Donna Griffin

Retired teacher, photography enthusiast and news junkie, Sherwood Park, AB, Canada.

[Rachel Notley @RachelNotley]

UCP LIES TO ALBERTANS ABOUT COAL MINING RECORDS

CALGARY – Against a court mandate, the UCP government will not be releasing thousands of pages of documents about the government’s plan to open the Eastern Slopes to further coal mining exploration and will be appealing the court’s decision. This follows a 4-year battle with a group of landowners and ranchers from Southern Alberta to get access to records after their freedom of information request revealed the UCP had been in talks with the coal industry about rescinding the province’s coal policy and allowing for coal mining in the Rocky Mountains.

“The UCP has misled Albertans about their coal mining plans for years. Now it’s been revealed, through a successful court victory, that the government has hidden thousands of pages of documents from the public that might shine a light on their true plans for coal mining,” said Rachel Notley, Leader of the Alberta NDP. “But we’ve just learned the UCP plans to fight this court decision, contrary to what the Premier herself said she’d do just last week.”

In 2020 Alberta’s Information and Privacy Commissioner compelled the Alberta government to release records to cattle ranchers who were seeking information about why the UCP would allow coal mining in the eastern slopes. The government delayed for years, forcing the ranchers to go to court to uphold that decision.

“When we first pursued the Alberta Government four years ago for lack of consultation in the rescission of the coal policy, we were told at that time they could not produce the freedom of information request because there were over 6,000 pages,” said Laura Laing from Plateau Cattle Company.

The government admitted early on in the process they had identified 6,539 pages of records. Despite this, they only released 622 pages of highly-redacted records. Last week, Court of King’s Bench Justice Teskey ordered the government to release all remaining records, stating Albertans have a right to the information, not “governing in secrecy”.

On April 24, the UCP government informed Plateau Cattle Company’s legal representatives that they’d be appealing this decision and will not release the documents as mandated by the court. Danielle Smith said otherwise last week. On April 16, the Premier said in the Legislative Assembly, “we will abide by the decision of the court. We obviously have had a change in leadership in this file, and we will make whatever documents available that the court requires.”  

“They say we have received them all,” said Laing. “This is not acceptable. Unfortunately we will be forced to continue this relentless pursuit for transparency. For four years we have been pursuing transparency on the decisions that were made to open up our eastern slopes to coal development. The lack of transparency, credibility and continual obstruction and misguided truths regarding coal and the FOIP is morally and ethically wrong.” 

“Albertans know that this government has hidden their true agenda to rip up the Eastern Slopes for years,” says Sarah Elmeligi, Alberta NDP Critic for Environment and Tourism. “It took ranchers fighting for years to shine a light on what’s really going on because the UCP won’t be transparent. These ranchers are now being gaslit by their own government.” 

“Since the start, the UCP, who admitted they didn’t comply with the law, have obfuscated and dodged being straight with Albertans,” said Notley. “We know why. The UCP doesn’t want Albertans to know they’d prefer to mine the mountains for coal, even if they claim otherwise. I call on this Premier to do the right thing, starting with telling the truth, and stop wasting dollars on court battles, and release all of these documents.”

[Dr. Bette Gray 🇨🇦 @BetteGray]

“going forward,we face a fork in the road.On one path, evidence-based rationalists review data and experience, analyze, update and plan. On the other, experts using evidence are the enemy, & beliefs outweigh unbiased information in decision-making”

https://t.co/zqTiL1bVkv

[Jason Scott 🇨🇦 @JasonOnTheDrums]

#Ableg

As an Albertan I would prefer NOT allowing a greedy Australian coal mining billionaire to destroy our mountains, for pennies on the dollar, leaving us with the mess.

Why is Danielle secretly selling out Alberta to foreign companies?
@CorbLund

https://t.co/nwZyGEsd3F

[Jason Scott 🇨🇦 @JasonOnTheDrums]

#Ableg Fact

Based on CIHI data:
NDP (2018-2019)
UCP (2022-23)

🩼 Knee Surgeries (6 Months)
NDP: 62%
UCP: 27%

🩻 Hip Surgeries (6 Months)
NDP: 64%
UCP: 38%

♋️ Cancer Surgery:
NDP: 21 Days
UCP: 34 Days

The UCP had 78,000 less surgeries

@AdrianaLaGrange is lying
#Abpoli

[The Breakdown @TheBreakdownAB]

The lengths that the government will go to in order to hide information that is supposed to be publicly available is really, really remarkable.

And frankly, scary.

#abpoli #ableg #cdnpoli

[Jason Scott 🇨🇦 @JasonOnTheDrums]

#Ableg

Danielle Smith is learning most Albertans WANT:

- A National Pharmacare Program
- $10/Day Childcare
- A Canada Pension Plan
- Environmental Standards
- A Provincial Leader That Listens

It’s time Danielle starts working FOR most Albertans…not just David Parker
#Abpoli

[Edmonton Journal @edmontonjournal]

Opinion: After a long pause, it's time to press play on Alberta's renewable energy https://t.co/f2U4Ok2Mcl

[Rakhi Pancholi @pancholi_rakhi]

This is what it looks like when a Premier cares more about politics than the people of Alberta.

Increasing access to healthcare is a pretty fundamental part of the job of governing.

Albertans deserve a team and a Premier focused on doing the work of governing.

[Jason Scott 🇨🇦 @JasonOnTheDrums]

#Ableg

Danielle Smith is hellbent on destroying Alberta in ways I NEVER thought possible

From crushing public health care, breaking important election promises, and secretly allowing open pit mines - every day she leads is an attack on Alberta

This is FAR worse than I imagined

[Lorian Hardcastle @Lorian_H]

Alberta intends to opt out of national pharmacare plan

Business as usual. Refusing to do what is best for Albertans in order to stick it to the feds and score some cheap political points.

https://t.co/t3MA0nY6nu

[Jann “stop live horse export” Arden @jannarden]

These morons. Honestly. The lunatics running Alberta are complete idiots. Yes- let's "opt out" of providing women with health care support that could change their lives.

[Clay Thompson. @harryt59_harry]

Danielle Smith is lying to Albertans, & Albertans will suffer because of it.
Cuts are coming Alberta.
Smith broke the bank.
$80 million for tainted Tylenol. No money for health care & education.
Justin Trudeau never called you fools. Danielle Smith is making fools out of you.

[Michael Geist @mgeist]

The CPC, which has championed Internet freedoms, now supports a bill that features website blocking of lawful content and subjects millions of Canadians to privacy-invasive age verification tech with requirements overseen by government. I don’t get it.
https://t.co/Ac2CdyTqPa

[Janessa Evans @ice_gurl77]

That's a fact!!

[🖤🖤 @ButlerLonney]

So now @PierrePoilievre wants digital ID? I thought he was against that? Now that he's leading in the polls he feels safe enough to let his inner dictator out. Just like his old boss Harper.

[Occupy Calgary #ABResistance #EnoughIsEnoughUCP @CalgaryOccupy]

~

[Audric Moses 🇨🇦 @audricmoses]

So in the 90s-00s, Premier Ralph Klein eliminated Alberta's debt.

On paper, anyway.

In reality, what he did was push the debt forward to future Albertans, by creating massive infrastructure and public service deficiencies & debts thanks to his deep budget cuts.
1/6
#ableg

[Warren Kinsella @kinsellawarren]

A guy who called people "tar babies" and said Indigenous people are lazy isn't a guy who should be handing out morality lessons about racism. #cdnpoli