Corb Lund's 'Water Not Coal' petition fails to meet Alberta referendum threshold

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

Lund's petition called on the province to ban all new coal mining in the Eastern Slopes of the Rocky Mountains. On paper, it surpassed the required threshold: more than 196,000 signatures versus the 177,732 needed (10 per cent of electors in the last provincial election).

However, Elections Alberta's verification process found the valid signature count dropped to 172,088. The agency cited duplicate signatures, invalid dates, incomplete information, and unsigned canvasser witness sections as reasons for rejection. During verification, some signatories were unable or unwilling to verify their information, or had no valid contact information on file.

Canvassers collected signatures between February and June 10. The petition specifically referenced Northback's Grassy Mountain project in Crowsnest Pass and Valory Resources' Blackstone project in Clearwater County.

Organizers have until Monday to return all petition and canvasser documents to Alberta, destroy additional copies, and submit a signed affidavit. Financial reports are due to Elections Alberta by August 10.

Premier Danielle Smith had previously indicated the question would likely not appear on the October 19 referendum ballot, citing insufficient time had verification been successful.