
If you don’t hear from us shortly, it’s because either we already have active volunteers in your area delivering lawn signs or there isn’t sufficient public demand yet to require volunteers.
You can continue to support the campaign by sending a letter to elected officials through our website (it takes 30 seconds!) and speaking to your friends, family and neighbours about the importance of stopping coal developments in the Rockies.
Dates
Key Upcoming Events and Actions
Stay tuned for upcoming events and actions this fall!
Spread the Word
Share Alberta Beyond Coal
The single most effective things you can do is to talk to your family and friends about why you oppose coal mining in the Eastern Slopes.
- Share letters you have sent
- Share the link to the Alberta Beyond Coal website
- Invite them to look at the Facebook group “Protect Alberta’s Rockies and Headwaters”
- Ask them to consider sending a letter and getting a lawn sign.
Write Letters
The provincial government’s reinstatement of the 1976 Coal Policy and the temporary pause of coal exploration on Category 2 lands are small steps in the right direction, but they not enough to ensure adequate protection of the Eastern Slopes that Albertans cherish and want to preserve for future generations.
Tips for Writing Letters
- If you would like to craft your own letter (to share why you oppose new coal development in the Rockies), here are links to some helpful articles.
- Be firm, direct and polite.
Resources
Other Related Information
Posters and Info Sheets
The Protect out Water – Alberta Beyond Coal information sheet and a small-sized poster are both available in a print-at-home formats. Print and share widely!
Coal Policy Engagement
See the status of the the Government of Alberta’s Coal Policy Committee and engagement process.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about coal in Alberta.
Answering Questions While Campaigning
When asked questions, you can always direct people to the Alberta Beyond Coal, AEN and Council of Canadians websites where they can find the answers to their questions.
Legislative Assembly Transcripts
Learn where your MLA stands on coal.
Email & Social Media Templates
Use these templates to share Alberta Beyond Coal with your family and friends.
Draft Email Template
Hi ______,
I would like to share with you why I am supporting Protect our Water – Alberta Beyond Coal—a campaign working to stop new coal mining in the Eastern Slopes before it starts. I care deeply about this issue and am very concerned about the lasting and devastating damage these mining projects could cause to our water, wildlife and land.
The Alberta government is in the process of creating a new coal policy that would open up huge swaths of the Rockies to open-pit coal mining. These mines would carve away the mountains’ tops, effectively removing their peaks and changing the landscape forever.
A number of projects are proposed for the Eastern Slopes in the Crowsnest Pass area. The recent reinstatement of the 1976 Land Use policy did not cancel them. Eight of them are still able to move ahead, unless further reviews are deemed necessary.
The southern prairies are dependent on the Eastern Slopes for their water. The water flowing from these mountains sustains ranching, farming, and healthy ecosystems, and provides drinking water for 1.7 million people who live downstream. Coal mining risks polluting our vital and limited water and potentially harming wildlife and humans. We are already seeing the devastating effects of selenium poisoning in fish in the Elk Valley due to open-pit coal mining there.
Ongoing exploration activities are permanently damaging our Rockies right now by carving out access roads, stripping timber and drilling holes. The area is home to dozens of at-risk species and sensitive ecosystems, all of which are being harmed by this exploration. Operating mines would exponentially increase the destruction of these habitats.
The economic arguments for coal are not convincing. The short-term gains from these mines do not outweigh the lasting damage they will inflict.
[Your personal story here—what these mountains mean to you?]
I invite you to learn more about this issue by going to Alberta Beyond Coal. You will find a number of resources providing in-depth information on the impacts of coal mining in our beloved and beautiful Rockies.
Thank you for taking the time to read this.
[Your ending here]
Draft Social Media Template 1
Why I support Protect our Water – Alberta Beyond Coal –
Have you heard about the Protect our Water – Alberta Beyond Coal campaign? I support an Alberta Beyond Coal because [insert your reasons here]. I don’t want to see the tops of our priceless Rockies ripped off for open-pit coal mining. Join me in learning more and getting involved by visiting albertabeyondcoal.ca.
Draft Social Media Template 2
Hello all, I know there’s a lot going on in Alberta right now. There is something I think we should all know about because it’s very time sensitive, destructive and irreversible. The Alberta government is paving the way for 8 open-pit coal mining projects in the Rockies, which are the water source for millions of people. This doesn’t make economic, environmental or safety sense at all. A lot of people across Alberta are very concerned and fighting the mines any way they can – farmers, ranchers, First Nations, municipalities, conservationists. People move to Alberta to be near the Rockies. Why would we tear them apart and poison our water? Please check out www.albertabeyondcoal.ca to quickly sign a letter using the template, order a lawn sign, learn more or volunteer. Personally, I’ve got a sign up and I’ve sent the template later. I’m going to get some steps in maildropping in my community this weekend. I hope you join me!
Talking Points
Here are some talking points that may be helpful while writing your own reasons!
- Coal mining pollutes water with selenium. At high levels selenium is toxic to fish and humans. The Eastern Slopes are the headwaters for the Oldman River Basin that provides drinking water to 1.7 million people living downstream. This water also supports farming, ranching, recreation, tourism and other economic activity across the southern prairies. No proven or effective technologies exist to remove selenium once it has entered the watershed.
- Exploration is already damaging this ecologically sensitive area by carving out access roads, drilling for core samples and cutting down trees.
- Coal mining would destroy habitat and threaten even more harm to dozens of at-risk species, some of which are federally protected.
- The costs of coal mining are too high a price for Albertans to pay for another boom-and-bust economic gamble.