Judicial review request challenges denial of Corb Lund’s ‘Water Not Coal’ petition

A legal challenge is underway after Elections Alberta rejected a petition aimed at banning new coal mining in Alberta's eastern slopes. The "Water Not Coal" initiative, spearheaded by country music artist Corb Lund, failed to meet the threshold of nearly 178,000 verified signatures required to compel the government to consider legislation or a referendum.

Organizers argue that Elections Alberta's decision was unreasonable and procedurally unfair. Lund stated that over 200,000 Albertans signed the petition in good faith, but approximately 35,000 signatures were rejected. He expressed grave concerns about the fairness of the verification process, suggesting that standards were applied more stringently than the law permits, effectively disenfranchising many signatories.

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We believe Elections Alberta applied standards that were stricter than the law requires, and that thousands of Albertans were effectively shut out by verification processes that don’t make sense.

The judicial review application, filed with Alberta's Court of King's Bench, contends that the agency's decision was inconsistent with the purpose of the Citizen Initiative Act. Elections Alberta, however, maintained that its verification process was rigorous, citing unconfirmed voter information as a reason for disqualifying signatures. The agency estimated that only 172,000 signatures were verified through statistical sampling.

The review request asks the court to set aside the decision, declare the petition successful, or send the matter back to Elections Alberta for a new review. The outcome could significantly impact future citizen-led initiatives and the debate surrounding coal mining in the ecologically sensitive Rocky Mountain region.

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This judicial review is about ensuring that citizens’ voices weren’t lost in technicalities.