Elections Alberta rejects Corb Lund's 'Water Not Coal' petition

Elections Alberta rejects Corb Lund's 'Water Not Coal' petition

Validation process found some duplicate signatures and incomplete information

Elections Alberta has rejected musician Corb Lund's 'Water Not Coal' petition, saying it failed to meet the requirements for a citizen initiative petition.

Lund submitted the petition last month. It called on the province to ban all new coal mining in the Eastern Slopes of the Rocky Mountains.

To be successful, the petition required 177,732 signatures, representing 10 per cent of electors in the last provincial election. The 'Water Not Coal' petition did meet that threshold on paper, with more than 196,000 signatures.

However, Elections Alberta says the number of verified signatures dropped after applying a random statistical sampling method, with only 172,088 verified.

Corb Lund submits ‘Water Not Coal’ petition to Elections Alberta

As to why some signatures were rejected, Elections Alberta says during the validation process they found duplicate signatures, or others with invalid dates or incomplete information, as well as incomplete signatures from canvassers serving as witnesses.

Then, during the verification phase, some signatories were unable or unwilling to verify their information, Elections Alberta says, or there was no valid contact info to reach them.

Corb Lund has 'grave concerns' about process

Lund was unavailable for an interview Friday. In a statement, he expressed his disappointment with the outcome, saying he had "grave concerns" about the fairness of the process.

"We are simultaneously shocked by this outcome, yet, unfortunately, not surprised given the continual government rule changes and roadblocks we have faced throughout this campaign," Lund said.

Elections Alberta initially gave Lund the green light to start getting signatures last year after he submitted his petition application. But then the province made changes to its electoral legislation, which resulted in the quashing of his application, forcing him to reapply.

"This has been an unreasonable and opaque process from the beginning, and despite diligently following every rule, we are left with more questions than answers."

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Canvassers collected signatures between February and June 10.

Bethe Andreasen gathered more than 2,000 signatures alongside her husband. She said she was unhappy but not surprised by the petition's failure, having already been disappointed it would be left off the referendum.

Premier Danielle Smith had previously said the question would likely not be included on the Oct. 19 referendum, saying there would not have been enough time to include it on the ballot.

"This is a charade being masked as democracy," Andreasen said of the petition process. "This is just another tool to pretend that we're listening to Albertans."

Andreasen and her husband collected signatures in Lethbridge and Calgary, including at Mount Royal University.

"Can you tell me that the young people that lined up at universities to sign the petition ... if they got a call on their cellphone from Elections Alberta, would they pick that up? No," said Andreasen.

In a statement, the premier's office said the province respects the integrity of the verification process and thanked those that participated in this petition.

"Alberta’s government is working to finalize a new coal development policy to put the protection of our province’s water, air, and land at the forefront, while protecting good paying jobs in Albertan communities," the premier's press secretary Sam Blackett said in a statement.

That will include requiring that new mining projects in the Eastern Slopes use modern underground mining techniques to keep selenium out of rivers, and a ban on new open pit mine projects, the statement said.

Rina Blacklaws with the Coal Association of Canada says the fact the petition was unsuccessful indicates "Albertans understand that these issues are far more complex than the campaign suggested."

The petition specifically referenced Northback's Grassy Mountain project in Crowsnest Pass, and Valory Resources' Blackstone project in Clearwater County.

In a statement, Northback said Grassy Mountain will add billions to the province's GDP, while protecting the environment.

“Northback has worked diligently to advance a revised mine design that protects water quality in the Crowsnest Pass for the people and wildlife downstream," the statement read.

Andreasen says despite the petition's failure, for her, the fight is not over yet. Now, she says they will regroup and determine the best way to refocus their efforts.

Lund, who is currently on tour, said he will have more to say in the coming days about next steps.

Blacklaws said public discussions about resource development are welcome and important, and there will be opportunity for public input as the projects go through the regulatory process.

Petition organizers have until Monday to return all petition and canvasser identification documents to Alberta, destroy any additional copies of signature sheets, and submit a signed affidavit confirming they've done so.

Financial reports are due to Elections Alberta by Aug. 10.

Jennifer is a reporter with CBC Calgary. Previously, she worked for CTV News in Toronto. You can reach her at jennifer.keiller@cbc.ca