Crowsnest Pass: A Council Under Question
Crowsnest Pass is a mountain municipality in Alberta's Rockies. Developers have eyed it for large resort projects, and some families there go back generations. This series follows residents who say their council has acted without due process. At its centre is Mindy Pawluk, a Blairmore mother of two. She began asking questions after the municipality approved the conditional sale of roughly 68 acres beside the historic Old Sartoris dump site. The sale included the access road to her property. Residents allege that the land was sold for about $5,200 an acre without advertising or an independent appraisal, and without an environmental assessment, even though the area borders Lyons Creek, which flows into the Oldman River. Later reporting covers what the family describes as lawfare and a taxpayer-funded smear campaign after they went public. The municipality's actions remain allegations under dispute.
Timeline · oldest first
Sep 11, 2025Part 1Berated, Censored, and Betrayed: Crowsnest Pass Residents Call for Accountability Amid Rogue CouncilThis is the story of a rural Alberta community left to confront a rogue council—and a province that, residents say, looks the other way.
- Oct 9, 2025Part 2Alberta Family Faces 'Lawfare' and Federally Funded 'Smear Campaign' After Exposing Local Government
In the mountain community of Crowsnest Pass, Alberta, one family’s call for accountability has exposed what residents describe as a troubling mix of environmental neglect, questionable land…
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This series exists because readers fund it. Every report here took records requests, court filings, and travel. No corporate or government money is involved.