Corb Lund’s anti‑coal petition falls short of verified signatures: Elections Alberta
Posted July 3, 2026 10:25 am.
Last Updated July 4, 2026 9:37 am.
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 Water Not Coal petition, championed publicly by country musician Corb Lund, fell short of the 177,732 verified signatures needed to advance.
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.
Lund delivered what he said were more than 205,000 verified names in early June, and in a statement responding to the petition failing, calls the process “opaque” and “unreasonable.”
“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,” reads a statment from Lund.
“I have grave concerns about how this number was reached and the fairness of the process itself.”
Elections Alberta says signatures were rejected for reasons including incomplete information, incorrect dates, duplicate signings, and improperly completed canvasser declarations. Some electors could not be reached or could not confirm their details, and no seeded names were found during verification.
The proposal will not move to the next stage of the citizen initiative process. Elections Alberta says the proponent must now return all petition materials, destroy extra copies, and file an affidavit by Monday, along with financial reports by Aug. 10.
The petition sought legislation prohibiting any new coal mining activity in the Eastern Slopes of Alberta’s Rocky Mountains. 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 has 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.
Premier Danielle Smith had said a question related to the petition would not be appearing on the province’s Oct. 19 referendum ballot.
Lund says Water Not Coal leadership will have further comments next week.
