Siksika and Kainai Challenge Alberta’s Recission of Coal Mining Moratorium in the Eastern Slopes – JFK Law LLP
On , Siksika Nation (“Siksika”) and Kainai Nation (Blood Tribe) (“Kainai”) (collectively, the “Nations”) filed judicial review applications challenging Ministerial Order 003/2025, issued by Alberta’s Minister of Energy and Minerals on January 15, 2025 (the “Order”). This Order effectively lifts a previous ban on certain coal mining on lands known as the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains in western Alberta (the “Eastern Slopes”).
The Eastern Slopes are at the heart of Siksika’s and Kainai’s traditional and Treaty territories. Due to the cumulative effects of other development in their territories, these lands are among the last where the Nations can meaningfully exercise their Treaty rights. They provide essential water sources and are used for Treaty hunting, fishing, and other activities supporting traditional ways of life. Consequently, the Nations stand to be directly impacted by any further coal mining in the Eastern Slopes. See Siksika’s Press Release (July 4, 2025): Siksika Nation Challenges Government of Alberta Decision to Lift Moratorium on Coal Development in the Rocky Mountains.
