Alberta has decided to cancel recently issued coal leases in the Rocky Mountains, as public opposition grows to the United Conservative government's plan to expand coal mining in the area.
First Nations, ranchers, municipal officials and environmentalists hope to persuade a judge this week to force Alberta to revisit its decision to open one of the province's most important and best-loved landscapes to open-pit coal mining.
The publicly funded inquiry, which is meant to examine an alleged foreign-funded campaign against Alberta oil and gas, spent approximately $97,560 commissioning the reports.
Alberta suspended environmental monitoring for industry and the oilpatch in the early stages of COVID-19. That monitoring will now resume on July 15, the province said.