Corb Lund applies for judicial review after Alberta denies his “Water Not Coal” citizen initiative petition. Lund says the petition, signed by more than 200,000 Albertans, should receive a fair and reasonable process. According to reporting from multiple outlets, Elections Alberta rejects the petition after conducting random authenticity checks on names submitted. Elections Alberta estimates that statistical sampling verified 172,000 signatures, which falls short of the threshold required for the initiative to advance.
Lund’s court application to Alberta’s Court of King’s Bench argues the rejection decision is unreasonable and involves procedural unfairness. The application also says the decision is inconsistent with the stated purpose of Alberta’s Citizen Initiative Act. The judicial review request seeks court consideration of Elections Alberta’s methods and decision-making related to signature verification.
The case centers on whether Elections Alberta’s sampling-based verification approach and related assessment comply with the requirements of the citizen initiative framework, and whether the denial process meets standards of fairness and reasonableness.
