Share More than 25 megatonnes of metallurgical coal was produced at four Teck Resources mines in B.C. s Elk Valley in 2019. Alberta, meanwhile, produced a total of 2.7 megatonnes of metallurgical bituminous coal in 2019. Photo: Callum Gunn
In-Depth
A tale of two provinces: how coal mining plowed ahead in the B.C. Rockies while Alberta hit the brakes
Mountaintop-removal coal mining is much more prevalent in B.C. than Alberta. To understand why, you need to go back decades to unfurl a story that defies stereotypes of environmental values 12 min read
At first glance, the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia and Alberta are nearly indistinguishable. Spectacular ridgelines. Snow-covered peaks. Tens of thousands of years of glacial sculpting. The two provinces’ shared border straddles the same iconic mountain range and the same rich coal deposit that lies beneath.