(The Canadian Press)

By Justin Goulet

Group raising awareness on coal mining to hold convoy in Lethbridge Saturday

Mar 19, 2021 | 11:34 AM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – A convoy will be traveling through Lethbridge’s river bottom Saturday morning.

However, unlike some of the convoys seen at the tail end of 2020, this will not be in relation to COVID-19 restrictions.

Instead, the ‘Mountains Not Mines Action Group’ will be driving through the area to raise awareness about coal mining in Alberta, and the concerns around the effects mining can have on water quality in southern Alberta.

“These convoys are rolling all over Alberta and it’s to raise awareness of the coal mining that’s gonna be happening, or they’re proposing for the east front of the Rockies,” said Waneeta Fisher, a member of the action group.

“We just want to give people information as well to find more information online so that they can do their own research and make their own decisions based on what they find.”

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Participants plan on meeting up beside the Alberta Motor Association (AMA) office on Scenic Drive S. shortly before 10 a.m. They will then hit the road in their effort to raise awareness. Fisher maintained that the group will be respecting COVID-19 regulations.

“We’re just going to drive through the river bottom. We’re trying to be COVID compliant. We’re just going to have signs painted on the vehicles,” she told Lethbridge News Now.

“We definitely want to be COVID compliant, so we’re not going to be getting out of our vehicles, we’re going to be wearing masks and it’s just all about raising the awareness of how this is going to impact the Oldman River – both the quantity and quality of the water.”

Fisher said anyone interested in learning more about the group can visit mountainsnotmines.ca. People can also use the hashtags #MountainsNotMines and #WaterNotCoal on social media as part of the awareness campaign.

READ MORE: Contaminant from coal mines already high in some Alberta rivers: unreported data

Earlier this week, the province released some more details on planned consultations with Albertans on coal mining in the Rocky Mountains.

READ MORE: Albertans will be able to say no to coal during consultations, energy minister says