When Did Learning Become Controversial?

I read the social media exchange about Crowsnest Pass and the proposed Grassy Mountain project between two Alberta MLAs several times before I decided to write this.

I kept thinking I must have missed something. I hadn’t. I read it again. And again. The message never changed.

Surely the criticism wasn’t directed at an MLA who had simply encouraged Albertans to visit Crowsnest Pass, ask questions, and learn about a project before making up their minds.

But that’s exactly what happened.

Before I explain why that bothered me so much, let’s look at what was said.

“You’re wrong, Angela Pitt.”

Those were the first words MLA Janis Irwin (NDP) chose in response to a social media post by MLA
Angela Pitt (UCP) after she toured the proposed Grassy Mountain project here in Crowsnest Pass and encouraged Albertans to see it before reaching a conclusion.

MLA Pitt had just returned from one of Northback’s guided tours of the proposed Grassy Mountain project. According to Northback, those tours are offered to Albertans throughout the summer.

In her post, MLA Pitt wrote: “Before making any definitive judgments about the current or proposed activities at this location, I highly recommend participating in one of their guided tours. It’s an invaluable opportunity to gather first-hand information, ask questions, and gain a comprehensive understanding.”

She followed with another simple message: “I encourage you to visit and gain a comprehensive understanding before making up your mind.”

Let’s be clear about what MLA Pitt’s post said.

She did not call on Albertans to vote for metallurgical (steelmaking) coal.

She did not say everyone should support the project.

She did not argue the project should automatically be approved.

She did not suggest environmental concerns should be ignored.

She did not suggest scientific review should be set aside.

That was it.

Go see it.

Learn.

Ask questions.

Then decide.

That’s all Ms. Pitt asked Albertans to do.

SINCE WHEN DID LEARNING BECOME CONTROVERSIAL?

Whatever someone’s views on a major public project, encouraging people to gather first-hand information before reaching a conclusion raises broader questions about how opinions are formed and how public debate is conducted.

Gathering first-hand information about a proposed project should not be mistaken for taking a side.

Seeing something first-hand is not the same as endorsing it.

Asking questions is not the same as reaching a conclusion.

Here’s what bothered me the most.

Before writing this editorial, I wanted to know whether MLA Irwin had ever taken one of the guided tours of the proposed project. I contacted Northback and asked one simple question. Had MLA Irwin ever taken one of those tours?

I was told she had not. Think about that.

The MLA criticizing someone for taking the tour hasn’t visited the site on a guided tour.

This is what so many people outside our valley don’t understand.

We aren’t a hashtag.

We aren’t a mountain on a postcard.

We aren’t an environmental campaign.

We’re a community.

Families live here.

Businesses depend on opportunity here.

Five generations of my own family worked in the coal industry. 

Thousands of families built their lives because of this industry.

That history doesn’t require anyone to support this project. It does require that the people who built this community be heard before others decide what our future should look like.

No one has to agree with us. But don’t judge us without first understanding us.

So, MLA Irwin, this is a genuine invitation to you and your NDP colleagues to come on down to the Crowsnest Pass.

Tour the proposed project.

Meet the engineers.

Meet residents who support it.

Meet residents who oppose it.

Visit the streams.

Ask about selenium.

Ask about water.

Ask every difficult question you have.

Challenge every answer.

Then tell Albertans what you learned.

You may still oppose Grassy Mountain.

That’s your right, but at least your opinion will be based on first-hand knowledge, not grandstanding social media posts.

This was never about MLA Pitt. It was about whether elected officials should take the time to understand a community before speaking about its future.

MLA Irwin spent years as a teacher. If any profession understands the value of gathering information before reaching a conclusion, it should be teachers. That’s why I found it so puzzling that she criticized someone for encouraging Albertans to visit, ask questions, and educate themselves before making up their minds.

We deserve more politicians willing to do what MLA Pitt did! And until they do, this little community newspaper will keep speaking up.

Because enough people have talked about Crowsnest Pass. It’s time they started listening to Crowsnest Pass.

I publish a small community newspaper. Compared with the machinery of provincial politics, my voice may seem small. That’s okay.

History has a way of reminding us that small voices often matter more than people expect.

For generations, this newspaper has celebrated our successes, documented our struggles, and given this community a voice.

That won’t change.

I’ll continue asking questions.

This newspaper has never existed to advocate for a mining company, a government, or a political party. It exists to advocate for this community. Sometimes that means asking uncomfortable questions of industry. Sometimes it means asking uncomfortable questions of government. Sometimes it means reminding people that decisions affecting Crowsnest Pass should be informed by more than headlines and social media posts.

So, I pose this question to MLA Irwin: If your position is that more than 200,000 petition signatures should decide the outcome of the Grassy Mountain project before the regulatory process is complete, would you apply that same standard to a petition signed by more than 200,000 Albertans calling for Alberta to leave Canada? Or does due process only matter when you agree with the outcome?

You can’t have it both ways.

Every community deserves the respect of being understood before it is judged. That’s what MLA Pitt did. She came here, she learned, and she encouraged others to do the same. For that, MLA Irwin mocked and vilified her. Educating yourself shouldn’t be a controversial idea.

It should be the standard we expect from all of us.

I may not have the political machine behind me. But I have something every bit as powerful. I buy my ink by the barrel and I have a community worth fighting for.