Corb Lund's anti-coal petition falls short by 5,000 verified signatures
Elections Alberta ruled the petition did not meet the 177,732 verified signature threshold under the Citizen Initiative Act. The effort sought to ban new coal mining in Alberta's Eastern Slopes.
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A citizen-driven effort to ban new coal mining projects in Alberta's Eastern Slopes has failed after Elections Alberta ruled the petition did not meet the legal threshold under the Citizen Initiative Act.
Alberta's Chief Electoral Officer confirmed the petition, championed publicly by country musician Corb Lund, fell short of the 177,732 verified signatures needed. While 196,088 signatures were initially counted, a statistical review reduced the verified total to 172,088, leaving the petition about 5,000 signatures short.
Signatures were rejected for incomplete information, incorrect dates, duplicate signings, and improperly completed canvasser declarations. Some electors could not be reached or confirm their details.
Lund has been a prominent critic of renewed coal exploration since 2020, when the province briefly removed long-standing protections and issued leases. The government later reinstated those rules and announced plans to ban mountain-top removal and new open-pit mines, though final regulations are still pending and some advanced projects remain under review.
The proponent must return all petition materials, destroy extra copies, and file an affidavit by Monday, with financial reports due by August 10.
