Corb Lund

It's been more than 40 years since coal was king in the scenic Crowsnest Pass of southwestern Alberta, but a referendum vote on Monday could sway a contentious debate on bringing it back.

As Albertans begin what could be a bitter and divisive provincial election campaign, one of the province's most popular musicians wants to remind them of an issue that brought everyone together a couple years ago.

Also: a touch of real Canada, French colonial politics and Jesus freaks

"Tribute to the Mountains Concert" was held to protest against open pit coal mines on the eastern slopes of the Rockies in Alberta.

The Alberta government says it plans to restore some aspects of a policy it revoked last spring that protected a wide swath of the province's foothills and mountains from coal mines.

"The government is risking Alberta’s multibillion-dollar tourism industry and the health and well-being of millions of Albertans who live, farm and fish downstream in order to potentially create a few hundred jobs and a pitifully small stream of new royalty revenue," columnist Max Fawcett writes.

First Nations, ranchers, municipal officials and environmentalists hope to persuade a judge this week to force Alberta to revisit its decision to open one of the province's most important and best-loved landscapes to open-pit coal mining.

A towering stainless steel monolith set up along the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains in Alberta comes with a message.