Nearly 200 Albertans reject Alberta's oil well cleanup and coal mining plans at packed town hall
Last night, 185 Calgarians packed the Royal Canadian Legion to send a clear message to the government: we won’t let oil companies walk away from billions in cleanup costs AND we won’t accept new coal mines in the Rockies — all while the government claims there’s no money for teachers and public services.
The town hall was co-hosted by Alberta Environment Network (AEN), Coalition for Responsible Energy (C4RE), and Common Horizon.
And the media noticed.
CTV News, Global TV, CityNews and 660 all broadcast the public’s message across Alberta.
Here’s what you need to do right now:
- Read and SHARE the CTV News article - Get this story in front of your networks
- Watch and SHARE the CityNews video coverage - Visual coverage reaches people who won’t read articles
The more Albertans see this coverage, the harder it becomes for the government to push through giveaways to oil companies behind closed doors.
What happened at the town hall
From 6:00 PM to 8:30 PM, Albertans heard directly from people living with the consequences of the government’s energy-first policies:
- Chris Spearman (former Lethbridge mayor, Water for Food leader) laid out how coal mining threatens our water supply
- Dwight Popowich (alfalfa farmer from Two Hills) shared his firsthand experience dealing with contaminated land from leaking wells
- Anthony Kha (music teacher at James Fowler High School) connected the dots between oil company giveaways and classroom underfunding
- Ella Haggis (Alberta Environment Network organizing manager) explained how these fights are connected
- Phillip Meintzer (Coalition for Responsible Energy co-founder) presented the evidence on the Mature Asset Strategy
As Phillip told CTV News: “We want to draw this line and show people that the provincial government is choosing to put energy companies above the interests of Albertans.”
Two schemes, one playbook: MAS and CIMI
The town hall focused on two major threats being developed behind closed doors:
The Mature Asset Strategy (MAS) - The province’s plan to leave taxpayers on the hook for industry’s obligation to cleanup 300,000 of its aging and spent oil and gas wells. The $60 billion cleanup bill? Gets dumped on landowners, municipalities, and taxpayers to pay for it.
The Coal Industry Modernization Initiative (CIMI) - The province’s plan to replace the coal mining moratorium in the Rockies. Despite 70% of Albertans opposing new coal development in the Eastern Slopes, the government is pushing ahead without meaningful public input.
These aren’t separate issues. They’re the same pattern: the government choosing energy company profits over Alberta communities.
This isn’t about left or right - it’s about who pays
What made last night powerful was who showed up: teachers worried about classroom funding, farmers dealing with contaminated land, parents concerned about their kids’ future, urban Albertans who care about the Rockies.
This coalition proves something important: when the government claims there’s no money for schools but finds billions for oil company giveaways, Albertans across the political spectrum see through it.
What you can do right now
The government is counting on Albertans being too busy or too overwhelmed to pay attention. Here’s how to prove them wrong:
- Share the media coverage - Both CTV and CityNews articles
- Write your MLA - Tell them you oppose MAS and CIMI (takes 2 minutes with our tool)
- Forward this to three people who care about:
- Classroom funding and teacher wages
- Protecting farmland and water
- Keeping the Rockies coal-free
- Making corporations honor their cleanup obligations
- Host a town hall in your community - Contact us at phillip@ResponsibleEnergyAB.ca
The momentum is building
Nearly 200 people showed up on a Wednesday night, urban and rural, uniting against the government’s plans — and the media is paying attention.
The government wanted to push these schemes through quietly. Let’s keep the pressure on so we can stop them.