Alberta's anti-coal petition nears deadline in fight for the Rockies

A petition campaign aiming to ban new coal mining in Alberta’s Rockies has entered its final days. Organisers from the Water Not Coal movement have spent months collecting signatures to push for stricter environmental protections, particularly for water sources. If successful, the petition could force Premier Danielle Smith’s government to either pass a law or put the issue to a provincewide vote. The campaign needed nearly 178,000 signatures to trigger official consideration. Supporters gathered names at public events, including a high-profile horseback ride from Longview to Edmonton that stretched over several days. Over 3,000 volunteers registered as canvassers to help with the effort.

The final day for submitting signatures is Wednesday. After that, the collected names will be handed to Elections Alberta for verification. The petition’s goal is to block new coal-mining projects in the region, arguing that they pose a threat to local ecosystems and water supplies.

If the petition meets the required threshold, the government must either introduce legislation to ban coal mining or allow Albertans to vote on the issue in a referendum. The outcome would depend on the verification process and subsequent political action. The campaign’s success now rests on whether enough valid signatures have been collected. Elections Alberta will review the submissions before deciding the next steps. A verified petition would compel the province to address the demand for stronger environmental safeguards in the Rockies.