Singer Corb Lund has been given the go-ahead to start collecting signatures for a petition to ask the Alberta government to pass a law banning new coal mining on the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains.
Elections Alberta posted the official OK on its website Monday.
Lund, who has received multiple Juno and Canadian Country Music Association nominations and awards, lives in southern Alberta and has been a vocal opponent of coal mining.
In his application for the petition, he said he’s seeking the intervention because new mines could threaten land and water in the area.
“I get a lot of flak about being a celebrity or whatever, and I should shut up and sing. And it’s like, well, I drink that water — like, I drink the water out of the Oldman River,” Lund said in a phone interview from Las Vegas, where he has been performing.
“My animals drink the water, my mother drinks the water. So I’m not a guy flying in from L.A. on a private jet. I am a sixth generation rural Albertan, and I’m just trying to get the water clean.”
He added: “There’s no subterfuge; there’s no hidden agenda. It’s just we don’t want coal mining in the headwaters of the Rocky Mountain rivers. Simple.”
Lund has four months to gather signatures equal to 10 per cent of votes cast in the last general election — almost 178,000.
If successful, the legislature would consider passing a law banning coal mining or send it to a provincewide vote.
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It’s the latest in a string of petitions underway to force government action on everything from recalling politicians to confirming Alberta’s place in Confederation.
Lund recently said it was Premier Danielle Smith and her government’s pursuit of coal mines that inspired him to get to work.
Asked last month to respond, the premier said: “I’m glad I’m able to be his muse.”
“Maybe he’ll write a song about me,” she said.
“I support citizen-initiated referenda — I think it’s really important that people have their say — so the rules are out there, and I’ll watch with great interest.”
