The long black streaks in the hills along Highway 40 outside Grande Cache, Alta., are a clear sign of the rich coal seams that run through the eastern slopes of the Rockies there.
The community, about 430 kilometres northwest of Edmonton, was established in the 1960s to serve the mine that still pulls coal out of the ground outside town. The volatile coal industry has fuelled the local economy from the beginning.
In recent years as coal fired power plants were phased out across Alberta, the future of the town’s existing mine became more uncertain. The local power plant was converted from coal to primarily natural gas in 2019.
Only the continued demand for metallurgical coal to make steel overseas has kept the mine going. There is now a proposal to build a new mine in the area to produce more coal for steel making, a project that has some people in Grande Cache thinking twice.
The Summit 14 mine, proposed by Maxim Power, would be built on Grande Mountain which looms large over Grande Cache.
CST Canada Coal Limited’s existing coal mine operates just outside of Grande Cache, Alta. Another company, Maxim Power, is proposing to build a new mine near the existing facility in order to meet demand for metallurgical coal to make steel overseas. (Josh Mclean/CBC News)
Fears for tourism, pollution
The potential mine site is also visible through the trees of Jules Desrocher’s camp ground and trail riding business.
“The haul road is going to come across what we are looking at — right on Grande Mountain,” he says, pointing to the potential mine site in the distance.
Desrocher worries tourists will stop coming to enjoy the natural beauty of the area if there is a coal mine overlooking his operation.
The Metis entrepreneur also has concerns about what the mine will mean for drinking water in the area.
Desrocher, who also works part time in the oil and gas sector, is quick to point out that he is not anti-industry. But he says there are too many unknowns when it comes to the new mine proposal.
‘A good thing for the town of Grande Cache tax wise’
In Grande Cache, at a packed open house about the proposed mine held in July, questions about its environmental impact are top of mind for many in attendance.
Maxim Power, the company pitching the new project, says that the mine will be underground, meaning local water will be more protected than in a surface mine.
Residents of Grand Cache, Alta., gather at a meeting to learn more about a coal mine proposed for the area. Many local business owners welcomed the proposal as a way to create jobs and expand the tax base. (Josh Mclean/CBC News)
Kyle Mitton of Maxim Power adds that the company has to do “the environmental monitoring and demonstrate that this will be a responsible operation,” before it is given the green light to build the mine by the province.
If the company does receive the permits it needs, the mine could be producing metallurgical coal by the end of next year.
It is a prospect that many at the open house, including local businessman Anthony Yakielashek, support.
“This is a good thing for the town of Grande Cache tax wise — to keep the town going,” Yakielashek says.
Project could create 120 new jobs
The Alberta government had flirted with the idea of opening several new metallurgical mines in the province in recent years. However, strong public opposition forced most of the projects to be shelved.
The Summit 14 mine was the exception, grandfathered because it had been in the works since 2008.
The town of Grande Cache, Alta., has long been powered by jobs in the coal industry and many residents support the new mine proposal. (Josh Mclean/CBC News)
“There are multiple approval steps remaining for this project but its approval would provide economic security for the Grande Cache area,” said a spokesperson for the Alberta Ministry of Energy and Minerals.
The local Chamber of Commerce agrees, noting that bringing, “employment for an estimated 120 workers into the Grande Cache economy would be great.”
But if the mine is built it would alter the landscape of Grande Mountain, and some worry it could impact the area’s budding tourism sector.
‘Something special about this area’
Gina Goldie, who grew up in Grande Cache, started her river rafting company in the area 25 years ago. “There is just something special about this area, it is just so quiet and serene and beautiful,” she says.
Like many people from Grande Cache, Goldie is conflicted about the new mine, recognizing the environmental risks but also aware of the economic benefits.
Grande Cache resident Gina Goldie started Wild Blue Yonder Rafting 25 years ago. She has mixed feelings about a potential new mine in the area. (Josh Mclean/CBC News)
“So in an ideal world we are not using coal mines anymore — but we don’t live in that world, we are at the precipice of serious climate problems and so how do we solve those — that is a very big complex problem.”
Goldie is most worried about the reclamation of the mine site once it is done producing coal. She also has concerns about the ability for regulators to make sure the site is cleaned up.
Still, she says the fact that the mine is producing coal for steel manufacturing, and not electricity production, is an important distinction, since there are currently no viable alternatives.
The area around Grand Cache is known for its natural attractions and new businesses focused on tourism have been growing. (Josh Mclean/CBC News)
“There has got to be a balance struck between preservation of our natural areas and use of our natural resources and I think that is the challenge,” Goldie says.
Goldie points out that the steel produced from Grande Cache’s coal seams could be used to build wind turbines or electric cars, key pieces to decarbonizing the planet and addressing climate change.
As the Summit 14 mine continues to move its way through the approval process, people in the area say they’re wrestling with how the coal industry and the environment can coexist, unearthing no easy answers — only hard questions about the future of their town.
TORONTO – Roots Corp. may have built its brand on all things comfy and cosy, but its CEO says activewear is now “really becoming a core part” of the brand.
The category, which at Roots spans leggings, tracksuits, sports bras and bike shorts, has seen such sustained double-digit growth that Meghan Roach plans to make it a key part of the business’ future.
“It’s an area … you will see us continue to expand upon,” she told analysts on a Friday call.
The Toronto-based retailer’s push into activewear has taken shape over many years and included several turns as the official designer and supplier of Team Canada’s Olympic uniform.
But consumers have had plenty of choice when it comes to workout gear and other apparel suited to their sporting needs. On top of the slew of athletic brands like Nike and Adidas, shoppers have also gravitated toward Lululemon Athletica Inc., Alo and Vuori, ramping up competition in the activewear category.
Roach feels Roots’ toehold in the category stems from the fit, feel and following its merchandise has cultivated.
“Our product really resonates with (shoppers) because you can wear it through multiple different use cases and occasions,” she said.
“We’ve been seeing customers come back again and again for some of these core products in our activewear collection.”
Her remarks came the same day as Roots revealed it lost $5.2 million in its latest quarter compared with a loss of $5.3 million in the same quarter last year.
The company said the second-quarter loss amounted to 13 cents per diluted share for the quarter ended Aug. 3, the same as a year earlier.
In presenting the results, Roach reminded analysts that the first half of the year is usually “seasonally small,” representing just 30 per cent of the company’s annual sales.
Sales for the second quarter totalled $47.7 million, down from $49.4 million in the same quarter last year.
The move lower came as direct-to-consumer sales amounted to $36.4 million, down from $37.1 million a year earlier, as comparable sales edged down 0.2 per cent.
The numbers reflect the fact that Roots continued to grapple with inventory challenges in the company’s Cooper fleece line that first cropped up in its previous quarter.
Roots recently began to use artificial intelligence to assist with daily inventory replenishments and said more tools helping with allocation will go live in the next quarter.
Beyond that time period, the company intends to keep exploring AI and renovate more of its stores.
It will also re-evaluate its design ranks.
Roots announced Friday that chief product officer Karuna Scheinfeld has stepped down.
Rather than fill the role, the company plans to hire senior level design talent with international experience in the outdoor and activewear sectors who will take on tasks previously done by the chief product officer.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
VANCOUVER – Mediated talks between the union representing HandyDART workers in Metro Vancouver and its employer, Transdev, are set to resume today as a strike that has stopped most services drags into a second week.
No timeline has been set for the length of the negotiations, but Joe McCann, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1724, says they are willing to stay there as long as it takes, even if talks drag on all night.
About 600 employees of the door-to-door transit service for people unable to navigate the conventional transit system have been on strike since last Tuesday, pausing service for all but essential medical trips.
Hundreds of drivers rallied outside TransLink’s head office earlier this week, calling for the transportation provider to intervene in the dispute with Transdev, which was contracted to oversee HandyDART service.
Transdev said earlier this week that it will provide a reply to the union’s latest proposal on Thursday.
A statement from the company said it “strongly believes” that their employees deserve fair wages, and that a fair contract “must balance the needs of their employees, clients and taxpayers.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
MONTREAL – Travel company Transat AT Inc. reported a loss in its latest quarter compared with a profit a year earlier as its revenue edged lower.
The parent company of Air Transat says it lost $39.9 million or $1.03 per diluted share in its quarter ended July 31.
The result compared with a profit of $57.3 million or $1.49 per diluted share a year earlier.
Revenue in what was the company’s third quarter totalled $736.2 million, down from $746.3 million in the same quarter last year.
On an adjusted basis, Transat says it lost $1.10 per share in its latest quarter compared with an adjusted profit of $1.10 per share a year earlier.
Transat chief executive Annick Guérard says demand for leisure travel remains healthy, as evidenced by higher traffic, but consumers are increasingly price conscious given the current economic uncertainty.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
