Alberta’s Smith says it may be too late to put a question about coal to Oct. vote

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has suggested that the window may have closed for including a petition question about banning coal mining in the province's upcoming referendum. The musician behind the "Water Not Coal" petition, Corb Lund, expressed frustration over the uncertainty surrounding his initiative.

Lund recently submitted over 200,000 signatures for his petition. Under provincial law, a verified petition of this size compels the government to either enact legislation banning new coal mining or put the question to a public vote. However, Alberta's United Conservative government is already preparing to present 10 questions on the Oct. 19 ballot.

According to Smith, the body responsible for administering elections requires all referendum questions to be submitted by June 1 to allow for proper preparation. This deadline now poses a significant challenge for Lund's petition, which was delivered after that date. Smith had previously stated her intention to include the question if the signature threshold was met, but the timing appears to have become a critical issue.