(Image Credit: waternotcoal.ca)

By Jett Schwaier

Water Not Coal Campaign

Alberta musician Corb Lund launches province-wide petition tour with a stop in Lethbridge

Apr 1, 2026 | 1:01 PM

Award-winning musician and sixth-generation Albertan, Corb Lund, is bringing a provincewide petition tour to Lethbridge, calling on residents to sign the “Water Not Coal” campaign opposing coal mining in Alberta’s eastern slopes.

The goal of the petition is to call on the provincial government to permanently protect the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains and their waters that supply drinking water across the province from proposed coal mining projects, which organizers said could impact water quality and availability.

The three-day tour from April 3 to 5 will include 14 community-organized events, including St. Albert, Edmonton, Ponoka, Red Deer, Calgary, Longview, Seven Persons, Medicine Hat and Lethbridge, with stops at local businesses and gathering spaces aimed at drawing public support.

Anna Hansen, a canvasser with the campaign, said the tour is designed to build momentum behind a grassroots movement pushing for a permanent ban on coal mining in the region, while allowing residents to meet Lund and share their views.

Hansen said the goal of the petition is to gather 177,000 signatures across Alberta, enough to trigger a provincial referendum.

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“I think something as crucial as protecting the environment, protecting our water, really needs to go to the people,” Hansen said.

“It cannot always be strictly about getting a resource out of the ground. We also have to protect our environment.”

She described the campaign as nonpartisan and focused on community voices.

On April 5, Lund is set to arrive in Medicine Hat from noon to 1 p.m., at the old Medicine Hat Arena at 155 Ash Ave SE, and Seven Persons from 1:30 p.m. to 2 p.m., at the Que‑Bickle Eatery & Pub on 173 Drinnan St.

Lund will then be in Lethbridge from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. the same day at Festival Square on 600 3 Ave S.