‘This has been an unreasonable and opaque process from the beginning,’ musician and reluctant environmentalist says
After learning that 35,000 signatures on Corb Lund’s Water Not Coal citizen initiative petition had been ruled invalid on various grounds by Elections Alberta – enough for the provincial elections agency to ensure there is no ballot question on the matter – the Alberta-based singer-songwriter expressed his “grave concerns about how this number was reached and the fairness of the process itself.”
“Of the more than 205,000 signatures delivered to Elections Alberta on June 10th, 2026, roughly 35,000 were rejected,” Mr. Lund said in a statement emailed to media yesterday. “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.”
“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,” the self-described reluctant environmentalist continued.
According to Elections Alberta, “the primary reasons signatures were rejected during the validation phase included incomplete elector information, invalid dates, electors signing the petition more than once, and incomplete or improperly completed canvasser signature witnessing declarations.”
“No seeded names were found on the petition,” the statement added, obviously significantly given the misuse of Alberta’s List of Electors by certain separatist groups.
“The primary reasons signatures were rejected during the verification phase included electors being unable or unwilling to verify the information on the petition sheet, and not providing valid contact information to reach them for verification,” the Elections Alberta statement also said.
This suggests that in an era when large numbers of people don’t answer their phones when unknown numbers are displayed – as was the case with Elections Alberta’s verification calls – it could be made even more difficult to verify a petition.
“This was the first petition verification process that included scrutineers, as added to the Act by Bill 23: Justice Statutes Amendment Act, 2026 on May 1, 2026,” the Elections Alberta statement also said. It’s hard to speculate without more information that Elections Alberta is unlikely to provide, but it would be interesting to know what role this played in the outcome.
Elections Alberta’s Citizen Initiative Petition Verification Scrutineers web page notes that “the citizen initiative petition proponent and the Minister of Justice may both, in writing, appoint one or more lawyers who are active members of The Law Society to act as a scrutineer during the petition verification process, and are required to pay any costs of their scrutineers.” (Emphasis added.)
Regardless of the reasons, this is a very convenient outcome for Premier Danielle Smith’s United Conservative Government, which is weirdly desperate to see a foreign-backed coal mining proposal go ahead on the Eastern Slopes of the Rocky Mountains in Southern Alberta.
Albertans are entitled to wonder why a popularly elected government is so determined to proceed with a development that is widely and wildly unpopular, including among a significant part of its own rural base.
In his statement, Mr. Lund thanked Albertans who signed the petition and the more than 3,000 volunteers who collected signatures. “Your commitment to protecting our headwaters and ranchlands has been extraordinary. This effort – and your effort – will not be in vain.”
He indicated he will have more to say on Monday.
