Elections Alberta announced Friday that the Water Not Coal petition, led by Alberta musician Corb Lund, was unsuccessful despite gathering more than the required number of signatures. The petition aimed to ban new coal mines along the Rocky Mountains' eastern slopes.
Signature Verification Falls Short
Elections Alberta counted 196,088 valid signatures submitted by the June 10 deadline, exceeding the 178,000 required for success. However, a random statistical sampling method verified only 172,088 signatures, leaving the petition 5,912 short of the threshold. Lund had previously stated that over 200,000 people had signed the petition.
Reasons for Rejection
According to Elections Alberta, signatures were rejected during the validation phase due to incomplete elector information, invalid dates, multiple signatures by the same elector, and incomplete or improperly completed canvasser signature witnessing declarations. During the verification phase, rejections stemmed from electors being unable or unwilling to verify their information on the petition sheet or failing to provide valid contact information.
“The primary reasons signatures were rejected during the verification phase included electors being unable or unwilling to verify the information on the petition sheet, and not providing valid contact information to reach them for verification,” Elections Alberta stated.
Impact and Next Steps
The unsuccessful petition means the proposed ban on new coal mines in the Eastern Slopes will not move forward as a legislative initiative. Lund and supporters had campaigned vigorously to protect water sources and landscapes from coal development. The decision highlights the challenges of grassroots petition drives in Alberta, where strict verification processes can hinder even well-supported efforts.
