Alberta is expecting to make an announcement regarding its controversial coal mining plan next week according to a government spokesperson.

The policy initially banned mining in millions of hectares of the Rockies and Foothills and was axed in the summer of 2020, meaning mine development is no longer restricted.

A court hearing on Alberta’s controversial shift in coal policy has wrapped up. The case centres on a UCP government decision to allow open-pit coal mining on the eastern slopes.