Crowsnest Pass residents to vote today on Grassy Mountain coal project [Video]

Residents of Crowsnest Pass in southwestern Alberta will participate in a non-binding vote today on whether or not they support the development of a nearby coal project.

Grassy Mountain, a proposed coking coal mine near Crowsnest Pass, is a project with a long and contentious history in the community.

It’s spearheaded by Northback Holdings (formerly known as Riversdale Resources and Benga Mining), the latest incarnation of a number of corporate entities tied to Australian parent company Hancock Prospecting, all focused over the past decade to mine Grassy Mountain for steel-making coal.

In Crowsnest Pass, it’s long divided the community into two camps: those who hope mining will lift the local economy, and those who worry about the environmental impacts of moving ahead with such projects.

Coal mining was responsible for building up these communities. The last mine in the area closed in 1983.

An advanced vote on the matter took place last week. …