Chelsea Petrovic, the pro-coal rookie UCP MLA for Livingstone-Macleod, cancelled regular coffee dates with constituents after people upset by the provincial government’s sudden lifting of the coal moratorium last month started showing up to discuss their frustrations.
MLA Shuts the Door
Laura Laing was part of a group that met with Petrovic earlier this year. They weren’t there for a nice chat and a free coffee. They wanted to discuss concerns about the threat the province’s coal industry-friendly stance poses to southern Alberta’s drought-stressed watersheds, agriculture, and livelihoods.
“It was a peaceful gathering, but our MLA doesn’t want to hear from us. If you disagree with this government on anything, you’re branded an activist,” Laing told TheRockies.Life.
Laing owns Plateau Cattle Company in Nanton with her husband John Smith added, “We’re disappointed and frustrated to be back where we were five years ago, but sadly not that surprised.”
The couple was part of a group that sued the province for access to internal government documents leading up to the Jason Kenney government decision in 2020 to scrap the 1976 Coal Policy. Scrapping the coal policy opened the floodgates to a torrent of coal applications for the eastern slopes until then, Energy Minister Sonya Savage pumped the brakes and reinstated the policy.
High River Mayor Says Citizen Concerns Ignored
Craig Snodgrass, mayor of High River and a lifelong resident of the community, said the MLA has made up her mind and is not considering the opinions of all the people in her rural riding.
“Chelsea is representing the pro-coal people of Crowsnest Pass,” he told TheRockies.Life.
Snodgrass is hoping for a coffee meeting with the MLA, where he plans to deliver the same message he’s been delivering for the past five years.
“No coal on the eastern slopes. We’re talking about the destruction of our landscapes and the contamination of our water with selenium for a few jobs and minimal royalties,” Snodgrass said. “I’m frustrated, angry and pissed off.”
MLA’s Husband Used to Work for Teck
Petrovic is a former nurse and mother of two. She was mayor of Claresholm from 2021 until 2023 when she was elected MLA for Livingstone-Macleod. In a past interview she described herself as having a “strong Christian background” and “pro-life.”
A mandatory financial disclosure statement filed by Petrovic on June 30, 2023, lists a Teck Resources Ltd. pension for her husband Slobo Cody Petrovic, a former employee of the coal mining giant in BC.
Cody Petrovic took part in the illegal 2022 Coutts Freedom Convoy blockade that disrupted traffic for weeks at the busy border crossing between Alberta and Montana. He has also shared pro-Putin, anti-Ukraine messages on social media, as uncovered by The Breakdown.
According to Laura Laing, there are rumours that Cody Petrovic now works as a coal industry lobbyist, but she said she hasn’t found proof.
TheRockies.Life reached out to Chelsea Petrovic’s office for comment but did not get a response.
In previous media statements, the first-term MLA has said she gets more letters from people supporting coal than against it.
MLA Argues Rather Than Listens
After attending one of the MLA’s coffee meetings on January 2, Pincher Creek resident Blaine Moen wrote a letter to Energy Minister Brian Jean and Petrovic. In it he describes disappointment at Petrovic’s unwillingness to hear citizen concerns about coal mining.
“I tried to explain how our…. even your water will be impacted by these mines and yes, even impacted by the exploration recently authorized in the snap of a finger by Brian Jean. Instead of listening, you chose to explain, argue and obfuscate,” Moen’s letter stated. “We expect our legislative representative to listen to our concerns, consider them, investigate and then discuss with fellow representatives before arguing that more people in your riding support the coal mines. The fact that you took such a stand so quickly today demonstrates where your allegiances lie.”
Peter Jowett, a Fort Macleod retiree, said coal is a major issue in the rural riding and has no sympathy for Petrovic if she finds the heat too much to handle.
“I don’t give her any latitude there at all. She asked for the job. She knew what the job was. She got the job. So just do the job,” he told The Canadian Press.
